In reply to David S. Wallens :
if Nankang is reading and want me to test the new ones at a "discounted" price. I would be more than happy to do so! Sponsorship accepted
In reply to David S. Wallens :
if Nankang is reading and want me to test the new ones at a "discounted" price. I would be more than happy to do so! Sponsorship accepted
I just ordered a set of these to try out. Previously I was using Hankook R-S4's. Is there any feedback so far on how the CR-S (2023) responds to air pressure compared to the R-S4? I am guessing they will prefer about the same hot pressure but real world feedback would be appreciated. Also very curious about the number of heat cycles people get from these before performance degradation.
This question may be as much for asymmetric tires in general as the CR-Ss but that's what I have. I have done 2 2-day DEs on mine in a stock 981 Cayman S w/ insufficient negative camber. Not surprisingly, the outsides are disproportionately worn; indeed, I'll be lucky to get another event out of them. 
I'm not sure I want to throw suspension money into this car, so can I flip these tires on the rims (inside out) and get maybe 2 more events? My concern is not lap times but safety - I don't want them to delaminate, blow, or have wonky handling. Thanks.
Bill/Memphis
Update for July: The CR-S is now availalbe through Tire Rack.
In reply to Andy Hollis :
Hi Andy,
A few questions regarding your experience with this tire please:
Have you found pace drop off after x heat cycles?
Is there a tread temp that you found to have the highest amount of grip? From the penultimate test, it seems to be around 110-120f?
Am looking to set a PB with this tire, so far have only found .1 second improvement over the Maxxis RC-1, likely a user error on my part. Inside shoulder temps get up to 200F at my local track.
How much does the Triple Threat ND weigh? I see online it's 2,332...so that plus driver and equipment puts it closer to 2550-2600?
My results with the updated CR-S have been underwhelming, to say the least. I race W2W in a class that allows NA Spec Miatas to run 200tw tires. I weighed in at 2327 at the end of my last SCCA race at Grattan (2275 min class weight). I was a full 1.5 seconds/lap slower on the CR-S than I was on the Bridgestones (set the track record for my class on the RE71RS on the same day that I tested the Nankangs there). They just felt...off. Like they were chattering across the pavement vs. gripping and pulling me through the corner.
I've had the same experience at Blackhawk Farms Raceway on these tires. A full second to 1.5 seconds/lap faster on the RE71RS and the Continental ExtremeContact Force's under W2W competition.
I did 4 races in the rain this year on the Nankangs. Gotta say that was pathetic when compared to the RE71RS and Continentals.
My intent is not to dump all over these tires. I'm just confounded as to what the issue could be. My assumption is that the Triple Thread ND is substantially heavier than my NA, which makes the stiffer sidewall of the Nankang a benefit over the softer RE71RS sidewall. I really want these to work, especially given their reported heat/wear characteristics and the lap times you're reporting.
Tire size is 205/50R15 if it matters.
Apex said:How much does the Triple Threat ND weigh? I see online it's 2,332...so that plus driver and equipment puts it closer to 2550-2600?
My results with the updated CR-S have been underwhelming, to say the least. I race W2W in a class that allows NA Spec Miatas to run 200tw tires. I weighed in at 2327 at the end of my last SCCA race at Grattan (2275 min class weight). I was a full 1.5 seconds/lap slower on the CR-S than I was on the Bridgestones (set the track record for my class on the RE71RS on the same day that I tested the Nankangs there). They just felt...off. Like they were chattering across the pavement vs. gripping and pulling me through the corner.
I've had the same experience at Blackhawk Farms Raceway on these tires. A full second to 1.5 seconds/lap faster on the RE71RS and the Continental ExtremeContact Force's under W2W competition.
I did 4 races in the rain this year on the Nankangs. Gotta say that was pathetic when compared to the RE71RS and Continentals.
My intent is not to dump all over these tires. I'm just confounded as to what the issue could be. My assumption is that the Triple Thread ND is substantially heavier than my NA, which makes the stiffer sidewall of the Nankang a benefit over the softer RE71RS sidewall. I really want these to work, especially given their reported heat/wear characteristics and the lap times you're reporting.
Tire size is 205/50R15 if it matters.
Interesting.
First off...are you positive you have the V2? Date code is 2023 or newer? There is at least one retailer that was trying to pass off the old version as the new to unsuspecting customers. Located in Texas.
When you did the back-to-back day with RE71RS, were both at the same tread depth and relative cycles? As detailed in other stories here, we've seen quite a large improvement in both of the tires as they wear down. In fact, for competition use, I just buy them shaved/cycled.
What pressures and wheel width for those 205's?
As for our ND, it's 2420 with driver and zero fuel, so 2460 with half a tank which is average for our test days.
The other possibility is surface composition. I have been to Blackhawk twice, and am familiar with the super-old polished surface. Is Grattan the same?
I have seen varied results on different sorts of surfaces. In Texas, Motorsport Ranch Cresson used to be just like Blackhawk...super-polished. So much so, that in the wet it was treacherous (again, like Blackhawk, which I've driven in the wet). This is one of the reasons they recently repaved MSR-C.
And then there's the new-fangled polymer-based surfaces like at COTA, Eagles Canyon and the Glen. Those favor slicks and r-comps -- tires with adhesive grip -- more so than traditional street tire compounds. I once took the 720 to ECR on PS4S for a TNIA and was spinning out constantly. It was a complete waste of time.
Tire Rack has also seen variations in the pecking order of tires every time they resurface their test pad (which they just recently did). The weathered, low resolution, high void surface becomes super smooth high-resolution (think sandpaper). Various tires react to this differently.
This is all part of the reason we try and espouse that our tests are a single data point, meant as a guide towards your own testing program. Helps to whittle down the contenders to a manageable handful.
In reply to Andy Hollis :
Sorry for the incredibly late reply.
Yes, they were 100% the new date code. I triple checked (before I even mounted them) and checked again after my first few runs because I was surprised at how they were performing.
The Nankangs and the Bridgestones were brand spankin' new at the start of this season. I ran the Nankangs for the first two race weekends of the year. I run two classes. The Nankangs got 6 heat cycles per day over two race days each weekend. So a total of 24 heat cycles/weekend between practice, qualifying, and the races). One of those weekends had some pretty wet conditions, so wear and heat would be negligible. Not sure how to account for that, but a good data point to keep in mind. Perhaps they would be even better as they got really worn down.
For my comparison at Grattan, the Bridgestones had never been used vs. the Nankangs having the 24-(ish) heat cycles and two weekends on them.
They were mounted to 7" Momo Podium wheels. For pressures, I tried 32 and 35, but targeted 33 PSI hot for the most part.
Track compound is a great point! Blackhawk is absolutely old and polished. The same for Grattan, but they do put a TON of sticky sealant on the track at Grattan after each race. Blackhawk is crazy on brakes where Grattan has an insanely technical slalom through the center section. Perhaps the slower speed corners of both tracks are where my issue is.
I did have a fellow racer try the Nankangs and he liked the higher speed feel, but agreed on the lack of turn-in response. He was also slower on them than the RE71RS's (this was at Autobahn South, which also has "Patience" and the incredibly slow chicane).
Lastly and perhaps most important: THANK YOU for these articles. I agree they are a data point and not the be-all end-all. The community is where the data needs to be aggregated, and you guys (GRM) create a space for that community to exist. I'm grateful to you for that!
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