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Author Topic: Nankang NS-2R  (Read 13817 times)

Offline flashp

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Nankang NS-2R
« on: August 11, 2016, 08:36:05 am »
With great trepidation I'm about to switch from MPSS to NS-2R's. I have to say I'm more than a little nervous as the MPSS that I've been running for some time now have been brilliant, probably the best tyre I've used to date in truth.

The reasoning here is that in around 10 weeks I'll be running another car for daily duties and the commute and this car wont intentionally see too many wet winter roads and by virtue the mileage isn't going to be high.

I was thinking that it would be worth saving in the order of £200 per set although my primary reason is that I believe that they may be more track focused than MPSS. I'm also going to be keen to see if they handle -2.85 camber angles any better due to construction and cross sectional shape.

They'll be going on tomorrow and will be getting scrubbed in for Saturday's track day at Goodwood. Fingers crossed the tyre surface will be track fit by then. If not I'm sure they will after the first session while getting brakes up to temp.
Ideally I probably need to find a decent roundabout and long tightening left off one of the exits so I can build speed and heat gently.

I'll update here as I go, in the meantime if anyone has experience of these tyres feel free to add your comments!  :happy2:
« Last Edit: August 11, 2016, 06:07:10 pm by flashp »

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Offline Tfsi_Mike

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2016, 12:18:10 pm »

I imagine similar performance to to Federal RSR but Inlook forward to tie review!

I can't fault the Federals performance vs cost at all, great value track rubber

Offline xjay1337

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2016, 12:46:00 pm »
I suspect they will be OK in the dry, terrible in the wet. I would not be surprised if peak grip was not much different between MPSS and NS2R.

Cup 2 would be in another league to the NS2R. but also another price league...

Mike, the Federal 595 tread pattern looks like arse!!!  :signLOL:

Offline flashp

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2016, 06:55:22 pm »
A tyre promo video like you may not have seen before https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkcBHFvEF-M
 :signLOL:
Although parts of it hold your interest if you turn the sound down  :happy2:

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Offline Tfsi_Mike

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #4 on: August 11, 2016, 07:07:27 pm »
I suspect they will be OK in the dry, terrible in the wet. I would not be surprised if peak grip was not much different between MPSS and NS2R.

Cup 2 would be in another league to the NS2R. but also another price league...

Mike, the Federal 595 tread pattern looks like arse!!!  :signLOL:

Had Cup 2's didn't track them but Alex may be able to add more as I sold them on to him.

On mine the federals work brilliantly.  I imagine PSS would take longer to get warm and sticky then also over heat and go off quicker than any semi slick.  Again I think Alex can comment on the PSS on track.

I'm considering PSS for wet Trackdays

Offline tony_danza

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2016, 08:52:52 pm »
NS-2Rs. Good tyres, soft walls. They're also deathly in the wet.

PSS are fine in the wet, but if you're looking for something purely for that, Rainsport 3s or pukka cut wets are where it's at.
Sideways yo!

Offline flashp

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2016, 10:39:06 am »
OK, the trackday was a success. I chose arbitrary pressures of 28psi cold all round, hot they all came up to 36psi very quickly.
I borrowed an IR thermometer from work to take a look at temps across the tyre surface with particular attention to the inside edge of the fronts where I wanted to make sure that -2.85 degrees of camber wasn't hammering the tyre carcass too much. It measured 10 degrees hotter (remaining in spec for the tyre) than the rest of the tread which was well within limits; the wear on the outside edge just touched the top of the little triangle.

I only had one moment of very negligible understeer but I had entered Lavant a little too quick and gone too deep on braking, given this I'm not inclined to change anything next time until I'm more familiar with the way the car now behaves.

First observations, and not unreasonably, are that they are more noisy than PSS and I didn't expect them to be whisper quiet. I hadn't realised that the noise they generate is best likened to a whirring and is present without vibration.

On track I found myself surprised by my new position when exiting bends. When driving the way I have become accustomed with PSS I was finding myself further from the edge of the circuit by a significant distance. So much so that these allow you to go off line to pass (under invite) before you fully exit Lavant and to then easily re-position the car for the next kink.

Braking is more composed with regard to front end stability, no squirming under heavy load. This is also the first outing for my APF404 pads so there were two things to get the measure of. Later braking would be possible, it depends how you want to use the advantage. either as a safety margin or somewhere to gain time.

What I realised is that I have a 're-calibration' process to go through and there is more entry and exit speed to be had. My best lap times were 1:39.2 and 1:39.35 which came next to each other in my last session. I was getting more confident with them and had little traffic around me where it mattered. These times may not be quite as 'epic' as some but I can see and measure an improvement and this is about my development and not who I can claim to blow into the weeds!  :laugh:

It'll be interesting to see how things go with these as they're used for daily duties until the new daily drive arrives and obviously I've no wet weather experience with them yet. I'm not expecting miracles here otherwise these tyres would be all things to all people and that simply won't be the case. These and regular tyres are things of different compromises and they have specific requirements which are not common to each other.

So far, not a disappointment and I'm happy with them. But if you want ultimate grip for the road in all conditions and a very quiet cabin and you don't go near a circuit at all you'll need to buy one of the usual suspects I think.  :happy2:
« Last Edit: August 14, 2016, 10:54:42 am by flashp »

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Offline rich83

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #7 on: August 14, 2016, 11:38:42 am »
Yeah... you have got to expect some more tyre noise with patterns like these. My ad08s rumble at 50-60mph, the a048s rumble all the time... par for the course with track orientated tyres.

Offline xjay1337

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #8 on: August 15, 2016, 04:43:29 pm »
NS-2Rs. Good tyres, soft walls. They're also deathly in the wet.

PSS are fine in the wet, but if you're looking for something purely for that, Rainsport 3s or pukka cut wets are where it's at.


It's always a touchy subject but Rainsport 3 are not as good as a decent tyre (eg Eagle F1 or Conti Sport 6) in the wet. This has been proven in dependant testing.

I really hate the RS3, they're OK, but not the best, raved about by people who only ever bought budget road tyres now have something "ok" and think it's amazing lol.

I find my AD08Rs only slighly rumbly, barely noticeable.
The 03g dunlops were very loud. but to be expected as per Rich's above.

Flash, glad your trackday went well :) you have to be going a fair old lick to be past the limits of any tyre really!

Offline flashp

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #9 on: August 15, 2016, 06:43:11 pm »
I wonder if we could get an owners day somewhere for those of us here that might go for that kind of thing?
It could also be a big social for those that don't want track time.  :popcornsoda:

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Offline flashp

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #10 on: August 15, 2016, 06:45:53 pm »
Yeah... you have got to expect some more tyre noise with patterns like these. My ad08s rumble at 50-60mph, the a048s rumble all the time... par for the course with track orientated tyres.
AD08's were on my list of possibles also.
Will you be buying them again? Do I remember correctly that you also came from PSS?

They're a brilliant tyre as an all rounder.

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Offline rich83

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #11 on: August 15, 2016, 10:18:06 pm »
Most probably yes. Can still get them for 90quid each so it makes no sense to go for anything else, given I don't drive me car that much these days

Offline Tfsi_Mike

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #12 on: August 17, 2016, 01:09:54 pm »
Most probably yes. Can still get them for 90quid each so it makes no sense to go for anything else, given I don't drive me car that much these days

God, use your car :p

Are you going 17 then? 0:-)

Offline rich83

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #13 on: August 17, 2016, 05:09:30 pm »
I will do if someone tells me what I need to hear. Seems like no one really knows

Offline Tfsi_Mike

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Re: Nankang NS-2R
« Reply #14 on: August 17, 2016, 06:20:14 pm »
I will do if someone tells me what I need to hear. Seems like no one really knows

They fit :P