As there arent any A048s on the planet Im looking for a suitable replacement for the rears On My Exige S. Club Lotus have the Toyo T1Rs for �85 each and the R888s for �166 each…whats the difference between the two and is there a good reason for spending double on the R888s ? My car doesnt go on the track if that makes a difference.
Cheers
Phil
the 888 is a track tyre which can be used on the road abit like the A048
the r1 is a cheap tyre with soft side walls.
you need to run the same all round btw.
Has anyone mixed A048s on the front an 888s on the rear?
�166 for a 225/45x17 R888’s ? Thats way over priced!
my last pair cost around �110 + VAT each…
Try giving www.camskill.co.uk or some others a ring.
back on topic R888’s are designed for the track and have minimim legal tread, Toyo T1R’s are much more conventional road tyres and IMHO more suitable for everyday driving conditions.
Has anyone mixed A048s on the front an 888s on the rear?
Yep, R888’s on the rear and A048Rs on the front for the past 6 months without issue.
I mixed them too on my last exige with no problems, there is a difference in hardness 60/100 but nothing too detrimental.
Gav
So mixing R888 on the back and A048 on the fronts is not that bad? Any bad experiences?
not advisable imho, and its coming up to winter with wet roads so even less a good idea.
Any half decent driver should be able to adjust their driving style to cope with a slightly different balance but I would agree that coming up to winter, some grooves are a good idea!
Any half decent driver should be able to adjust their driving style to cope with a slightly different balance but I would agree that coming up to winter, some grooves are a good idea!
Playing devil’s advocate, wonder what an insurance inspector would conclude in the event of an accident claim? Contributory negligence?
Personally, I don’t mix different tyres, & would never even consider it on my Exige.
I think if you had mixed tyres, you’d realise that’s very very unlikely
The geo setup and damper settings have just as much effect on dynamics and I think a bit more grip at the front is much better, be it through tyre compounds, sizes or suspension setup, it’s all down to personal preference really.
I have had A048’s, T1R’s and R888’s on my S1 as full sets.
If this helps - my Exige will never have T1R’s on again - It felt lethal with those on compared to the others.
On the Road I could not tell the difference with the A048’s and the R888’s in the wet or dry.
I think the R888’s have a touch more tread depth than A048’s and the Tread Wear Rating is 100 on the R888’s and 60 on the A048’s - inferring that the Yokos are a tad softer/stickier.
The R888’s are tons cheaper.
R888’s for me all round.
Hope this helps.
Simon
I can only talk from a track perspective but T1Rs are the worst tyre I have tried on my exige (and BMW), over heated very quickly and virtually no feedback from them. They felt like they were made of sponge cake.
Put a new set of R888s on prior to track day at Oulton last week. A bit slippy during the damp start (they were brand new) but once it dried and I finally managed to get a bit of heat into them were very good, I couldn’t tell difference from 048s. And when it rained again, the R888s, now scrubbed were brilliant. Excellent grip on a pretty wet track. No aquaplaning on very wet and quite fast M-way drive home either, although I still had most of the 5mm tread intact…May be a different story with a bit of wear on them.
I had T1-R’s on my corrado. Cheap and Nasty imho, too hard, not enough grip and wore like hell when hot. Great for cutting through standing water but not much else, like going round corners (wet or dry) for example…
A much better bet are the Goodyear Eagle F1 DS3’s - same tread pattern but much more grip. I’d also like to try out the new asymetric F1’s that have just come out. Michelin PE2s are also very good.
Put a new set of R888s on prior to track day at Oulton last week. A bit slippy during the damp start (they were brand new) but once it dried and I finally managed to get a bit of heat into them were very good, I couldn’t tell difference from 048s. And when it rained again, the R888s, now scrubbed were brilliant. Excellent grip on a pretty wet track. No aquaplaning on very wet and quite fast M-way drive home either, although I still had most of the 5mm tread intact…May be a different story with a bit of wear on them.
Indeed!
I did my first ever track day (Croft) with a spanking new set in the pissing rain fitted 2 days before. They really needed a couple of hundred road miles to scrub them in.
I ended up having a right laugh gooning round every corner…slowly 
I have used AO48’s on the front and R888’s rear. Now on R888 all round.
It didnt really affect the balance much, the only time it was very noticable was on high speed corners. Going through Craners at Donington the slightly different stiffness of tyre walls meant they flexed at not quite the same time giving an unerving squirming feel to the car.
I have used AO48’s on the front and R888’s rear. Now on R888 all round.
It didnt really affect the balance much, the only time it was very noticable was on high speed corners. Going through Craners at Donington the slightly different stiffness of tyre walls meant they flexed at not quite the same time giving an unerving squirming feel to the car.
EDITED - Unfunny joke removed, sorry.