Oppo, I Think I Made a Grave Mistake Buying Tires Today (Update!)

"Luken10" (luken10) 06/03/2014 at 14:51 • Filed to: None

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I managed to grab myself a set of brand new Toyo Proxes R888 for half off today! They grip unbelievably well, and don't even ride all that bad. You might be asking yourself, "Well what the hell is the problem then?!" (Update!) Also a new technical question about tire wear.

Here's the thing. This tires are sitting on my daily driven Protege5. COMPLETE OVERKILL, but I have tracked it once and plan on tracking it again. You would think, "okay, great track day tires." However, I will be driving this car mostly every day. I put 12,000 miles on my car last year and the treadwear rating on these tires is ridiculously low.

I went into America's Tire looking to buy a set of Continental DW's, but came out with these for the same price. All I was thinking was "TRACK DAY BRO, CANYON CARVING BRO, NO MORE UNDERSTEER BRO!" Can anyone chime in and let me know if I can make these last, or should I go do the sensible thing and buy something with a treadwear rating that is more than 100...

(Updated Bits) So I went back into America's Tire to either exchange the tires or see if I could negotiate a price lower. Ended up getting another $100 off! Deals like that don't show up often, so I am keeping them. A good drive up in the mountains the other night showed me the light.

So now for the technical question. After the drive in the mountains the tires are showing some wear. I just want to make sure this is normal, or if I need to do something with my alignment.

The rubber on the outside shoulders isn't smooth after my spirited drive. Is there something different I should be doing?

Brian Silvestro > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 14:55

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Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 15:01

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Sorry, just came here to drool over the RE30s pictured above.... lol However, I would say to pick up some normal tires for DD duties and keep these for fun. Just my 2 cents.

briannutter1 > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 15:02

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Low treadwear rubber like that feathers very differently from normal tires and that is standard wear. Camber and inflation need to be in check, but toe in is the real killer. The very first thing I'd do if I were you is get a zero toe alignment.

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 15:04

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Also take into account that the tire will flex, at least a little, and roll a bit over onto the shoulders while being used hard.

RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 15:09

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I'd start saving for new tires.

shinsen > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 15:28

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I went into America's Tire looking to buy a set of Continental DW's, but came out with these for the same price. All I was thinking was "TRACK DAY BRO, CANYON CARVING BRO, NO MORE UNDERSTEER BRO!"

You Only Live Once,

I say drive'em and enjoy'em!

Captain_Overboost > RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire 06/03/2014 at 15:31

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Ding ding ding! We have a winner. Start saving. Start now. You're gonna need 'em. Soon. It is what it is. Enjoy them till then.

Luken10 > Jeff-God-of-Biscuits 06/03/2014 at 15:36

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Definitely. I am just want to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary. My last set of tires gave out on the track because of excessive shoulder wear. I chalked that up to having super soft sidewalls.

Luken10 > briannutter1 06/03/2014 at 15:39

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I am trying to do some research on the best balance between tire life and performance regarding alignment. Is it possible these tires will wear more quickly if I don't have enough camber?

briannutter1 > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 16:04

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yeah, 1/2 - 3/4 negative on the front and 1/4 - 1/2 back would be a decent balance, but you'll be able to visually see wear or be able to measure it with a tread depth checker. the Toe in is constant abrasion though and more detrimental. Zero toe is a lot more fun than toe-in as well. Rear toe in adds stability (not much in a fwd car though). If you were doing very high speed, some toe-in in the front isn't a bad idea. Autocrossers run toe out in the front for better turn-in.

Santiago of Escuderia Boricua > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 16:05

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Can you find a second set of cheap wheels/tires? I don't DD my competition tires. Probably because they are snow tires, but same principle applies

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 16:22

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Given FWD car, super soft rubber, and aggressive driving, that's pretty normal.

BarryDanger > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 16:43

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I would take the savings you received and buy a set of steelies with decent tires for your commute. That way you can run the aggressive alignment needed for the Toyos and not worry about eating up your dailys - then swap them out for the Toyos when you want to have some fun!

Rally style:

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 16:46

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it really is a horrible idea to run the R888 on a street car primarily.

Horrible

Parth985 > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 16:48

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love these tires but they so freaking fast it's crazy I got maybe 5 to 7k on mine on a e39 m5 they grip great but they run out of tread so quickly it's annoying

LuczOr > Luken10 06/03/2014 at 18:54

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I had Kumho Ecsta XS on my Mazdaspeed3. I got a 2 for 1 deal for half price (You read that correctly, I bought 2 sets for the price of half of 1 set). The grippy rubber lasted me for about 5000 miles of daily driving with LOTS of spirited mountain driving sessions. I drove on the carcasses for another 5000 miles with regular car grip (But absolutely dismal wet weather performance). After those 10000 miles, the threads were starting to show, so I threw the second set on and did it all over again.

Luken10 > briannutter1 06/05/2014 at 17:10

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Do you think it would be best to go with the factory Mazdaspeed alignment specs? I have been reading that toe changes with speed and the aerodynamic effects on the car. The factory specs adjust for this to have zero toe on the highway. Those specs also call for about a half a degree of camber in the front and rear, lining up with your recommendation.

briannutter1 > Luken10 06/05/2014 at 17:36

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I tried looking up toe specs. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like they are asking for 2mm (.080") of toe in front and rear. 1/16 (.062) is probably a good idea in the rear for stability, but I'd still run zero toe in the front. at 75mph, you are not getting appreciable body lift. Corner entry will be improved.