T1R's are ok for normal driving, and quite good in damp conditions, at the expense of a shorter lifespan.
However if you corner hard or plan to track the car then forget about it - they melt and turn blue almost immediately and then the sidewalls collapse after a few laps. They are not a performance tyre.
Well if I was expressing an opinion that would be fine, you can disagree. However I'm stating a fact.
The thread life is less than other comparable tyres, the threadwear rating from the manufacturer themselves shows this.
WRT track days, they are fine on the Elise because it is such a light car, but on the twinny they disintegrate after not too many laps at all. All the problems are sidewall related.
This will vary from track to track I suppose, with Croft being relatively easy on tyres, but hard on brakes iirc.
I still have T1Rs on two of my cars but never use them for track days due to side wall issues.
Next time you're on track mount you're cam to look at the front wheels (or get a mate to record you cornering) and you'll be shocked to see the excessive sidewall flex. This is what leads to the overheat and subsequent wear.
This also creates a delay between steering input and directional change, which btw nullifies to a great extent the effect of strut braces and polybushed susp components.
When hitting kerbs under load the tyres bubble out at 3 and 9 o'clock. IMO this leaves the tyre in a dangerous condition for road use afterwards, especially on motorways.
