We live in a world of constant bombardment with messages touting the latest hotness: better, longer-lasting, more comfortable. But there’s security in the familiar, and change does not come easily for many of us. Recall that comfortable pair of sneakers your spouse keeps trying to replace or that sweatshirt you still wear a decade later–or even the tires you take to the track.
The Toyo Proxes R888R and the Nitto NT01 remain favorites among brand-loyal fans who continue to use them on both the track and the street, despite the Nitto offering closing in on its 20th birthday. Read any motorsports forum and you’ll find current recommendations for them. Both tires sport a 100tw rating to indicate their original intended use as sticky track day tires.
But what about those track day junkies who’d like a bit more speed? Enter Toyo’s Proxes RR, another popular choice in this venue. Originally introduced in 2012, these carry a 40tw rating and are billed as not streetable, with only a hint of tread pattern and a thinner belt package offering less puncture resistance.
In fact, these wear a Not Intended for Public Roads warning right on the sidewall. Yet like the other two, they’ve found a home with those heading to non-competitive track days.
To bracket our test, we added a modern 200tw tire, the 2023 Nankang Sportnex CR-S. This has become one of the benchmarks for streetable track day tires thanks to its superior blend of pace, consistency and longevity.
[Tested: How does the new Nankang Sportnex CR-S compare?]
When it comes to treadwear rating, is 200 the new 100? Let’s find out.
Each set of tires–all wearing the 235/40R17 size and wrapped around 17x9-inch Kogeki wheels from Flyin’ Miata–was mounted on our ND-chassis Miata and given an initial heat cycle with a 45-mile round trip to Harris Hill Raceway and six laps of increasing intensity. This helped cure the rubber and prepare it for hard track use. Along the way, we took note of the subjective street qualities of each.
Test day dawned hot with full sun, so the track temps rose quickly. With ambients in the 90s, we kept our test tires in the cool confines of our motor home before use to give them the best shot at good laps before heat soak. Still, the hot track cooked our rubber pretty quickly.
From left to right: Toyo Proxes R888R, Nitto NT01, Toyo Proxes RR. Photography Credit: Andy Hollis
Nankang Sportnex CR-S 2023
- fastest lap: 1:26.3
- on the street: We’re going to call this one a true dual-purpose tire. It’s quiet on the highway and has a sporty steering response. We love its feel in both venues.
- on the track: It’s always eager to dive to an apex once it gets some heat into it. And then it’s consistently quick for most of a session.
Toyo Proxes RR
- fastest lap: 1:26.8
- on the street: Despite its track-only sidewall warning, this one exhibited the nicest street ride quality of the three tires from Toyo and Nitto. It was quiet but somewhat harsh over bumps. It also required a fair bit of steering input, resulting in a delayed response to inputs. But again, it’s technically not a street tire despite that DOT rating.
- on the track: It came up to temp quickly and delivered consistent lap times for the duration of the session. Steering response became more direct as the lateral loads increased.
Nitto NT01
- fastest lap: 1:27.9
- on the street: The NT01 was vague and numb but felt taut over the road surface. This was accompanied by a whine at higher speeds as the tire hunted on a rutted highway. Of note, there was a dead zone in the steering.
- on the track: Lots of steering input was needed, with big slip angles being the norm. The limit of adhesion was vague, and the changing squeal of the tire was the only indicator of the approaching edge. The very first lap was quickest, and the tire felt notably snappier during this pass. Once heated, it settled into consistent laps about a half-second slower.
Toyo Proxes R888R
- fastest lap: 1:28.5
- on the street: Compared to the NT01, the R888R felt more precise and responsive. It also had a more pronounced highway drone and was harsh over washboard surfaces.
- on the track: It excelled at longitudinal grip but lacked in mid-corner. Like the Nitto, its first lap was quickest and then it settled into a pattern of consistent circuits at a slower pace. Monster forward bite, too, which could help those heading to the strip.
Nankang CR-S 2023 (retest)
- fastest lap: 1:26.0
- Bolting back on the still-warm Nankangs, pace was quick right away. Compared to earlier, we did find a little extra time mid-session, which data analysis later revealed was in an area of driver confidence in Turn 11.
What’d We Learn?
Don’t let the 100tw label on the NT01 and R888R fool you: These are street tires with very much the same type of design philosophy as today’s new high-tech 200tw tires. They’ll deliver lots of fun laps and still get you home from a track day.
Both are also the value buys out of this group of tires, retailing for about $240 to $255 each in our 235/40R17 test size; the Nankang goes for closer to $275 apiece. Laps per dollar? These two from Nitto and Toyo could be your bogey–and then factor in Toyo’s generous NASA contingency and support. (NASA Time Trial rules, by the way, favor those who run these two tires over the latest from the Super 200 class.)
As for the Toyo RR, it’s a great track day tire with consistent performance and long life. You’ll pay a little more for that, though, with our size selling for close to $290 each. What did we learn today? Again, there’s a tire for nearly any situation, including those looking for enduring track tires.
Comments
Is the writeup on the NT01 missing? I see it in a few spots, but it wasn't pulled into it's own header.
Also here for the NT01 results..?
Sorry guys! The team just updated the article--hit refresh and you should see NT01 data.
The difference in pace between the RR and NT01 is great to see in as controlled an environment as realistically possible.
docwyte
UltimaDork
11/13/23 4:56 p.m.
Geez, a full second between the Toyo RR and the NT01. I'm almost done with the NT01's I current have, I need to see if the Toyo's are made in the sizes I need...
I have used many sets of R888Rs for HPDE the last few years...last two events I used Yokohama A052s which were a few tenths under three seconds faster than previous bests at both WG and VIR.
Maybe time to test the Super 200s against the supposedly faster tires.
ShiftLess said:
Maybe time to test the Super 200s against the supposedly faster tires.
What exactly are you asking for here?
The Super 200 pointy end is a 3-way tie between A052, RE71-RS and CRS V2...each able to produce similar single lap TT pace, but with a range of different personalities and heat characteristics.
The only thing faster are certain r-comps (A7, R7, A055) and a pair of 100-tw tires (GY SC3R and Trofeo R).
All of this is reflected under the "Pace" column in the chart here: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/track-tire-buyers-guide/
Andy Hollis said:
The only thing faster are certain r-comps (A7, R7, A055) and a pair of 100-tw tires (GY SC3R and Trofeo R).
What about the Michelin Cup 2 Rs? Or are those too limited in size availability to be able to compare?
codrus (Forum Supporter) said:
Andy Hollis said:
The only thing faster are certain r-comps (A7, R7, A055) and a pair of 100-tw tires (GY SC3R and Trofeo R).
What about the Michelin Cup 2 Rs? Or are those too limited in size availability to be able to compare?
Yes. Not to mention the OE-specific versions. Much like the Trofeo R, in that regard.
docwyte
UltimaDork
11/14/23 9:28 a.m.
So in the scheme of a DE tire, where I'm looking for something that'll wear well am I better off with a super 200tw tire like the A052 or RE71RS, or something like the Toyo RR? I know that's the fine line between stickiness for optimal lap times and durability/consistency
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