Hey all,
Looking to buy my first set of semi slicks. They will be going on my stock 15" rims.
Both these tyres seem about the same price and both have good reviews, can anyone offer comment on either particularly in reference to the MR2?

KU-36 is a street tyre, not an "R Compound"
 
Toyo R888 is an R compound, which will have a much lower treadwear rating so it depends what you're planning to do with the car.
 
they are both fairly old designs so be sure to check the build date of the tyres.
 
in my opinion the best affordable street tyre around at the moment is Federal 595RSR  (contact dylmart/Gorilla industries for prices) 

Unfortunately the right size for the rears may be a problem with the Federals.
 

Thanks for pointing that out Sinbad, just to clarify they will be a dedicated set of track tyres, I have separate ones for daily use.

in that case you definitely dont want the KU-36. 
 
TOYO R888, Advan AO48, RE55 are the older design Rcomps which will be more affordable but once again keep an eye on the build dates,
 
the Hankook Z221 is new and very impressive, we used it at superlap this year, it was a good second faster than the Advan AO50
 

You may want to look at Nitto NT01's for track use.
The Nitto is a r888 compound with stronger side walls and different tread patten.
They are cheap($1000 a set), wear very well, come up to temp within 2 laps, are consistant with grip(up to ten laps tested), only 2 seconds slower than 6 other cars on slicks(at Winton Super TT round) so enough speed in the tyres to have a good time. They are well documented by BMW teams in the U.S. with good results for the money spent. They are not as quick as the top brands but for 50% of the cost its not too bad. I would like to try the Federal's but I have two sets of Nitto's for the same money. The Kuhmo's are on special atm. Another good tyre.
 

Mmmm, yes I had looked at Nitto's, troubel will be availability in a 15" rim size.

I notice that in NT01's, Nitto list a 205/50 R15 (ok for the fronts)and they also list a 225/45R15.
How would a slightly smaller rolling diameter rear go for track use?  (4 percent gearing difference to stock).

Well it would mean your engine does higher revs for the same speed right?
I'm nowhere near topping out on the straight at Phillip Island so should be okay I would think.

180Shauny

Well it would mean your engine does higher revs for the same speed right?
I'm nowhere near topping out on the straight at Phillip Island so should be okay I would think.

Correct, 4 percent higher than with stock size tyres.
Might suit some tracks better than others.