Latest Tire Rack test results Extreme Performance 2013

[Nails]

No love for the Kooks?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...cid=C37178800&

[OZMDD]

They tested NEW tires to the market. The RS-3's haven't changed since they were introduced, other than raising the wear rating (but not changing the compound)

[EricJ]

Has there been a direct comparison between the Rival and RS-3 yet?
This one didn't do one and I haven't seen any in Grassroots either.

[jrj512]

Based on my experience, the Rival is a better tire than the RS-3, but it also has less life. The Rival is immediately grippy and has great steering response. The RS-3 is maybe grippier, but requires heat, and it is not as responsive.

I plan to use the Rivals in Spring and Fall, and use the RS-3s in the summer. The RS-3 should have lower operating cost.

The heat requirement is probably more of an autocross concern than a track concern.

[OZMDD]

Good summary. For recreational autocross in Texas, either tire is excellent and well-suited to our conditions. I feel the RS3 can take more heat overall. The Rival is more expensive in most sizes and the jury is still out on exactly how many heat cycles they can take before they degrade.

Eric, there were some direct comparisons in the initial release write-ups. I have done head-to-head testing with 2 drivers in the same car on the same day, tire size, wheel, etc. and found them to be pretty close in times. Both of us felt the Rival was crisper and had better transition grip, more slip angle. The Rival had better sweeper grip and continued to get grippier with more heat, but was ultimately slower overall, though only marginally.

[SirHustlerEsq]

Has there been a direct comparison between the Rival and RS-3 yet?
This one didn't do one and I haven't seen any in Grassroots either.

I've used them back to back on the same car. The Rival is grippier the first few cycles then falls off hard. The Rival takes longer to fall of when overheating on a single race, I can overheat an RS3 in two laps at TWS in an NA Miata, not a Rival. I'd still buy whatever is available and take the rival if both were options.

[CosmosMpower]

Good summary. For recreational autocross in Texas, either tire is excellent and well-suited to our conditions.

What about professional autocross? No one here cares about recreational autocross

[OZMDD]

srsbznss!