Nankang AR 1 Reviews - Page 2
Given 92%
while driving a
Honda FK2 type r
(235/35 R19)
on track
for 0 spirited miles
Ecxcellent grip on dry weather
Given 78%
while driving a
Porsche 987 Boxster S
(275/35 R18)
on track
for 0 spirited miles
Been tracking a 944 and a Boxster for years. Both cars highly modified for track work. I just want to have fun and buy whatever r-comps or similar that are on sale. Had sets of re71r’s, Toyota r888r’s, nitto nt01’s. Then saw nangang ar1s on sale. Wow!, as much or more grip as all the above and unlike a review above, I Did not find the tires going any greasier earlier than the others. If you overdrive your car, a specially if it’s heavy, ALL tires will get greasy. And I got more track sessions out of AR1 than any of the above, except Maby the nitto’s. Super tire
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
Given 90%
while driving a
BMW 328i Coupe
(235/40 R17)
on
for 3,000 miles
I bought this tires set for my E36 328i and mainly used this tires on track, sometimes daily commute to work if I feel lucky ;) So far, this tires is simple excellent on the track. Great feedback, turn in sharp. It will tell you once it is at its limit. Even if you slightly oversteer, it will grip back as long as you have are sensitive on gas pedal. I managed to cut down 3 seconds from 47s to 44s on one of the local track and around 5s from 1.31s to 1.26s on another local track (worth to mention that also my previous tires is just summer performance tires RE003 - but it is still a really good one). Once it is at the right temperature, it grips like shit on toilet. One more thing I really like from this tires is that it only take 1 2 turns to warm up, so you can go pretty much all in right from the beginning. My car is 1300kg so normally I start at 28 psi cold and usually ends up at around 34-35 psi.
Daily drive, it is super noisy. But it is semi-slick so you can't complain much about it. Tires make the whole car feels heavy - yes this tires is super heavy.
Also, I like the tread pattern design.
Daily drive, it is super noisy. But it is semi-slick so you can't complain much about it. Tires make the whole car feels heavy - yes this tires is super heavy.
Also, I like the tread pattern design.
Given 57%
while driving a
BMW M3
(295/30 R18)
on track
for 1,000 miles
Like others said in other reviews
I ve used 3sets of Nankang AR1 brefore i write this review on F80 M3 with 490RWHP set up.
My sizes were 265 35 18 front and 295 30 18 rear.
The only problem with AR1 is that it starts to get heat soaked pretty quick for a semi slick tire. You will have to cool down after a consecutive attack, if not it has tendency to become very greasy.
It doesnt last that long obviously but It does provide more grip than most of Extreme summer tires.
If you are limited on tire expense,i would go with something that lasts a little longer.
However if you are not limited, AR1 will provide more DRY grip for a limited time.
Break away characteristic is adequate. I would say it is on the liniar progressive side.
I ve used 3sets of Nankang AR1 brefore i write this review on F80 M3 with 490RWHP set up.
My sizes were 265 35 18 front and 295 30 18 rear.
The only problem with AR1 is that it starts to get heat soaked pretty quick for a semi slick tire. You will have to cool down after a consecutive attack, if not it has tendency to become very greasy.
It doesnt last that long obviously but It does provide more grip than most of Extreme summer tires.
If you are limited on tire expense,i would go with something that lasts a little longer.
However if you are not limited, AR1 will provide more DRY grip for a limited time.
Break away characteristic is adequate. I would say it is on the liniar progressive side.
Given 76%
while driving a
Subaru Impreza WRX STI
(225/45 R17)
on track
for 200 miles
Very strong grip, one of the best semi-slick tire on the market I ‘ve tried (dry road)
Take one turn to warm it
Use at 29 psi hot tire pressure
I recommend it for sure and I will buy it again
Didn't try on the wet but I won't recommend
Take one turn to warm it
Use at 29 psi hot tire pressure
I recommend it for sure and I will buy it again
Didn't try on the wet but I won't recommend
Given 70%
while driving a
Datsun 180B
(225/45 R17)
on
for 5 average miles
Loved these tires on the dry racetrack. Grip, wear and speed were good. But...It started to shower for a short time, as I rolled out for the last race. After four 180-360 degree violent spin-outs mid-corner during 3 laps, I retired vowing not to do that again. Only going 3/4 speed and with absolutely no warning. Talked to my retailer next day about the weird tread pattern which seems to push water towards the centre of one front tire. Tires are identical with "outside " written on one side... which causes one tread to be opposite of the other ie the "V" pointing backwards on one of them. He too was befuddled. The Nankang rep just said to us what I knew already... "they are good in the dry... and not so good in the wet" sigh
Given 50%
while driving a
Lotus Elan S2
(225/60 R13)
on a combination of roads
for 240 spirited miles
Sidewalls are sponge, inaccurate tactile grip sensing due to excessive sidewall flex at any pressures.
Given 83%
while driving a
Suzuki swift sport
(225/45 R17)
on track
for 200 spirited miles
I thing that these tires are the best semi for dry tarmac. The fastest tire for someone who wants to use these in small wheels. I use 15'' wheels.
Given 34%
while driving a
Toyota GT86
(265/35 R18 W)
on track
for 200 spirited miles
Very surprised to see so many positive reviews. I mean, yeah it's cheap, so I understand the good rating, considering the aspect of bang for buck. But some reviews stated it's a superb tire in absolute terms. IMHO, it isn't. It's a cheap and slow tire, not a cheap and A050 fast tire.
I've never managed to get a close time to A050 GS with this tire. It's not even in the same league, since it was always slower A052 by a good margin. It's more like a RE-71R class tire in terms of lap time on proper tracks, and it's not even one of the fast tire in that group too (it's one of the slow one)! So you can't really expect to get some lap times of proper semi slicks (like A050, 03g). Also, this tire is very heavy in all sizes (which may explain why it's so slow). There are only two good things about this tire in absolute term I can think of, which are its price and sidewall strength.
These are very cheap in Japan (less than half of RE-71R or less than 1/3 of A052), so it makes sense in Japan (or anywhere else with that big difference in the price tag). However, in some countries, AR-1 is priced pretty close to RE-71R or ZIII (or slightly pricier than R-S4). In that case, I think the tire makes no sense to buy these tire, since it effectively becomes a slower AND more expensive AND shorter life tire. If it's dirt cheap, adjust your expectation and you'll be fine.
I've never managed to get a close time to A050 GS with this tire. It's not even in the same league, since it was always slower A052 by a good margin. It's more like a RE-71R class tire in terms of lap time on proper tracks, and it's not even one of the fast tire in that group too (it's one of the slow one)! So you can't really expect to get some lap times of proper semi slicks (like A050, 03g). Also, this tire is very heavy in all sizes (which may explain why it's so slow). There are only two good things about this tire in absolute term I can think of, which are its price and sidewall strength.
These are very cheap in Japan (less than half of RE-71R or less than 1/3 of A052), so it makes sense in Japan (or anywhere else with that big difference in the price tag). However, in some countries, AR-1 is priced pretty close to RE-71R or ZIII (or slightly pricier than R-S4). In that case, I think the tire makes no sense to buy these tire, since it effectively becomes a slower AND more expensive AND shorter life tire. If it's dirt cheap, adjust your expectation and you'll be fine.
Given 71%
while driving a
Toyota MR2 mk3 Roadster
(205/45 R15)
on a combination of roads
for 3,000 spirited miles
Great track tire, great value for money, on the same class as R888 and R888R by Toyo. Not especially good in wet roads, of course not recommended for a daily driver due to noise, stiffness, warm up times etc. A great tire for the weekend track car and the occasional mountain road, as long as you warm them up a bit first, then push the car. I tried both 195/50/15 and 205/45/15 and i can recommend the latter, as they basically are a 215 width tire, branded as a 205. Can achieve the same lap times for 5-10 fast laps, then they need cooldown. Tread is very few mm, will wear down very fast if you hit the track often, but the dry grip stays high even when worn.
Given 61%
while driving a
Lotus Elise
(235/40 R17)
on track
for 1,000 spirited miles
I drove the tire in 205/45/16 front and 235/40/17 rear on a Lotus Elise with around 250 hp.
The tire was bought purely for track use, I can not comment on street behaviour.
I drive sessioned events with session between 30 and 45 min driving, 45 min break, session, break etc. In my experience this can be quite demanding for a tire as they can not fully cool down in between and some tires tend to overheat at the end of the day.
On a roadcourse I found this tire to have a relatively short warm up time, even though some people commented otherwise. Normally the tire reached operating temperatures within a few laps and cold grip is as bad as one would expect, which means limited. However, this tire is really good in taking the punishment for the whole day without any overheating issues. It is the first tire that I have in this price range, that last a whole day.
I found the tire to be quite sensitive to pressure changes. The behaviour of the tire can completely change within 0.1 bar pressure. When underinflated the grip is not so much the problem as is very numb feedback about grip levels and heavily decreased steering information. I settled at 1.8 bar front and 2.0 bar rear when hot but I feel this might not be the last conclusion.
When the tire is warm, on right pressure and the road is dry the tire becomes more communicative and provides the high level of grip that one expects from a semi slick. However, this grip in my hands is not so easy to fully exploit, as the communication is so much lower than on a good road tire. For example, the tire was only 2 sec faster than a Yokohama AD 08R on Bilster Berg in my hands. I assume that there is more to have but again, it is not so easy to find the limits in a save way for a hobby driver like me.
When humid the tire is surprisingly good for a semi slick but once it is wet the tire is surpassed by a sporty road tire due to the lack of negative profile. Also, I had a few nasty surprises with the rear coming out quite spontaneous in the wet but at the end of the day this is clearly not a street tire.
Pro:
No overheating even after long sessions of aggressive driving style
High grip for the price
Quick warmup
Con:
Not the most communicative
Sensitive to tire pressure changes
The tire was bought purely for track use, I can not comment on street behaviour.
I drive sessioned events with session between 30 and 45 min driving, 45 min break, session, break etc. In my experience this can be quite demanding for a tire as they can not fully cool down in between and some tires tend to overheat at the end of the day.
On a roadcourse I found this tire to have a relatively short warm up time, even though some people commented otherwise. Normally the tire reached operating temperatures within a few laps and cold grip is as bad as one would expect, which means limited. However, this tire is really good in taking the punishment for the whole day without any overheating issues. It is the first tire that I have in this price range, that last a whole day.
I found the tire to be quite sensitive to pressure changes. The behaviour of the tire can completely change within 0.1 bar pressure. When underinflated the grip is not so much the problem as is very numb feedback about grip levels and heavily decreased steering information. I settled at 1.8 bar front and 2.0 bar rear when hot but I feel this might not be the last conclusion.
When the tire is warm, on right pressure and the road is dry the tire becomes more communicative and provides the high level of grip that one expects from a semi slick. However, this grip in my hands is not so easy to fully exploit, as the communication is so much lower than on a good road tire. For example, the tire was only 2 sec faster than a Yokohama AD 08R on Bilster Berg in my hands. I assume that there is more to have but again, it is not so easy to find the limits in a save way for a hobby driver like me.
When humid the tire is surprisingly good for a semi slick but once it is wet the tire is surpassed by a sporty road tire due to the lack of negative profile. Also, I had a few nasty surprises with the rear coming out quite spontaneous in the wet but at the end of the day this is clearly not a street tire.
Pro:
No overheating even after long sessions of aggressive driving style
High grip for the price
Quick warmup
Con:
Not the most communicative
Sensitive to tire pressure changes
Given 90%
while driving a
Renault Megane RS265
(235/40 R18)
on track
for 3,000 average miles
Fitted these after 3 sets of R888R.
Daily wise - massive improvement. No noise, definitely not as near as the Toyo's made, comfort pretty much the same but perhaps a bit harsher than the R888R, not something i'll put my mind on.
On Track just outstanding performance. Beats the Toyo's (not in much though) in almost every aspect from dry grip, feedback (almost identical), handling and most important - durability. These refused to fail after an intense day on a very warm tarmac. My RBF600 failed before the tires lost their grip. After 2 hours of on and off tracking the front tires have lost nearly 60% of their lives which was a bit disappointing, but due to the hot weather (35c), long straights with hard braking was understandable.
Would buy these again? Well, I've already ordered 2 sets :)
Daily wise - massive improvement. No noise, definitely not as near as the Toyo's made, comfort pretty much the same but perhaps a bit harsher than the R888R, not something i'll put my mind on.
On Track just outstanding performance. Beats the Toyo's (not in much though) in almost every aspect from dry grip, feedback (almost identical), handling and most important - durability. These refused to fail after an intense day on a very warm tarmac. My RBF600 failed before the tires lost their grip. After 2 hours of on and off tracking the front tires have lost nearly 60% of their lives which was a bit disappointing, but due to the hot weather (35c), long straights with hard braking was understandable.
Would buy these again? Well, I've already ordered 2 sets :)