Maybe some people here are interested in 200TW tires.
what are 200tw tires?:
200tw is the tread wear rating.
Generally speaking, lower numbers mean a softer sticker compound.
200tw is the limit in most SCCA classes from autocross to road race events

The tires in question
Falken RT660s 315/30R18 Square.
Part of the super 200 group.
my dry autocross runs: 95
over 8 events.


Dry grip: the tire reaches full temp around 115-120F measured with a tire pyrometer.
Getting to that temp can be difficult if ambient temps are around 70F or below.
If you manage to get up to full temp, grip is decent, but not on the same playing field as the A052, CRS v1, CRS v2, or the new Re71RS.
VERY obvious when they get up to temp, because I can't Spin the top of 1st gear if the tires are fully warmed up.
The tires are fairly audible when pushed to a point where they slide, but are fairly easy to recover once sliding.
RT660s have a fairly good heat capacity.
So dual driver cars might use this tire for that reason. Other super 200s require a lot of spraying.
Once the tires starts to overheat, (around 130f+) grip falls off quick. Making them unsuitable for a track day.
I guess you could just push the tire past that point, but they get greasy and slow pretty quick.
the tire will rapidly melt and spread rubber around the tire. Once the RT660s reach that point, grip is vastly reduced. I'd say in terms of 5 seconds a lap or more.
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Wet grip:
horrible
No words can describe how bad these RT660s are when used in the rain.
They have so little grip in the rain that it's almost comical.
I can't tell y'all how many people have walked up to me and asked, "Hey, these falkens can't be this bad right"
Well they can, anyone living in a colder climate be aware of this characteristic.
Any cold weather or rain=dead in the standings.
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Grip in cold temps:
similar to rain events
Cold weather=no grip.For perspective, during a 65F event, I picked up about 6 seconds running in the PM (75f) compared to the colder AM. Almost all of that just due to temps.tire blankets are definitely a must if you plan on using RT660s.


Lifespan: tire wear is pretty good.
95 runs and the RT660s still have 6/32-5/32 tread left.
I could probably do 250+ runs on these tires.
Assuming that tires are rorated evey event.
what's nice with these tires is they are directional, but do not have an outside/inside direction. So you can have a shop remove the tires and rotate them in a X-Pattern.
Putting fresh rubber on the outer shoulders.
Drastically improving lifespan.


Characteristics:
Steering feel is pretty good, the stiffer side walls make it easy to point the front end where you want it. Some of the other super 200s have fairly "floppy" steering feel.
The RT660 is far more direct.

Notes:
These 315s seemed pretty happy with -3.0 degree camber, one could probably get away with -2.0 pretty easily.
remember, our cars have McPherson front suspension: also known as "McDonald's strut suspension". Ha ha.
So our camber curve is fairly unoptimal.
Combined with a stock axle that only has -0.2 camber built into it, the shoulders will get worn down faster.
So more camber is always welcome.
​​​​​​as far as tire pressures,
the Falkens seemed a bit insensitive to pressure changes compared to other 200s I've used.
I settled around 32-33Psi
They didn't seem to care if they were a smidge over or under
all 4 tires have some form of "Checking"
That's where the seam is when the tire is made in the factory. If the seam opens up too much, the tire delaminates and becomes unusable.

sizing:
RT660s run about 20mm wider than what the side wall says.
so these 315s are closer to a 335.
They are 13.187in wide unmounted.
Rim width unmounted is 12in.
So ideally you'd use a 12in or 13in wide wheel for these.
I used a 18x11, and the tires lost 3/4in of width from the pinch.


​​​​conclusion:
RT660s are an OK ish warm weather tire.
Decent lifespan
Ok ish price
Poor cold and rain characteristics.
But ultimately far slower than the other leading 200tw tires.

I had a SCCA autocross National winner drive my car, and his first comment was how lacking the tires were.
That's the consensus amount all the national level guys that usually annihilate me at my local events.
I TAke the options of faster drivers very seriously.
so I swapped out tires last week.
And picked up a ton of time comparing to Delta times from the usual top time of day guys (the Hoosier A7s users)





Slight checking is on all 4 tires. That's where the rubber is joined together at the factory


Don't have a truck so my Corolla beater is stuffed with 4 tires

 

Good to know track experience vs. street. It's been a damn good tire on my summer fun car though (100% street). I never drive in the rain but I figured wet traction was only good enough for driving home.

I'm on year 3 and traction is falling. Been looking at what will be my next tire. I like to experiment, but don't want to lose any straight line grip because these RT660's were impressive in that department. Which of those super 200's do you think would work best on street (fair weather only)?

 

Thanks for honest review

 

Very good review. I am still amazed how folks run that size tire up front. I too have about 3 deg of camber but rub as I approach full lock with a 265 up front. What front springs are you running?

 

I have had the Falken 660 tires on this car for a few years now. They stay on for autocross and street use on the 18" wheels. I switch wheels for drag racing, but I have always been damn impressed by these 660 tires. If I only had one complaint, it would be they get so grippy even on the street that they cling to those "tar snakes" a.k.a. the tar filled cracks that patch the road and make a funny noise; otherwise, awesomness.

 

That's good info, I've had them on my street car for a bit but no real driving on them yet.

 

I have three videos on the fitment of 18x11s on the third gen. It's definitely not for the faint of heart or a streetcar.

As far as the other super 200s, the Yokohama A052 are very good on the street, good wet grip and unbelievable dry grip.
issue is they were out crazy fast like maybe 8,000 miles of street driving fast.
the re71rs also have tons of cold and wet grip.

As far as spring rates, I've done quite a bit of work optimizing the springs for my car, so I don't really reveal what they are anymore.
But I will say: a 1,000 lb front spring, I would consider to be " Too Soft"


Corded A052


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I remember watching that video now. Thanks for the reminder.