I street drive mine to MSR-C and haven't had any issues. But it's not that far, about 10 miles one-way. I also choose my roads to stay on nice surfaces.

I have a car trailer for going to other tracks.

 

Tire trailer

 

Yeah I would vote tire trailer as well. I doubt the RC-1 will see any significant wear from the street miles - lots of guys drive their NT01s to/from after all - but nails/punctures would really ruin your day.
I have been back and forth on getting one myself for years. The expanded storage space beyond being able to carry the extra tires is also a huge bonus. Only problem I foresee is if one breaks down, the flat bed tow truck isn't going to be able to take you and your trailer.

 

When I swapped from my summer to NT01 I noticed the same thing initially. I found that I gained braking confidence quicker than corner speed. Once my corner speeds came up, the braking point difference was a lot less.

You may be feeling something similar...I am also getting quicker as a driver and noticed a similar change from my summers to NT-01s.

 

While not quite the same, I know a handful BMWCCA instructors throw a set of wheels with NT01s on and drive to the track without too much trouble.

 

I daily drove my RC1s for about 3 months this summer between track days. Just don't be a jackass in the rain and you'll be fine.

 

I have driven to/from a bunch of events on the RC1s no problem. As-stated, a nail in one will ruin your day (happened to me with NT01s, not fun). A few weeks ago I drove on the RC1s to Laguna for our local Time Attack series; about an hour (normally) from where we live. About 1/2 way there the rain started, light at first, then the roads were quite wet. I had to slow to a crawl to avoid hydroplaning. My buddy following me was worse-off, as he was on BFG R1s. He had to go to 1/2 crawl to keep his vagina from exploding.

The rain was on/off through lunch, and of course they are not a good rain tire based on the tread pattern (water excavation - what?). By 4pm, the track was dry EXCEPT for T3, which must be the low part in that section of the landscape because the water came straight across the normal apex in a 3' section and spread to 10 or 12' wide (Dear SCRAMP - sandbags please!) The RCs skated there hard, while the rest of the track was dry. Oh I would have killed for some Dunlop ZIIs or full-tread RA1s that day! I was there the following weekend and it was completely dry; we were 2.2s faster on them, meaning T3 killed ~2s. Bah!

 

Maybe in 1955. But nowadays, for your car, they're going to have to send a flatbed, and he'll just hook up the trailer and take it home with you.

I speak from experience

Edit: my only concern with driving on RC-1's to and from a track would be the heat cycles you're putting on the tire. For extremely short distances that's not a problem - PIR is about 10 miles from my house, all freeway, and I drove there directly on my RR's several times once they were past about half life. In that distance they don't get any real heat in them. But for longer drives, I'd want them on the tire trailer.

When I drive directly on them to PIR I still take the tire trailer, because Big Toolbox, and because then I have Rivals or RS3's to switch to in case of weather/puncture/whatever.

Tire trailer.

 

So, would 245's on a 9" wheel be faster than 225's on a 9 inch wheel for autocross and 245's on a 10 inch wheel would be even faster? thanks

 

Yes and yes.

 

I am significantly confused by some of your tyre codes for a decent reference against NT01's.

What is a Toyo RR in comparison to an NTO1?

From reading this whole thread I cant figure if the RC1 is better or worse than the NT01..except that some of you say it would be a good alternative to a Hoosier so I "assume" significantly better than an NTO1.

Is a 225 RC1 faster than a 225 NTO1 on a 9" rim?

Roughly speaking, how much faster is an RC1 245 on a 10" rim than a 225 NT01 on a 9" rim?

All this time I have been waiting for 9" 6uls to come back in stock when I find this thread and wonder if I shouldn't be looking at the 10" and the 245 RC1 or similar..(assuming a competent panel beater can perform a "Heavy Pull" - flares are frowned upon in our "Classic Japanese" class...)

Also, do you guys get the Hankook Ventus z214 dot rated semi slick over there?

 

Okay, internet research - so now I know what an RR is!

Questions above still remain

 

Unless you have a race series that uses the RC1 as a spec tire, you should think of it as a practice/training tire that lasts a really long time. Speed-wise, the NT01 and RC1 are similar. The RC1 is supposed to last longer but I haven't seen any real data on that. In NASA TT, both the NT01 and RC1 are 7 point tires.

Peak lateral grip of the RC1 is similar to an RS-3 or Rival street tire. But the R-comp construction and slick tread makes it feel much better in transitions and braking. That feel yields confidence, and the confidence shaves seconds -- at least it did for me.

So, inexpensive, long-lasting practice tire so you can save those $$ Hoosiers for when it counts. A market alternative to the NT01 -- take your pick.

 

Thanks Hornetball. Great explanation.

Okay so in comparison, I think i'll stick with NT01's as they also provide a modicum of wet performance (if fresh), our weather is lot wetter than you guys tend to get.

Right, so for outright performance the Toyo RR is better than an NT01 I presume?

Have you guys heard of or get the Hankook Ventus?

I am interested to know as some of my competitors (FWD Honda's mostly) are moving to it and I wonder if I need to stay with them or not...i.e. is it significantly faster than an NT01 and what is it's wear rate like?

 

Here is how I see the whole speed/value thing. I can get 245 RC-1's for about the same price as 225 RR's. I expect them to be about as fast as 225 Toyo RR's but last twice as long. Pretty damn good value proposition IMHO. They will be faster than NT01's because Nitto does not make a 245.

I have run 245's on both 9's and 10's. I would not run the 245 on a 9" rim again unless it was an autocross event. At the limit in high speed corners the 10"s feel much more predictable.

 

Thanks K24, appreciate it.

Turns out no MAXXIS RC1's are imported to the country. The Toyo RR is only available as a 205 and the Hankook is available at the same price as the Nitto.

Shithouse living in a small country in the middle of nowhere sometimes!!

 

We get a pretty big range of tires with the "Ventus" name. Are you asking about the Ventus TD?

 

We know it as the Hankook Ventus Z214 down here...

see picture.

 

Z214 mentioned here https://www.miataturbo.net/wheels-ti...e2/#post960049

Toyo RR would be a little slower I assume (comparing fastest times of each tire), but keep that speed for longer.

Z221 (TD) or Yoko A050 are assumed to be really fast tires with thread patterns, but no decent Miata sizes (i.e. 225).

 

correct me if i'm wrong but the speed chart goes in this order.
fastest
to
slowest

Hoosier
toyo rr - hankook z214 c71(soft)
toyo ra1 - hankook z214 c51 (hard)
toyo r888- maxxis rc1 - nitto nto1
hankook rs3- Bfg rival- toyo r1r

feel free to change this.. i think this is accurate.. maybe