R1R Proxes

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.

Honestly i dont know much about performance tires but these were my first set and ive honestly blown away how tires can make a underpowered car handle so well. Ive never been more satisfied with a purchase and i honestly could get away with just a tire rotation and could drive mire on my tires.

For Datsun 510 restomod, lowered, Komi coil overs, bigger sway bars, LS rear end, Rebello street motor, 5 speed
Great street car with R1Rs, grips with confidence. Never driven on a track but swiftly and safely on back roads.
Car is well balanced, understeer and oversteer are very controlled even though I prefer oversteer, the tires are predictable. I have never been caught out on them. Relatively quiet tire on the 510 but more so on my 2001 Miata. Miata has suspension changes as well but as everyone knows, lacks power. With R1Rs the ride is very comfortable and the cornering is excellent with a bias toward oversteer. I don’t drive either car in the rain so can’t comment on wet grip. Depending on how heavy your foot I would expect 15 to 20K miles on these for both my cars.

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.

I use the R1R's for summer street tire and occasional track sessions. Great summer tire, works in wet and dry on the streets. Very balanced feel. On track this tire performs very well. Prefers a little heat which is easily attained. Very predictable!