The Toyo R888 R is a focused semi-slick summer tyre with excellent dry grip, sharp response and strong braking when up to temperature. It is well suited to track days and aggressive dry driving, where its stiff sidewalls and high traction inspire confidence. Its major compromises are weak wet-weather performance, fast wear and notable road noise, making it less suitable as an all-round road tyre.
As a trackday and competition-focused semi-slick, the R888 R makes the most sense for drivers prioritising dry pace over all-round usability. User feedback is broadly positive about its traction, turn-in, braking and stability, and professional testing confirms that its dry braking and one-lap pace can be genuinely competitive. However, the tyre is much less convincing when judged as a wider summer road tyre: wet braking, wet handling and aquaplaning resistance are recurring weak points, and some tests also highlight issues with subjective balance and consistency. Add in the usual semi-slick compromises of noise, rapid wear and a need for heat, and the Toyo R888 R is best viewed as a focused dry-weather track tyre rather than a dependable everyday performance option.
The quick answer
Owners say74%from 31 owner reviews71% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesVery strong dry grip, traction and braking once warmed upSharp steering response with high cornering confidence on trackWeak wet-weather safety, especially in standing water and aquaplaning conditionsFast wear and short road-use lifespanSummarised from the tests and owner reviews
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tyre - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated October 2026.
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The Toyo R888R is a difficult tyre to drive at the very limit. At 8/10th the tyre feels sporty with direct steering and a nice weighting, however when you get to the limit the tyres balance moves around without much feedback, and once past the limit of grip is oversteers very quickly. The tyre also produces a lot of tread pattern noise at speed.
Across the 2 wet-braking tests it has featured in, the Toyo R888 R stops 4.2% longer than premium rivals and 1.8% longer than mid-range rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews wet score of 29/100, and owners rate it 6.2/10 in the wet from 31 reviews.
How good is the Toyo R888 R in the dry?
Across the 2 dry-braking tests it has featured in, the Toyo R888 R stops 2.7% shorter than premium rivals and 6.9% shorter than mid-range rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews dry score of 40/100, and owners rate it 9.1/10 in the dry from 31 reviews.
How many miles does the Toyo R888 R last?
Based on test and owner data, the Toyo R888 R is expected to last around 8,000 miles (12,875 km).
What treadwear rating and mileage warranty does the Toyo R888 R have?
In the US, the Toyo R888 R carries a UTQG treadwear grade of 100, with traction AA and temperature A. UTQG treadwear is relative: a tyre graded 400 lasted four times as long as the reference tyre, graded 100, on the government test course. Toyo gives it no mileage warranty. New, it has 6.3/32" (5.0 mm) of tread.
What do owners say about the Toyo R888 R?
Across 31 owner ratings the Toyo R888 R averages 74%. Owners rate Dry Grip highest at 9.1 out of 10 and Wear lowest at 5.9. 2 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 62% of owners score it 70% or better.
More questions about the Toyo R888 R(9)
What is the Toyo R888 R's EU tyre label rating?
Across its range, the Toyo R888 R most commonly carries EU label ratings of D for fuel efficiency, D for wet grip and 71 dB for noise.
How comfortable and quiet are the Toyo R888 R?
Owners rate the Toyo R888 R 6.2 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 26 reviews.
How well do the Toyo R888 R wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Toyo R888 R 5.9 out of 10 for wear across 26 reviews. 2 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 1,750 miles.
Would owners buy the Toyo R888 R again?
71% of owners say they would buy the Toyo R888 R again, based on the 31 owner reviews that answered the question. 39% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
What do owners say about the Toyo R888 R's dry grip?
Of the 25 owner reviews analysed for the Toyo R888 R, 19 mention dry grip: 17 praise it (strong dry grip) and 2 criticise it (limited dry grip). One owner wrote: "The Toyos offer phenomenal grip in the dry". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Toyo R888 R's wet grip?
Of the 25 owner reviews analysed for the Toyo R888 R, 14 mention wet grip: 6 praise it (confident wet grip) and 8 criticise it (weak wet grip). One owner wrote: "But in the wet, these are useless". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Toyo R888 R's road noise?
Of the 25 owner reviews analysed for the Toyo R888 R, 11 mention road noise: 2 praise it (quiet) and 9 criticise it (noisy). One owner wrote: "The other noticeable characteristic is the road hum when driving on the motorway". Read those reviews
What does the Toyo R888 R replace?
The Toyo R888 R is the successor to the Toyo R888 in Toyo's range.
What sizes does the Toyo R888 R come in?
The Toyo R888 R is available in 229 sizes, ranging from 185-315/30-60 R13-20.
Could I use these tyres on the road driving in normal conditions ?
September 23, 2022
You can legally use the R888R on the road ay any time, however they will have much lower grip in the wet than a normal road tyre, and during the colder winter months it is really not advisable.
Show all questions(4)
How long mileage wise would a set of R888R's last on average?
July 20, 2017
The mileage of the R888R will be massively dependant on usage as track days will shorten the life considerably. In purely road miles, a guess would be around 3-4000.
I'm wondering regarding left and right tire tread.. On left tire tread going up,but right tire tread going down.. Is that normal? Show moreI'm wondering regarding left and right tire tread..
On left tire tread going up,but right tire tread going down..
Is that normal?
I usually fiited my GTR R888,but i want to try this new R888R..
I just wonder regarding the tire tread..
Regards
AFIQ AFIAT Show less
February 23, 2017
The Toyo R888R is an asymmetric tyre, so there will be some variance between the looks on the left and right sides of the vehicle. This is normal, and won't affect the tyres performance.
Good morning, I"m just curious what the Treadwear rating is on these tires?
August 25, 2016
The treadwear rating of the Toyo Proxes R888R varies by size, full information can be found on the Toyo website.
Across reviews, the Toyo R888 R is most often praised as a high-grip semi-slick that delivers very strong dry traction, sharp response, and confident cornering/braking once it's up to temperature, making it popular for track days and aggressive street use. Experiences in the wet are mixed: many drivers report acceptable wet grip for a semi-slick, but a sizeable group warn it can be poor in rain-especially with standing water/aquaplaning risk. Noise and fast wear/short lifespan are recurring drawbacks, particularly when used on the road or in demanding track conditions.
What owners mention most counted across 25 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 31 ratings
Owner score74%
Dry Grip91%
Handling85%
Road Feedback82%
Wet Grip62%
Comfort62%
Wear59%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 26%
“Very very noisey. They are ok there first heat cycle but they don’t wake up after that couldn’t get under 2 minutes at Phillip island when it’s normally in the mid 1.50s so they are cheap for a reason. I wouldn’t buy...”
“After running four sets of these tires, at High Plains Raceway, Sonoma Raceway, and Laguna Seca, I can't say I am quite impressed of the tires. They seem to melt too easily and the grip drops like a rock once you get a...”
“The Toyos offer phenomenal grip in the dry. Used both on track, and spirited driving on twisting switchback roads. There have been only two instances where these have encountered rain and immediately, I backed off the...”
The Toyos offer phenomenal grip in the dry. Used both on track, and spirited driving on twisting switchback roads.
There have been only two instances where these have encountered rain and immediately, I backed off the speed; I would not recommend driving enthusiastically when in the wet.
The other noticeable characteristic is the road hum when driving on the motorway.
I would buy again for the sheer confidence these tyres provide in the dry; however, their lifespan is the only negative.
Went from 5995 to these. These take far less time to heat up, and I've only ever broken loose under extreme cold conditions in the dry. But in the wet, these are useless. Understeering and oversteering if not given the upmost care in moderate/light rain. Lastly, the wear has much to be desired. Driving around city and highway, with occasional hard drives these wear out in 6 months. The big issue is the cost. SO many better options at that price point. These are priced near pilot sports and do not touch that tire in its balance and performance. I would not recommend these tires.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
Used as fast road mostly there isn't much that comes close in the size. decent grip even in negative temperatures. More progressive wet grip than other contenders such as ar-1 and NS2R or the Hankook v205
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Very very noisey. They are ok there first heat cycle but they don’t wake up after that couldn’t get under 2 minutes at Phillip island when it’s normally in the mid 1.50s so they are cheap for a reason. I wouldn’t buy again should of stayed with Dunlops semis as they are good until they're bald, I’d keep away personally
After running four sets of these tires, at High Plains Raceway, Sonoma Raceway, and Laguna Seca, I can't say I am quite impressed of the tires. They seem to melt too easily and the grip drops like a rock once you get a degree too hot. It also didn't help when I had poor suspension, but even with a whole new suspension system (talking about coilovers, control arms, drop spindles, the whole pizza), the tires feel a bit dated. This is by no means a diss or a bash towards Toyo, as they do make good tires, this review may not seem the best either, from my experience however, I have posted consistently slow lap times because of these tires. I do hope Toyo will make a new compound as well as design in the near future.
On a dry sunny day once heated up there unbeatable, unfortunately the only place you can get triple 8s warm is on a track. If you live in a built up area and do the odd blast then the tires will fail to perform the way they’re meant too.
I drive a performance rear wheel drive car and in the wet there useless. Stick to a good all round road tire.
I’ve struggled with this tyre, I simply don’t trust them, on one hand the tyre turns in so fast and inspires confidence but almost instantly seems to be unable to hold its own turn in line and drifts and moves, I completed a fast session recently and was really disappointed with the way the tyre moves around even in straight lines, and was surprised to find they were barely warm at the end of the session? I played around with tyre pressure and did feel some improvement dropping the pressure to 20psi from 26psi but not enough to warrant using them again. In the dry fitted to a 950kg race prepped 220bhp MX5 NA I didn’t think this tyre was good enough, I’ve never once been nervous in a race or track session but genuinely was, the car moved around, was nervous and under braking was fun but nose was everywhere, I honestly thought there was an issue with the car, so for the safety of myself and others abandoned the session to ensure car was OK, switched back to my Michelin set up and set my fastest lap of the day two laps in and then continually lapped 8 seconds a lap faster with Michelins than I did with the Toyo’s. Track. Conditions were dry 23c ambient but cloudy and track was dry for at least a week. Excelled at ion was strong with this tyre, initial turn in very very good, but won’t hold the line, moves about mid corner, and under heavy braking whilst strong, the car moved around a lot making it difficult for me to balance the car before turn in. Ive used Toyo road tyres with great results but feel the compound of these tyres do not suit UK tracks and definitely required tyre warmers.
These are my first semislick tires. Not new. Slightly used , two years old.
Results were shocking ! I read some reviews they last long on track. I guess these are just legends made by retired people driving to mall and back or slow posers. Front right was destroyed in 15 minutes ! Even faster than high performance street tires i used before. The track i use to have fun is very tight and technical and has 3 consecutive right hand corners . Total of 9 right corners and 3 left corners . Front right was boiling and ripped. 5 laps and pause. 4 times and good bye right front R888R. Pressure 2.2Bar hot.
Cornering speed feels amazing compared with Turanza Er300 but overall Toyo are just one second faster/lap. But even on Turanza i can beat most street cars on semislick on this track Times i did on Toyo were super good for car's specs but just not so impressive as it feels . They feel 3-4 seconds faster compared with street Bridgestone but overall it was just one second. Braking is poor compared with cornering capabilities. Sidewall very rough. Driving to the track 100mp/h on public road they were good. No noise or other issues. In wet i can't tell.
Still my S2000 on Potenza S02 is faster than my Prelude on R888R. Somehow i am disappointed with them and even more impressed with GranTurismo cover tire, S02..
I use this tire for mostly track. Great tire for running hard, it likes a little heat. Very predictable! Good wear for a track use tire. Not really made for the wet. Limited channels to run off water but for dry, great tire.
