High-performance radial tire R888R

The R888R, the flagship of TOYO TIRES’ global sports tire brand Proxes, is a direct motorsport equivalent to Bridgestone’s Potenza RE12D, Yokohama’s Advan A052 and Dunlop’s Direzza β06. The Toyo Proxes is a high-performance radial tire. A diagnostic test of its performance was conducted at the Toyo Proxes Driving Pleasure.

The performance of the R888R was unknown in the time attack scene.

The R888R debuted in 2016, older than its rivals. However, it has been trained in the D1 Grand Prix, where all tire manufacturers are competing and it is difficult to win without frequent updates, although it looks the same, it is a different car from those days, including its construction and materials. The fact that they have been crowned series champions in the drifting world many times, including as series champions, speaks for itself.

However, in the time attack scene, where the stages are different, there has been no significant activity so far, and his ability is unknown. So, on 25 May 2024, a test was held at Okayama International Circuit during the 2nd TOYO TIRES Proxes Driving Pleasure to see how much potential the R888R had. Two R35 Nissan GT-Rs were brought in: the Phoenix’s Power Development No. 8 (2020 model), which is the fastest holder at the top-class domestic high-speed circuits of Suzuka and Fuji, and the recently introduced Development No. 10 (2024 model).

A diagnostic of our capabilities with one of the best-tuned R35 GT-Rs in Japan with over 1000 hp

The R888R is one of the most powerful cars in Japan. The R888R is the perfect vehicle for finding out what it is capable of.

Tires are also available in different specs: the 1100+ hp 2020 model is equipped with R888R Spec D 285/35R20s front and rear, with a compound with competition-specific characteristics and more grip, to win the D1 Grand Prix. In contrast, the boosted-up 2024 model is a standard R888R, but for this test, the 315/30R20, which is available in the North American line-up, was prepared. The TOYO TIRES development team also put a lot of effort into this test.

The boosted-up version was driven by veteran driver Hiroyuki Iiri, who has experience as a series winner in the GT300 class of the JGTC (All Japan GT Championship), while the fully tuned version was steered by promising young driver Yusuke Shiotsu, who also competes in Super GT. What did they think of the car?

Minimal drop in time even after consecutive laps

First, we asked Hiroyuki Iiri to test drive a vehicle equipped with the PROXES R888R.

“When I tried it on a lightweight FF compact sports car, the case rigidity was structurally soft, and the grip itself was high, but the tires collapsed when turning at high speeds and had strong habits. I had the impression that ‘this is a tough car’, so I wondered how it would perform with the R35 GT-R, which has even more horsepower and weight.　However, I didn’t feel any of the swaying that I felt with the compact sports car, and the matching was better than I had expected. Of course, there is also compatibility with the car, but my first impression was that I was surprised in a good way.

It heats up quickly, and I can feel a solid grip from the in-lap, so I can immediately go on a time attack. There is also little drop-off from peak grip and minimal loss of lap time. There is no front-end slipping or tire slippage due to power or weight, and the feeling is such that it is possible to do 10 consecutive laps while keeping the car under control. Furthermore, the longitudinal traction required to drive the GT-R fast is also reassuring enough, so I felt that both the grip level and durability were high. Another beauty is that little wear and the surface is peeling after driving. If this result is achieved at a road surface temperature of 41°C, it is a sufficiently acceptable score.

We can’t give you any details as we didn’t compare them with other tires under the same conditions, but we can say that the R35GT-R and R888R are a good match. If we have reached this level at the moment, I hope that we can take one more step in the development process. If that happens, tire selection will become even more interesting than it is now.”

Iiri said he had a good impression.

High grip to cope with 1000ps

Next, Yusuke Shiotsu test-drove a vehicle equipped with the PROXES R888R Spec D.

“The surface grip is quite high, but its peak is rather short. I felt that this was a tire specially designed for winning D1 Grand Prix races. In the first attack, when I ran the tire according to theory, I ran it two-thirds of the way through the Okayama International and it ran hot, but in the second attack, I slightly reduced the internal pressure and ran the out lap slowly, then increased speed in the latter half of the course and attacked! This gave us a strong grip for about a lap and a half. The internal pressure rises quickly, so the longer the distance, the more important it is to understand and adapt to its characteristics to set a good time.

The tire’s longitudinal grip has enough power to take 1000ps class, and the sidewalls give the impression of being resilient, but it also grips the road surface without breaking down in the lateral direction, even under oblique G forces, which is probably a characteristic of the tire. Also, although there is a drop off from the peak, there is little change in characteristics, such as a sneaky loss of grip or a progressive tightening of understeer, and to some extent there is a feeling that the tire can be driven continuously at a constant level. The tires also wore less, and after completing the time attack, I felt that I could enjoy the driving sessions, and that even a 1000 hp class GT-R could set a solid time and compete well with other brands if we matched it to the car.”

Shiotsu said. The R888R showed its potential to take on the performance of Japan’s top heavyweight high-performance car, the tuned R35GT-R, which is also a 1000 hp class car.

“Stop not eating it!” This is what Takayuki Kinoshita, a Proxes ambassador, says to us when he talks about TOYO TIRES. We are convinced that the results of this year’s race can add TOYO TIRES to the list of new circuit shoe options.

translated by DeepL