CLIO 197 CUP - Project TF

[Tarticmonkey]

Tyre question.

Looking at getting tyres for the Speedlines but unsure which way to jump. I have listed below my current front runners and would appreciate peoples views/ opinions experiences.

NS2R- ran these before very happy with them for the price as they were circa £360ish for the mini but for the size a set is £500 which seems steep in comparison to other tyres on offer.

R888R- Never used these but know a few people who run these and are very happy. £601 a set.

Michi Cup 2s - Again never used them before but if they're good enough for a GT3RS surely they would be good enough for moi? £580 a set.

Tyres that I have ruled out:

AD09- Would love to run these but but not sure what to think yet. Only exposure I have had for these tyres is from paid promos and people trying to sell me them. So want to see what real world results are.

AR-1- Amazing grip but lifespan worries me

MRF- Cost

Keen to hear peoples thoughts regarding this.

 

[burrellbloke]

Are you using the tyres for track or road and track?

 

[Tarticmonkey]

Are you using the tyres for track or road and track?

Predominately track use. However I would like to use the wheels/ tyres for cars and coffee and some peak drives

 

[burrellbloke]

I use two sets of wheels and have a set of MRF ZTEs for track use and use Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres for road use or wet track use.

The problem you have is that better track tyres will wear fast when you use them on the road - but you know that already.

 

[Tarticmonkey]

Exactly that. I am stuck between a rock and hard place it seems.

My gut feeling is telling me that CUP2s would be the best compromise for me. As the current plan is to run two sets of wheels. However vainity is getting the better of me and I really want to run the Speedlines over my stock wheels for a while. The car is doing limited mileage in fairness with it covering circa 60 miles since xmas.

The other aspect I am thinking of is the current stage for where the car is currently do I want over tyre it? If that makes any sense at all LOL. (I do have tendency to over think and over complicate things). I also like to do things in "stages"; as in build to a point and then improve and compare back. Not the marketing crap you get when modifying cars now.

In an ideal world Yoko would never have stopped making the AD08R and I would just buy those.

 

[burrellbloke]

If you are going to run two sets of wheels then why don't you have a track set and a road/wet set?

If you go out on track with Cup2s you can be fairly sure that you will then be unhappy with the compromise that you have made and want a tyre that has a bit more grip and does not overheat when put under extreme pressure.

 

[R20BTG]

R888R - decent tyre, good grip, wears slightly faster than the MRF. It is possible to overheat them on warm days. Quite sensitive to pressure.
Cup 2 - decent road biased grippy tyre, I wouldn't consider it a dry track try, soft sidewalls, pretty decent in the wet. Easy to overheat.
MRF - best tyre I've used on the Clio, not far off slicks in terms of outright grip. Very low wear rate, to be honest not sure how they do it!
Slicks - cheap, grippy, but a bit of a PITA in terms of warm up, finding replacements, and not being able to use on the road.

My money would do MRF ZTR, because even if they're a bit more expensive, they'll last longer and work out cheaper per track day.

 

[Tarticmonkey]

If you are going to run two sets of wheels then why don't you have a track set and a road/wet set?

If you go out on track with Cup2s you can be fairly sure that you will then be unhappy with the compromise that you have made and want a tyre that has a bit more grip and does not overheat when put under extreme pressure.

Thanks for your input it is appreciated. However I will have to do some more research I am sure. However I have not come across the CUP2's overheating anywhere? Or is that from personal experience?
Possible from longer stints as they are definitely a higher treadwear compared to other more focused tyres.

R888R - decent tyre, good grip, wears slightly faster than the MRF. It is possible to overheat them on warm days. Quite sensitive to pressure.
Cup 2 - decent road biased grippy tyre, I wouldn't consider it a dry track try, soft sidewalls, pretty decent in the wet. Easy to overheat.
MRF - best tyre I've used on the Clio, not far off slicks in terms of outright grip. Very low wear rate, to be honest not sure how they do it!
Slicks - cheap, grippy, but a bit of a PITA in terms of warm up, finding replacements, and not being able to use on the road.

My money would do MRF ZTR, because even if they're a bit more expensive, they'll last longer and work out cheaper per track day.

Excellent write up thank you for that. Slicks are not going to be happening unfortunately for the reasons you have listed there pretty much.

And looking at for cost per day is an interesting way to look at it too...

 

[burrellbloke]

I have not used Cup2s. My comment is based on what other people have said to me, but those comments are similar to what @R20BTG has said above.

I took my GR Yaris out to Snetteron on PS4s and they were okay, but a set of Direzzas or MRFs would have given the car so much more grip.

 

[Tarticmonkey]

Quick Q RE Mrfs. I know the 215's run wide as a 225. But just want to check they will be okay on 8J speedlines? Much obilidged

 

[Sean197]

Quick Q RE Mrfs. I know the 215's run wide as a 225. But just want to check they will be okay on 8J speedlines? Much obilidged

215 is fine on the 8j speedlines.

 

[Tarticmonkey]

215 is fine on the 8j speedlines.

Excellent stuff- I will do the needful

 

[Helpimonfire]

If it helps the decision, my MRFs were fitted in August 2021 and I've finally killed them after 15+ trackdays, but not through wear as they still have some life left, they're going hard from repeated heat cycles!

 

[Tarticmonkey]

If it helps the decision, my MRFs were fitted in August 2021 and I've finally killed them after 15+ trackdays, but not through wear as they still have some life left, they're going hard from repeated heat cycles!

Exactly what we like to read! Thanks mate I appreciate the insight

 

[Big Ben]

I’d avoid Cup 2’s as they don’t seem to work as good on a Clio as other performance models.
I’ve got MRF’s currently and they’re good on a track day and possibly safe to go to coffee meets. Don’t think they grip quite as good as AR1 but wear better and I defo wouldn’t use ar1 on street(although I have)
PS4 are superb tyre. If you’re going out on track in high summer then they will overheat quite quickly but if it’s damp or wet which it is a lot of the time there’s no better tyre.
You basically can’t have your cake and eat it. Outstanding track grip with good longevity and cheap price is like unicorn doodoo!

 

[Tarticmonkey]

Thanks all for the feed back.

I have managed to find a good deal on some MRF's that have been used for a test day so have gone for them. So only used once in relative terms and have not lost any tread from when new. Quite excited to try them. They have also come in cheaper too.

Should be here next week.

 

[burrellbloke]

Did you go for hard or medium compound MRFs?

 

[Tarticmonkey]

I went for the Hards .

 

[burrellbloke]

I have got a set of hards but have only done two track days on them so far.

 

[Tarticmonkey]

How are they from cold?