Toyo R1R

I ended up with the r1r because the larger rubber blocks on the inside of the tire really makes a huge difference in stability on the rear with the smart car having I thing a -3° camber in the back. I put 11.5k miles on in 3 years driving year around in the PNW. Tires were confident building on the street and was able to get to a pace in the dry that the tires started to get a little greasy. And in the wet, cold and with wet leafs these r1r cut through like butter… I was quite surprised that the wet traction felt close to the dry. The tread pattern also did decent in the snow, never did get stuck. Towards the end and getting close to the wear bars, the tires did start stepping out on me and less predictable in the wet. These tires were on the car sitting outside for 3 years in all the weather being driving weekly. So yes, they were definitely weather abused. I had these 195’s on 5.5” rims and the tires are too wide but I can’t find any quality 185 tires. So these are a bit pinched in. I’m sure they were be even better on a proper setup.

Bought these as a ‘wet’ set of track tyres, to use in colder and damp conditions when my Avon ZZR’s looked too slick. I’ve now made my car road legal and have been using them almost all the time - I’m very pleasantly surprised by the road and track performance.

They give good steering feedback and the sidewalls have a nice feel to them - they’re predictable and there’s nothing weird going on when cornering hard. I have a lot of confidence in them, even when there’s damp patches on the road. They don’t seem to take much warming up - the grip seems to be there from cold.

Downsides - on track they’ll overheat after 5 laps or so. They seem to peak in performance about 3 laps in, whereas in dry conditions my ZZR’s feel like they can carry on as long as I like. But you’d never push them this hard on a road, so it won’t be a problem for many.

I’d describe these as a good ‘fast road’ summer tyre, capable of dealing with light rain and damp conditions too. But be aware of the overheating if you go on track and push them in warm conditions. That’s not a criticism at all; all tyres are a compromise and these are just quite soft, which makes them decent in the cold and wet but also not perfect for long summer trackdays.

Hello,
Did choose these tires based on reviews written here.
They're fitted to my only car, Alfa Romeo GT 3.2 with Q2 limited slip differential. Chose them because they offer best performance (Grip, Feedback, Handling) for not that much money. Didn't want to pay premium just for the pretty name on the side wall, so I took four of these.
Immediately I've noticed an improvement in my car's handling, now I can take corners at higher speeds and I always can tell where is the limit of grip in each situation. The off the line acceleration also improved, ASR practically never interrupts, the tires dig in the asphalt very well indeed.
At first, I was worried because of the semi-slick pattern of the thread, that maybe I'll have some hard time in the wet. And yet, for my relief, they give plenty of confidence even in the most showering weather.
The only drawback is the noise. They are a bit noisy. If you're looking for silence in your car, look elsewhere.
I've switched front to back at 6,000 miles, so that rear tires will have plenty of thread (the Alfa is FWD).
I drive fast and hard most of the time, but I think I can squeeze 18,000-20,000 miles from them.
This is my mid-life review of the Toyo R1R.

These tyres have now been on the car for around 9,500 miles. The tread depth on the front tyres are just below 3mm, the rears are on 4mm.

Dry grip has remained good throughout their life. Grip in soaking wet conditions has also been adequate, as long as the tyre pressures are correct (as with any tyre). Damp conditions do not pose a problem at all – turn in may not feel as sharp, but there is still plenty of grip for spirited driving.

A recent trip to Scotland showed that these tyres are similar to any other summer tyres in snowy conditions. At slow speeds on a few centimetres of fresh snow, you have enough grip to keep moving. In snow that was about 5 inches deep, they did have some trouble gripping to get us underway again, but eventually we did get moving in the right direction. Traction up an untreated hill with sheet ice was not great, causing a hasty retreat. The tyres gave us sufficient grip on the way back down to keep the speed low and keep the car out of the hedge!

I've found that these tyres have become slightly noisier as the tread has worn away. Not an issue for me, as I didn't buy them for refinement. I didn't notice any increased fuel consumption with these tyres over the previous Michelin Pilot Sport 3s that were on the car before.

I would definitely buy these tyres again for a performance road car.