Tires really

[Whiplash]

Wanted to see what tire people recommend for straight line traction. I know our options are limited, currently running kumho ecstas....been on the car since I bought it.

So out of the following 3, which are best for traction:

Toyo r888r, corsas, or the kumhos? If there is another good tire I am missing, please let me know.

So what does everyone think...thanks!

[ViperGeorge]

Corsas suck.

[bullitt2735]

R888rs or a real drag radial if your looking for just straight line acceleration

[Whiskey]

Only problem with R888R's is if you hit any kind of water, might as well be ice.

Good "All around" street tire is the Invo. I run them on all my Vipers. They have a soft side wall and I've pulled lots of 1.7 60' times. They also don't wonder like the R888r or CORSA.

[Whiplash]

I may get caught in a little weather, so that's a factor as I travel state to state in the car at times. The kumhos have been reasonable when I got caught the one time in the rain.

Out of the few digs at the strip I have a best 60' of 1.8. Looking for something that can get me into the 1.6s.

[99RT10]

If you're heating up the Kumhos, you should be able to get 1.6s with them. Just takes a little more practice.

[nrs1]

If you're trying to put all of that 800hp (in your sig, WHP or crank?) down to the ground in lower gears, on the street (non prepped surface) you'll have to go to a drag radial. Something like Nitto NT05R, NT555R or Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S. There is no comparison of a sticky road race tire to a drag radial in terms of straight line grip. Although, you will lose high g lateral grip, and the soft sidewalls will be squirmy at speed, but you get used to it. Drag radials will feel like you gained an extra 100 hp, since you will be able to hook up at least a gear lower.

If you're not having problems hooking up in 2nd gear (e.g. my vette would spin the tires in 3rd gear at 70mph), then you could use the Toyo 888R or Nitto NT01 (pending size availability, will vary depending on your wheel size) for all around traction and handling. As noted dry weather only, definitely not all season. I'm using 888Rs for 550whp on the Viper, with little straight line traction issues, but mainly drive on the track. My vette has 800whp, and definitely has problems with all road race tires in a straight line, hence the use of MT ET Street S/S. (325 wide MT tires meas the same as most 345 wide tires).

All depends on what you're willing to give up to excel in an area when you get up in that high HP RWD arena

[nrs1]

Missed your post about drag strip performance, so ignore what I said about street traction, when you're talking about a prepped surface. Although if you're chasing the best drag strip times, you can't beat a good drag radial, but it will put a lot more strain on downstream drive-train parts when it hooks.

[Whiplash]

If you're heating up the Kumhos, you should be able to get 1.6s with them. Just takes a little more practice.

I'm sure you're right, but want as good of a tire as I can get too.

[Whiplash]

If you're trying to put all of that 800hp (in your sig, WHP or crank?) down to the ground in lower gears, on the street (non prepped surface) you'll have to go to a drag radial. Something like Nitto NT05R, NT555R or Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S. There is no comparison of a sticky road race tire to a drag radial in terms of straight line grip. Although, you will lose high g lateral grip, and the soft sidewalls will be squirmy at speed, but you get used to it. Drag radials will feel like you gained an extra 100 hp, since you will be able to hook up at least a gear lower.

If you're not having problems hooking up in 2nd gear (e.g. my vette would spin the tires in 3rd gear at 70mph), then you could use the Toyo 888R or Nitto NT01 (pending size availability, will vary depending on your wheel size) for all around traction and handling. As noted dry weather only, definitely not all season. I'm using 888Rs for 550whp on the Viper, with little straight line traction issues, but mainly drive on the track. My vette has 800whp, and definitely has problems with all road race tires in a straight line, hence the use of MT ET Street S/S. (325 wide MT tires meas the same as most 345 wide tires).

All depends on what you're willing to give up to excel in an area when you get up in that high HP RWD arena

Thank you, I realize I'll have to compromise at some point. Appreciate the info.

Oh, she's putting down 700 whp/661 ft lb.

[nrs1]

At 700whp I'm sure you're fighting traction on the street. I tried to keep the vette a "road race ready" vehicle somewhere around 700WHP for a longtime and finally gave up. Decided it was not going to work, put on drag radials, pumped up the hp and kept it for 1/2 mile and the street, bought the viper for road race duty.

[Whiplash]

Thinking mainly for 1/4 and 1/2 mile stuff, but want to be able to road race if I want. So maybe the toyos, may be the best compromise....

[nrs1]

I agree, the 888Rs have surprisingly good straight line traction for a pure road race tire. But be aware, when you start using "R" compound tires, they will heat cycle out and lose traction, long before you wear the rubber down. Another trade off for utilizing sticky rubber.

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

R888R is not a 'pure race' tire. It is DOT rated, and even considered a decent "wet weather" tire for racing. Not doomed to ditch you, but slow down on puddled, rutted roads. Its a speed-limit tire on wet, puddling roads.

Under $1200/set and when they age-heat out, buy a new set. Miles-Per-year? With your HP that will be 2 seasons?

R888R corners WAAAAY Better than straight-line shitto-Invo. 'Wander' is an alignment issue, not a tire issue.

[Desert Venom Racer]

Very happy with R888R for street use. Very aggressive looking and confidence-inspiring. I do not race or drive in inclement weather however. Simply looking at the tread pattern you can tell you have more flat surface/contact patch for traction and less tread to evacuate dust and water. Can't beat the price from JonB either.
41429

[texasram]

Corsas do not suck. They're actually the best, i dont track but currently have 18k miles on my original set and they still hook nicely. The only downfall is availability is next to zero. Everyone is running the toyos now. So for me it's either toyos or PSS'S. So do you track at all or is it all street?

[Whiplash]

Some street, some strip, seldom on road course.

[Whiplash]

R888R is not a 'pure race' tire. It is DOT rated, and even considered a decent "wet weather" tire for racing. Not doomed to ditch you, but slow down on puddled, rutted roads. Its a speed-limit tire on wet, puddling roads.

Under $1200/set and when they age-heat out, buy a new set. Miles-Per-year? With your HP that will be 2 seasons?

R888R corners WAAAAY Better than straight-line shitto-Invo. 'Wander' is an alignment issue, not a tire issue.

Thanks! How's the road noise?.....my 9L is pretty loud, maybe wouldn't notice. Will be looking early spring for a set for rear only. How much would that be?

Thanks again!

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

Some street, some strip, seldom on road course.

You do a LOT more cornering on the STREET than you do at the STRIP. Buy 4 matching sticky tires that have identical handling, braking, transitions, compression, rebound. Tires are a HUGE component of your suspension and of your braking.

Dont make the fronts perform / brake differently than your rears.... ie:

"Your Sticky New Rear Tires will be writing checks that your front tires can't cash"

and/or visa-versa.


TREAD NOISE? Sidepipe Viper? 9.0L ?!?! "You Need a New Exhaust System!"

Sacrifice better handling / traction for quieter tires?
I see an Audi in your future....

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

Corsas do not suck. They're actually the best, i dont track but currently have 18k miles on my original set and they still hook nicely. The only downfall is availability is next to zero. Everyone is running the toyos now. So for me it's either toyos or PSS'S. So do you track at all or is it all street?

PartsRack almost always has had CORSAs for 18-19 OE fitments. There was a 4-month black hole last summer. Luckily, the R888R is a good option, less $$$ too

[Jack B]

I may get caught in a little weather, so that's a factor as I travel state to state in the car at times. The kumhos have been reasonable when I got caught the one time in the rain.

Out of the few digs at the strip I have a best 60' of 1.8. Looking for something that can get me into the 1.6s.

If the track is prepped most of the aforementioned will get you close. On most typical tracks you will need a DR. Due to our gears, a 26" tire is going to be best.

For street/track tires I have tried the corsa's and the toyo's. Here are some observations:

Toyo - soft ride, some whine, standing water is a problem.

Corsa - excellent rain tire, no whine, good all around tire.

Neither tire is that good from a dig, both work well if you slide into the throttle. It looks like the Toyo might have a little better life. The Corsa's can chunk when they get hot, especially the fronts

[Stealth78]

Not sure if some here are confusing the R888 for the R888R. I had gotten caught in the rain with the R888R's last season and felt that they held their own quite well. Dry traction is amazing on them!

[Steve M]

You need to figure out two things:

1. What diameter of wheel you are willing to run
2. Your estimated trap speed in the 1/4

18" rears will give you more options with drag radials...you can either run a 28" tire (MT ET Street SS) or a 26" tire (Hoosier DR2). I've run the MTs on my Gen 4 for a few years now on a dedicated set of wheels, but they are not the correct tire for my current combo (mods in sig) due to having to shift to 4th too close to the traps. I'm around 5,600 RPMs going through them with the 3:55s out back. I actually trapped better with 3.07s when I could ride out 3rd gear, but my e.t.s were a lot worse. I'll be running the Hoosier this year if all goes as planned to see if that helps in both the 60' and MPH department. It is a substantially lighter tire too.

[Jack B]

Not sure if some here are confusing the R888 for the R888R. I had gotten caught in the rain with the R888R's last season and felt that they held their own quite well. Dry traction is amazing on them!

I am with you.

[kriskyk]

I am with you.

Same here

[CNU_Physics]

Just put R888Rs on my Viper last summer. The noise is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Its a very faint hum once they get warm. I have a completely factory exhaust and its not bad at all. I can't imagine you would hear it if you had a cat-back.

The traction though....incredible. Destroys the Corsas in grip.

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

Just put R888Rs on my Viper last summer. The noise is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Its a very faint hum once they get warm. I have a completely factory exhaust and its not bad at all. I can't imagine you would hear it if you had a cat-back......The traction though....incredible. Destroys the Corsas in grip.

Exactly! Those "reviews" of R888R road-noise are almost all from super-quiet Euro-Car owners: Audi, BMW, Benz, etc. They have 18-speakers and 12-band equalizers in a relatively HUGE echo-chamber of a cabin [compared to a Viper!]

[Steakfeast]

How much did everyone pay for Sidewinder Toyo R888R? I think my last set was ~1000 for both front and rear (OEM 18"/19").

[Jack B]

How much did everyone pay for Sidewinder Toyo R888R? I think my last set was ~1000 for both front and rear (OEM 18"/19").

Clarify, what did you pay??

[Whiplash]

I like the thought of getting a dedicated wheel/tire set for the strip but am concerned about the rear being able to hold up with the better traction. I'm not ready to upgrade the half shafts yet. Looks like the best solution is the toyos for now for a few reasons.

I appreciate all the input as I'm still very new to this car. It's crazy how many people just immediately love it, had one guy at a gas station, hours after I bought it, ask what the hell it was as he stood there just staring.

[Gen5snake]

It's crazy how many people just immediately love it, had one guy at a gas station, hours after I bought it, ask what the hell it was as he stood there just staring.

For sure! It's hilarious when some people call it a corvette...I actually get insulted. LOL

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

For sure! It's hilarious when some people call it a corvette...I actually get insulted. LOL

When the G3 SRT first came out, CORVETTE OWNERS were giving us the "Corvette Wave"......Sheepish looks followed...

[Old School]

When the G3 SRT first came out, CORVETTE OWNERS were giving us the "Corvette Wave"......Sheepish looks followed...

They still do....

[Steakfeast]

Clarify, what did you pay??
It was 1000 or 1100 for a new set. I'll check what month they were manufactured. I bought them 7 months ago.

I just looked up the venmo, it was $1120 for the set.

[CNU_Physics]

When the G3 SRT first came out, CORVETTE OWNERS were giving us the "Corvette Wave"......Sheepish looks followed...

That happens to me constantly and I always wonder if they think my Viper is a C7, or are they just waving in recognition of it being a fellow American sports car. I usually rev back at them instead of wave.

I paid a little over 1200 for the R88Rs on tire rack.

[Skidmark]

I have a Gen 2 with ~500 mile R888R's and first time in the rain had the tail come out very unexpectedly going around a corner relatively slowly (with only maintenance throttle) for the conditions on a freeway on-ramp. Needless to say, I was pretty scared the rest of the freeway drive.

[Steve M]

I like the thought of getting a dedicated wheel/tire set for the strip but am concerned about the rear being able to hold up with the better traction. I'm not ready to upgrade the half shafts yet. Looks like the best solution is the toyos for now for a few reasons.

I appreciate all the input as I'm still very new to this car. It's crazy how many people just immediately love it, had one guy at a gas station, hours after I bought it, ask what the hell it was as he stood there just staring.

You shouldn't have to...the 2008s like mine were the last of the Vipers that had the weak axles. The 2009-2017 cars all had much stronger versions that should hold up just fine.

[Whiplash]

You shouldn't have to...the 2008s like mine were the last of the Vipers that had the weak axles. The 2009-2017 cars all had much stronger versions that should hold up just fine.

That's good to know. My prev GT500 needed forged 35 spline axles for about the same hp as my viper.

[Steve M]

About the only option that I know of would be to swap to some DSS axles, but it's a bit of labor to install them. Not hard, just time consuming.

[Jack B]

It was 1000 or 1100 for a new set. I'll check what month they were manufactured. I bought them 7 months ago.

I just looked up the venmo, it was $1120 for the set.

Describe a set, does that mean all four? you will not get the four R888r"s, for a $1,100. Talk to JonB, he will give you a price.

[ViperGeorge]

I have a Gen 2 with ~500 mile R888R's and first time in the rain had the tail come out very unexpectedly going around a corner relatively slowly (with only maintenance throttle) for the conditions on a freeway on-ramp. Needless to say, I was pretty scared the rest of the freeway drive.

I guess that explains your moniker. It refers to the marks left in your shorts.

[Steakfeast]

Describe a set, does that mean all four? you will not get the four R888r"s, for a $1,100. Talk to JonB, he will give you a price.

345/30/19 x2
295/30/18 x2
$1120 OTD for all 4. (Not installed)

My purchase price is close to or possibly under your current seller's acquisition cost. Now you know what the spread on these tires are.