Dear fellow track rats,

I own a set of Toyo RA-1's that are getting pretty well worn. As this is my first set of these tires, I am not quite certain how far down I can run them. I've heard they can be run until they show signs of cording. The tires are now fairly bald with minimal tread still visible. I'm not sure how much life is left before the cord starts to show. Will I be able to run them for long after the tread is worn off completely?

I'm planning to drive up to Watkins Glen in a couple of weeks and I just want to feel conifident that I will get two days of track driving on these tires before they need to be replaced. Any thoughts/feedback will be appreciated.

It's impossible to predict whether they will last all weekend, but the correct way to use these tires is to drive them until you see cord. As they get down close to the end, that means you'll need to carefully inspect them between EVERY run-session at the track.

But that is a small price to pay for the awesome handling they deliver in such well-worn condition. I went through several several sets of RA1's and drove each set until one tire showed cord.

You could inquire to see if a tire vendor will be on-site at the track that weekend, and if so coordinate with them to have a new set new ready for you so that if you see cord on Sat you'll be able to get new tires fitted and not miss out on Sunday.

Enjoy your weekend.
Q

Thank you for that information. I guess it's a little unpredictable and hard to say if I will get two full days out of them. The best advice was to check them carefully after each run group. Will do.