[KTL]

I'd not abandon the RA-1 in favor of MPSC's. The Michelin is being discontinued for a new tire (Tire Rack recently had a very nice discount going on the MPSC), so developing your car for these would not be a good move IMO.

How can the NT-01 be based on the RA-1 if the NT-01 is not able to be flipped inside out like the RA-1? I would think once the NT-01 is shaved or worn, the tread pattern is meaningless and you should be able to flip them? Actually the tread pattern for any directional tire is only meaningful in wet conditions. Otherwise it doesn't matter if you run a directional tire "backwards."