Update: (2017/6/14)
I finally had a chance to compare the all three tires. I did my third event with the NT01s (305/325s) .
Which one is the best tires/setup of all three? Well, the answer is "it depends". They are all very close but with very different driving characteristics/slip angles. It's somewhat easier to rotate with the NT01s and being able to go full throttle at the corner exit sooner than the others. Thanks to the additional grip in the rear with 325s. This however becomes a bit disadvantage at the ORP since gears are a bit longer than the Trofeo Rs which makes me alter the shifting points and possibly cause some time because of that.
In terms of lap times, I believe the lighter and a bit more heat resistant Trofeo Rs will have the advantage on the tighter courses with a lot of body weight transfer such as ORP. No wonder I did my best lap at the ORP with this setup.
However, on a faster course where I can use additional grip in rear such as Ridge (RMP) NT01s felt faster. I didn't use the OEM setup at the ridge but I wouldn't be surprised if it would match my best time with the Trofeo Rs there since the overall feel was better.
In short, for the best overall tire and streetability I would still pick the OEM wheels and tire combo. Especially if you want to keep just one set of tires and wheels. Our MRC suspension calibration is based on that OEM tire/wheel setup anyways.
If you can get a dedicated track tire/wheel setup however, going with wider NT01s might be better in terms of overall lap times and to fight with understeer up front. It's just so much fun driving NT01s but when the track conditions are hot be ready to put your best lap after the warm up lap or 2nd or 3rd lap. I am not saying they overheat like most street tires like OEM or RE71Rs but the optimal lap times (in all the cars that I've tried NT01s previously) was when they're relatively cooler.
Trofeo R driving characteristics didn't really impress me a lot. I could definitely feel the softer sidewall or softer feel of the tires compared to OEM and NT01s. However, weight and gearing advantage (3% shorter gears vs 1.5% shorter gears on NT01 with 5 lbs additional weight on each corner) is very noticeable. Although, I couldn't get on the throttle as early as the NT01s once I did it was quicker on the straightaways and easily make up for that. It just didn't feel right or enjoyable to me. They're also expensive
I have to note though, I didn't have the -2.9 camber up front with the OEM setup or the Trofeo Rs so there may be a slight advantage there.
I did 1:54.9 at the last event at the ORP with the 305/325s NT01s. It was a warmer day than the last time I used Trofeo Rs there and did 1:54.7. Notice how easy to rotate the car with throttle and the different slip angles:
I hope this helps
