There is an incredible driver in my region named Mark S. The guy is just phenomenal to the point of making the rest of us want to give it up. I'm not exaggerating. He really is that good.
During a casual conversation one day, he recommended I try the Maxxis semi-slick tire. His reasoning was that it enjoys similar levels of grip as the Nitto NT01 tire I normally run, but lasts up to 24 track days(!) and is cheaper. I'm all about saving money on consumables, so I was sold.
The reality is a bit different. The sticker price is cheaper, but the tire shops I called all wanted to charge me full price to mount and balance this unknown tire. I normally buy my Nittos from Discount Tire, and the manager at my location always gives me some serious discounts. He could not do that on these tires, since they are not in the DT catalog. All in, I paid about the same amount as I normally do for a set of Nittos.
Grip is also a bit of a let-down. This is supposed to be a slick, right?! Looking over past data, I would put the grip level of this tire somewhere near the Potenza RE-11. Grip is OK, but not R comp level, and disappointing for a semi-slick. Comparing this tire to the RE-11R, I lost nearly 2 seconds per lap. Comparing it to the NT01, I lost more than 1 second per lap.
So, what is good about these tires? The Nittos are durable tires that last me about 12 track days if I am good to them. They have above average grip compared to most high performance summer tires. And, they power through 30 minute track sessions without falling off. RE-71s exhibit monster grip for laps 2 through 5. Then, they fall off and get extremely greasy. They only last about 7 track days if I am very careful not to over-drive them and flip them on their rims repeatedly (which isn't cheap to do). These Maxxis tires have less grip than both of the other examples, but do not fade on the track, and look as though they will last a very long time. I am 4 track days into these tires, and I cannot measure much wear at all. They truly are durable. But, they are disappointingly slow. They also require very precise driving to get the most speed out of them.
Last track day, Mark S. had swapped in his RE71 loaded wheels and remarked, "Wow! These tires have sooooo much more grip!" Go figure. The thing is, Mark is such a good driver, he could kick all of our asses driving on Prius tires.
Back to Nittos and Toyos for me. Maybe one day, I will finally learn to drive.
.
During a casual conversation one day, he recommended I try the Maxxis semi-slick tire. His reasoning was that it enjoys similar levels of grip as the Nitto NT01 tire I normally run, but lasts up to 24 track days(!) and is cheaper. I'm all about saving money on consumables, so I was sold.
The reality is a bit different. The sticker price is cheaper, but the tire shops I called all wanted to charge me full price to mount and balance this unknown tire. I normally buy my Nittos from Discount Tire, and the manager at my location always gives me some serious discounts. He could not do that on these tires, since they are not in the DT catalog. All in, I paid about the same amount as I normally do for a set of Nittos.
Grip is also a bit of a let-down. This is supposed to be a slick, right?! Looking over past data, I would put the grip level of this tire somewhere near the Potenza RE-11. Grip is OK, but not R comp level, and disappointing for a semi-slick. Comparing this tire to the RE-11R, I lost nearly 2 seconds per lap. Comparing it to the NT01, I lost more than 1 second per lap.
So, what is good about these tires? The Nittos are durable tires that last me about 12 track days if I am good to them. They have above average grip compared to most high performance summer tires. And, they power through 30 minute track sessions without falling off. RE-71s exhibit monster grip for laps 2 through 5. Then, they fall off and get extremely greasy. They only last about 7 track days if I am very careful not to over-drive them and flip them on their rims repeatedly (which isn't cheap to do). These Maxxis tires have less grip than both of the other examples, but do not fade on the track, and look as though they will last a very long time. I am 4 track days into these tires, and I cannot measure much wear at all. They truly are durable. But, they are disappointingly slow. They also require very precise driving to get the most speed out of them.
Last track day, Mark S. had swapped in his RE71 loaded wheels and remarked, "Wow! These tires have sooooo much more grip!" Go figure. The thing is, Mark is such a good driver, he could kick all of our asses driving on Prius tires.
Back to Nittos and Toyos for me. Maybe one day, I will finally learn to drive.
.
Random Thoughts about Maxxis Victra RC-1 Tires
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