Tires

curiousfool · 02-26-2018, 07:45 AM

I would like to upgrade the tires on my 2009 RX8 R3. I am currently checking out Toyo Tires' Proxes 4 Plus. Any other suggestions?

GySgtFrank · 02-26-2018, 06:18 PM

Depends on what you want out of your tires. All out performance?, good wear?, cheap price?

IamFODI · 04-20-2018, 07:24 PM

I know I'm late to this party, but the board is poking me to post. Hope y'all don't mind the thread bump -- maybe this'll be useful to someone in the future.

One of the benefits/problems with the R3 is that the OE tire is bespoke. It's 2 generations old at this point, but was top-of-the-line when it was current; plus, there's a specific version for the R3 with its own part number, which means it was likely tweaked for the R3 specifically. That's a benefit for obvious reasons. It's a problem because almost any other tire you can find will be a DOWNgrade from stock overall. And if it's not from a tier-1 manufacturer (Bridgestone, Michelin, Continental, Goodyear, Dunlop), it'll most likely be a big downgrade.

For the stock wheel, the only other tire you can really argue for is the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Better dry grip, WAY better wet grip, smoother ride, less noise, longer life, and less loss of performance as it wears. It's even 5 lbs lighter per tire, which is a lot. And even that tire has a downside: it sacrifices just a little bit of that razor-sharp feeling in the stock car's handling. Well worth it IMO, just because the advantages are huge. But it's worth having the caveat.

A few other tires have the dry grip advantage but everything else about them is worse. Everything else makes the same sacrifice to handling sharpness (often much worse) with fewer or no upsides.

Nothing else is really worth considering unless you're willing to accept major compromises to how the car handles and feels. If you have an R3, you probably aren't. One would hope, anyway.

HTH someone.

t_g_farrell · 04-20-2018, 08:26 PM

The Dunlap Star II are good as well foran RX8. A buddy of mine runs them and loves em.

IamFODI · 04-21-2018, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t_g_farrell

The Dunlap Star II are good as well foran RX8. A buddy of mine runs them and loves em.

Not available in the R3's size, unfortunately. But definitely worth considering for an 18" wheel if dry handling is your main focus.

02-26-2018, 07:45 AM	#1
curiousfool The Newbie Join Date: Feb 2017 iTrader: (0) Posts: 12 Rep Power: 0	Tires I would like to upgrade the tires on my 2009 RX8 R3. I am currently checking out Toyo Tires' Proxes 4 Plus. Any other suggestions?

02-26-2018, 06:18 PM	#2
GySgtFrank Professional Stick Poker Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Stafford, Ks. iTrader: (0) Posts: 1,002 GySgtFrank has 1 car in his garage Rep Power: 9	Depends on what you want out of your tires. All out performance?, good wear?, cheap price? __________________ 1979 SA22C (parts of one anyway) http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...ad.php?t=15585 1975 MG Midget (building) http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...ad.php?t=18681 1988 N/A SE model FC, dead stock and less than 85k on the clock. This one actually runs, so I don't fuck with it.

04-20-2018, 07:24 PM	#3
IamFODI The Newbie Join Date: Oct 2017 iTrader: (0) Posts: 9 Rep Power: 0	I know I'm late to this party, but the board is poking me to post. Hope y'all don't mind the thread bump -- maybe this'll be useful to someone in the future. One of the benefits/problems with the R3 is that the OE tire is bespoke. It's 2 generations old at this point, but was top-of-the-line when it was current; plus, there's a specific version for the R3 with its own part number, which means it was likely tweaked for the R3 specifically. That's a benefit for obvious reasons. It's a problem because almost any other tire you can find will be a DOWNgrade from stock overall. And if it's not from a tier-1 manufacturer (Bridgestone, Michelin, Continental, Goodyear, Dunlop), it'll most likely be a big downgrade. For the stock wheel, the only other tire you can really argue for is the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Better dry grip, WAY better wet grip, smoother ride, less noise, longer life, and less loss of performance as it wears. It's even 5 lbs lighter per tire, which is a lot. And even that tire has a downside: it sacrifices just a little bit of that razor-sharp feeling in the stock car's handling. Well worth it IMO, just because the advantages are huge. But it's worth having the caveat. A few other tires have the dry grip advantage but everything else about them is worse. Everything else makes the same sacrifice to handling sharpness (often much worse) with fewer or no upsides. Nothing else is really worth considering unless you're willing to accept major compromises to how the car handles and feels. If you have an R3, you probably aren't. One would hope, anyway. HTH someone. __________________ - 2011 RX-8 R3 - Michelin PSS/PS4S \| RacingBrake 2pc front rotors \| Porterfield R4-S \| Some cell phone mount, I dunno \| Cosmetic blemishes Last edited by IamFODI; 04-21-2018 at 06:16 AM..

04-20-2018, 08:26 PM	#4
t_g_farrell Waffles - hmmm good Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Huntersville, NC iTrader: (0) Posts: 748 Rep Power: 0	The Dunlap Star II are good as well foran RX8. A buddy of mine runs them and loves em. __________________ 1980 GS stockport, Fat Nikki, RB Dual Facetfuel pumps, Holley regulator, RB Street port exhaust, 2GDFIS, MR2 MK I electric fans, 2G strut bar, relayed fans, lights and fuel pump, LEDs Project Fat Nikki Budget 12A rebuild Video setup < $30.00

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