16 replies to this topic

[JimmyJamJerusalem]

Ok so the National put paid to my A048's. Don't think they'll pass an MOT now, so I'd better get them off the car soon.

Dilema time..... I love the amount of dry grip I get from these tyres!

Will Hankook RS2 track day tyres offer anything near the same levels of grip...?

Or even the Federal SS595RS??

They seem a little more weather friendly (and pocket) than the A048's and R888's, so I was thinking about giving them a crack. Who's tried them? Are they any good?


Price breakdown

For a set in VXR sizes.....

R888's £430
A048's £550
RS2's £290
Federals £400


....... Slind and A1EX will be along soon, lol.

Edited by JimmyJamJerusalem, 11 August 2008 - 02:42 PM.

[n1k_ns]

Just replaced my A048's with Federal SS595's

So far they are great! Tried in Hot/Mildly Moist/Very Wet/Motorway and so far can't fault them



£85 each for the rears (225/45/17)
£60 each for the front (195/50/16)

From ATS

edit - Probably not the best for frequent track use, but good all rounders on a budget

Edited by n1k_ns, 11 August 2008 - 02:19 PM.

[slindborg]

are the SS595's the semi slicks or the "normal" tyres? I looked at those but went for KU31's this time round. Jimmmmmer. Personally I'd not fit RS2's again I know I raved about them to begin with but they were good in the dry/in the wet BUT I've gone through a rear set, no biggie. Now the fronts are only about 30% worn and they are truely crap in the wet (great in the dry). Had to let 5psi out of them at the ring to get any form of grip in the wet :s For dry only use and knowing you will kill them quickly then yeah get them. But I really doubt they will beat the KU31's for all round all the way down performance. all my humble opinion which may or maynot be fact/moron driver problems lol

[l14mha]

KU31's have my approval. wet and dry... they are a quality tyre. origenally i went for Goodyear F1's (GSD3) however the tread became uneven and induced rediculious vibration. i swapped them out. liam

[JimmyJamJerusalem]

are the SS595's the semi slicks or the "normal" tyres? I looked at those but went for KU31's this time round.


Jimmmmmer.

Personally I'd not fit RS2's again I know I raved about them to begin with but they were good in the dry/in the wet BUT I've gone through a rear set, no biggie. Now the fronts are only about 30% worn and they are truely crap in the wet (great in the dry). Had to let 5psi out of them at the ring to get any form of grip in the wet :s


For dry only use and knowing you will kill them quickly then yeah get them. But I really doubt they will beat the KU31's for all round all the way down performance.


all my humble opinion which may or maynot be fact/moron driver problems lol

The Federals I refer to are not the ones Nick has fitted. These are the SS595RS

I'm used to 'crap in the wet' as I'm running A048's at the mo.

I'm after 'awesome dry grip'. I never give it any beans in the wet, so am not bothered by the performance in the wet. I think I'm either getting R888's (195 fronts) or the SS595RS's (205/45 fronts) as there's only £30 between the two.

You say the RS2's are comparable to A048's in the dry..?

Edited by JimmyJamJerusalem, 11 August 2008 - 04:49 PM.

[slindborg]

not tried 48's/888's in anger tbh... my RS2's were still relatively cool at the front at Llandow lol

[A13X]

Im on ku31's. Done about 2500miles in them now and the day at llandow. There a great all round tyre, matching up the bridgestones on grip. But id say thats all they were. Just a great cheaper alternative all rounder. Im switching to A048s next week or so and so will report back then. Not tried the others so cant comment

[dw1]

I've been meaning to post a review of them but never got round to it until this thread prompted it. It's as concise as ever Hankook RS2s are nothing like as good as the A048s, but it would be unrealistic to expect it to have the same levels of grip. Imagine blue tack fresh out of the packet, it works and sticks and you can have faith it will do its job. Take that same piece of blue tack and start warming it and stretching apart for a while until its tacky, then it really sticks. Well that is the difference between the two. With the A048s you can really feel the stickiness of the tyres griping the road. There is a higher level of absolute grip with the A048. The RS2s do inspire confidence, its adjustable approaching the limit and telegraphs a good warning. You do feel them flex onto their sidewall a little bit with a slight progressive squirm. Nothing to be alarmed about and very adjustable. Whilst I’m missing my A048s I’m starting to enjoy the RSs and get the feel of them. You’re more likely to wheelspin pulling away or pulling out of a corner changing into second gear under firm acceleration. They don’t give fantastic grip when cold but have good wet weather grip. The compound feels slighty hard rather than tacky. The original 17" Bridgies felt softer to the touch in comparison. I’m relieved to say that they’re certainly not a disappointment and are at a healthy price as well. It’ll be interesting to see how long they last. They should be good for 10,000 miles as after 5000 and three track days they’re about half worn. I can’t make my mind up with these tyres, they are very good at their job, they’re a good price, they give decent grip, they give good feedback. I think they lose out on ultimate traction even compared to the standard Bridgstones. What I like about them is that you can play with them because their grip isn’t binary and their slightly flexy sidewall gives you that adjustability. They’re worth a try but until I’ve tried other makes of grooved tyre I wont buy these again. Not sure what to try next possibly the T1R.

[MartinS]

I was and still am a big fan of the Kumhos but have to say, my rears were dead after 4500 miles including 4 track days, so they died even quicker than my A039's. I have A039'S back on at the mo (fantastic tyre in all weathers, as I had 2 good fronts sitting in my shed) but will be putting Kumhos back on later. I used 205 45's on the front and belive it gives sharper steering than the higher progile Kumhos used by some. Have to say as an all rounder nothing comes close to the A039 in my experience but the Kumhos are a great buy that were as good as the original bridgstones, and probably better, which is no bad thing. Martin s

[siztenboots]

I was and still am a big fan of the Kumhos but have to say, my rears were dead after 4500 miles including 4 track days, so they died even quicker than my A039's. I have A039'S back on at the mo (fantastic tyre in all weathers, as I had 2 good fronts sitting in my shed) but will be putting Kumhos back on later.
I used 205 45's on the front and belive it gives sharper steering than the higher progile Kumhos used by some.

Have to say as an all rounder nothing comes close to the A039 in my experience but the Kumhos are a great buy that were as good as the original bridgstones, and probably better, which is no bad thing.

Martin s

These are the same fronts that we took off with the low speed understeer , last year ? It will be interesting to see if the old problem comes back as you have had several changes to the suspension and geo since.

The problem is comparing *any* worn tyres that imho tail off quite quickly when worn ( with many heat cycles and they will have gone a bit hard ) , to new fresh virgin squeeky rubber.

Judging by a dry track day to my eye , the A039 always looked like they were melting badly on track and the tread was rolling off.

Wait and see , on a cold winter day, the kumho's get up to working useful temperature very quick compared to the bridgestone re040 , and the R888s / A048 just don't have the tread block to generate any heat unless you can go quick enough around the corners.

I have overheard a few conversations at track days , road tyres are not like F1 slicks, they do not get better if you take them past the wear bars, you will just get unusual overheating problems on specific parts of the tread. I've made the same mistake myself when in a rush, forgetting to check tyre pressures going out , and when coming in.

The honest answer is there is no one tyre that does it all, but on the basis the semi slicks will last you a trackday season, then running a good all round wet cold capable tyre is your best bet. I decided that for this year I would not bother with the R888s , and have just replaced my Kumho rears after 13,000 , then did Silverstone GP circuit on Friday with 100 miles scrubbed rears and they were great.

Plus you will learn more on track with a grip limited setup , to use the ideal lines.

[edit] cost of rear KU31s last week was £68 fitted plus vat

Edited by siztenboots, 12 August 2008 - 09:10 AM.

[JimmyJamJerusalem]

Well now I really don't know what to do

[MartinS]

Go with the Kumhos. More and more people are using them and liking them, and I dont know why my rears wore out so fast but it seems unusual rather than the norm. Steve, my geo was changed in between by Thorney and my A039'S are fantastic, but also 450 more a set than the Kumhos, and not that fantastic!! Martin

[siztenboots]

Go with the Kumhos. More and more people are using them and liking them, and I dont know why my rears wore out so fast but it seems unusual rather than the norm.
Steve, my geo was changed in between by Thorney and my A039'S are fantastic, but also 450 more a set than the Kumhos, and not that fantastic!!

Martin

I think this set of a039 will work a lot better, I can only guess that last year your geo was doing strange things, I remember something was up on the rear brake balance.

If you ever get a chance, you must do the Silverstone full GP circuit.

[dw1]

Sizten - where did you get the KU31s for that price - thats amazing for fitted and VAT! I think I will try them next time round, especially at the price.

[slindborg]

my rears were £72 inc vat and the £2 charge for nitrogen fill (yeah its probably a load of toss but hey the pressures never drop), from Essex Tyres.

[wrightster]

Well now I really don't know what to do

same dilemma for me soon as well JImJams

[JimmyJamJerusalem]

Well I'm used to the level of grip I get with A048's so I'm stickin with stickies, lol. Due to price, I'm gonna try the R888's. Never heard a bad review of them to be honest!