Nankang AR 1 Reviews - Page 2

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
Helpful 35 - tyre reviewed on November 3, 2019
Given 70% while driving a Datsun 180B (225/45 R17) on for 5 average miles
Loved these tyres 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 tyre. Tyres 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
Helpful 27 - tyre reviewed on August 15, 2019
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.
Helpful 108 - tyre reviewed on May 18, 2019
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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.
Helpful 19 - tyre reviewed on April 4, 2019
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.
Helpful 75 - tyre reviewed on February 7, 2019
Given 71% while driving a Toyota MR2 mk3 Roadster (205/45 R15) on a combination of roads for 3,000 spirited miles
Great track tyre, 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.
Helpful 23 - tyre reviewed on December 19, 2018
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 tyre pressure changes
Helpful 28 - tyre reviewed on December 10, 2018
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 tyres lost their grip. After 2 hours of on and off tracking the front tyres 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 :)
Helpful 34 - tyre reviewed on August 27, 2018
Given 86% while driving a Mercedes Benz C63 AMG (265/35 R18) on track for 250 spirited miles
I run a somewhat modified AMG C63 in a Sprint/Hillclimb series in Western Australia. I have previously used Yokohama A050’s (at $2300 per set), and Hankook TD Z221’s (at $1800 per set). Whilst looking into options to reduce the financial blow when buying tyres, a fellow competitor came across these Nankang AR-1’s. We started asking around to find more information but there was virtually nobody in competition circles that knew anything about them. What we did find out that they are CHEAP for an R spec tyre. So we dove in and bought a set each. Mine were 2 x 235/40 R18 and 2 x 265/35 R18. Purchase price you ask? Just $950 FOR ALL 4! I had my doubts about performance because, as they say, you get what you pay for.
Well, I can report that after many competition rounds that these tyres are simply incredible. I don’t mean incredible based on the price either. These tyres are superb. They heat up quickly, grip comes in within just a few corners, very stable, provide excellent feedback and are proving to have excellent life despite competition level abuse and dozens of heat cycles. Many of my fellow competitors have asked about them and as a result of my always positive feedback, many have switched and are equally as impressed. Several new users have reported PB’s at circuits they know well (as have I). I’m now on my second set and I continue to be just as impressed. These tyres come with a very high recommendation.
Helpful 46 - tyre reviewed on May 11, 2018
Given 99% while driving a Alfa Romeo 159 (235/40 R18 W) on mostly country roads for 10,000 spirited miles

The best tire I ever had.
Excellent grip on both dry and wet roads. Excellent comfort.
Slow erosion.
Even on a day-to-day trip, he is not disappointed.
And the only one .. Fuel consumption is increased by 20 percent more than other premium tires such as Michelin Pilot Sport 3 or Toyo T1 Sport ..
In conclusion: Excellent tire for those who also travel daily with the vehicle and also on track days ..
Helpful 29 - tyre reviewed on January 30, 2018
Given 86% while driving a Ford Puma 1.7 (205/50 R15) on track for 500 spirited miles
Used to run Avon ZZR's on my car but fancied these to help give my wallet a break! Plus I'd heard good reviews, which seemed to be backed up online, so I had high expectations.

I had my Puma at a track day at Oulton Park and I was immediately impressed by the cold grip levels. As I got a few more laps under my belt it became obvious that the grip levels were increasing markedly and I could feel my lap times started tumbling (not that I was recording them). I noticed I could carry much more speed into the faster corners and had so much more traction out of the slower corners - the car's attitude through the chicane was transformed. I could keep the throttle in harder through the whole section instead of waiting for the grip before flooring it. After a day's hard lapping I didn't notice a drop-off in performance, either (although my brakes were screaming for mercy towards the end!), so these seem like a very durable tyre.

I'll definitely be buying these again when the time comes to renew. Might have to look at my pad compound and some better brake fluid before the next track day, though!
Helpful 20 - tyre reviewed on September 18, 2017
Given 91% while driving a BMW E46 M3 (265/35 R18) on track for 1,096 spirited miles
E46-M3 SUZUKA INTERNATIONAL RACING COURSE
JULY 7, 2017 Test report
The weather on the day is sunny.
Road surface temperature 43degrees C to 46degrees C.
This time we changed the setting of the suspension based on the previous test.
Although I was able to increase the mechanical grip more than the previous time, I could not update the best time due to the rise in the temperature and the deterioration of the road condition.
The best time of the day is 2'24 "8.
There was no big grip drop for the total 20 laps.


Helpful 15 - tyre reviewed on July 31, 2017