Given
81%
while driving a
Toyota Celica GT4
(225/40 R18) on
mostly country roads
for 2,500
spirited miles
After 2 sets of semi slick tyres on my GT-Four I decided to try something a bit more civilised since I only do 1 track day a year with this car. I couldn't be happier with the decision, I am not mounting a set of semis ever again, they just don't make sense for my application. On public roads these TR1s give pretty much the same grip as a semi, much better and safe in the wet, the ride is way more comfortable and they are pretty quiet, at least in comparison. The highlight though, is the handling. Never before my car has felt so agile and so chuckable in the corners. With these tyres I've learnt the lesson that tyres are not just about sheer grip, but also about handling and feedback, and that's where the TR1s excel. The sidewalls are not the stiffest out there so they require higher pressure than other tyres, especially semis. I'm ok with that, just do some testing and adjust in consequence. During my anual track day they performed beyond expectations. After dropping the tyre pressures for the event, they gave me about 85% of the grip of a hot semi and they were consistent through all the laps. They never seemed to overheat even though I was very playful with the trail braking. It started to rain at the end of the event and thanks to the fact that every one else was running on semis plus the 4WD of my car I managed to outperform much faster cars. After some laps of abuse I was convinced I was destroying them, but I checked after every session and there was no damage whatsoever to the treads except for the usual melted material here and there. This for me was the ice on the cake. When it comes to wear, they are definitely better than a semi but also definitely worse than a regular sumer tire. After 4100km / 2500 miles, which include one track day, I have barely shaved the first mark (there are 5 marks in the shape of a star) which is about 5mm in the most worn area and 6 in the least. I estimate life span of around 20.000km / 15.000 miles, but only time will tell since tyre wear is not necessarily consistent through the compound.
So overall I am extremely happy and positively surprised with these Toyos and I would definitely buy them again, especially being much cheaper than other premium brands. They are great for my application however keep in mind tyres are a very subjective topic and some tyres fit some cars better than others.