First Impressions Toyo R888 225/45-, 255/40-17; 8/9 x 17 Kinesis K27s

[wolfrennen]

My car is an '88 Carrera with suspension mods and upsized wheels/tires.

Camber is maxed at -1.5 degrees fr/rr, almost zero toe with +6.8 degrees front castor.

Tires were new unshaven Toyo R888s in 225/45-17 and 255/40-17 mounted on 8 and 9 x 17 Kinesis K27 track wheels.

Cold tire pressures were set at factory 30 and 40 psi fr/rr. These were too high after the first lapping session; the hot pressures were 35 and 45 psi, fr/rr. At these pressures there was a delay in the car taking its set through the turns.

I bled the pressures down do 32 and 42 psi fr/rr hot. This was better, but still some delay with the car taking its set through turns.

30 (25 psi cold) and 40 psi hot (32 psi cold) fr/rr proved optimum. The car took a nice set after turn in, with nice throttle power oversteer in 2nd gear through sharp hair-pin turns.

The R888s have stiff sidewalls with sharp turn-in behavior. Once the car takes a set, you can hold the intended line.

They need 2 warm up laps. After that, they're good for 25 minutes of hard lapping.

As others have pointed out, the R888s don't give you much slip angle. They stick very well, but let go without warning. At this point, you're moving quickly, so be ready for opposite lock, and don't lift.

On the public roads, the road noise is tolerable. My car has headers and silencers, no cats. The exhaust noise masks the tire noise.

Front and rear, brand new tires, 0 miles.




Front and rear, 50 road miles, 4 x 25-min lapping sessions, Putnam Park Road Course, 1.78 miles/lap





Overall, I'm glad I chose the Toyo R888s. They're perfect for DE drivers that want true DOT race rubber that's streetable to and from the track.

I plan to leave them on the car the rest of the DE season; I don't drive the Carrera except to/from the track, and for occasional low speed cruising when I want that occasional shot of 911 experience.

After the DE season, I'll swap back to the lead-heavy Ruf street wheels and Advan AD07 summer tires (52 lbs!), and the Carrera and R888s go into winter storage.