Tires / Tire Vendors

[jmimac351]

Please share your experiences about track tires... Kumho V710s seem to be the obvious choice - at least popular.

What about BFG R1, Hoosier R6, Nitto NT-01, etc?

Goodyear also has a new tire out - RS.

http://www.racegoodyear.com/tires/sports.html

[boothkc]

The new Goodyear tire is very fast for a DOT tire. We did some Miata testing with the same very fast drive and car and it was 1.5 sec better than other DOT tires....thats a lot in a Miata.

I'd give them a try if you can get them and they fit. Looks like 275x17 should work all around.

Have had good experiance with R6s, Nittos, didn't like the Kuhmos, but maybe just me.

Kevin

[NZGTRA17]

Originally Posted by jmimac351

Please share your experiences about track tires... Kumho V710s seem to be the obvious choice - at least popular.

What about BFG R1, Hoosier R6, Nitto NT-01, etc?

Goodyear also has a new tire out - RS.

http://www.racegoodyear.com/tires/sports.html

Jim, good spotting on the new tyre option front. I just love the Goodyear sales pitch on their site about the......."Premium Sidewall Styling"............

Always been one of my top prioritys when choosing a race tyre!!

On a more serious note though, I will be interested to hear some feedback on wear/heat cycles for the Goodyears.

Kel.

[tccoupe]

I tried a set of hoosier r6's this year. I had a problem with the tires spinning on the rim. After 2 NASA events I had 3 tires that wouldn't hold air. After taking them off the rim I could see the rubber at the bead had been chewed up. Don't know if they are salvageable. Anyone had this problem? Any fix?

[Jim woodruff]

Originally Posted by tccoupe

I tried a set of hoosier r6's this year. I had a problem with the tires spinning on the rim. After 2 NASA events I had 3 tires that wouldn't hold air. After taking them off the rim I could see the rubber at the bead had been chewed up. Don't know if they are salvageable. Anyone had this problem? Any fix?

funny thing you bring up the tire spinning on the rim of the new r6. My racing buddy that was at the NASA event at Mid-Ohio when we were there had the same problem with his GT-3. Last week end at Mid- Ohio
the tire came off and he hit the wall at the key hole. Over 60k in damage.

[Cobra4B]

We were running Nitto R2s, then Hoosier R6 scrubs, and now V710s. I have to say so far I like the V710s the best. They're physically bigger than the 275 Hoosiers and work better on our 17x9" wheels.

Lots of chatter about the new Goodyear option, it's supposed to be a good tire, but I don't know anything about it other than I've heard it's fast.

It seems that most all of these tires heat cycle out in 10-12 cycles. The guys on the car boards that run them until they chord are typically moderate drivers who aren't pushing them super hard.

This past weekend I ran my first Saturday session on our Hoosier R6 scrubs and promptly put the V710 scrubs we had on the car as I the R6s were greasy. The previous event I got 5 hard 30 min sessions out of them. We purchased them off of eBay so I really don't know how used they were.

I usually scour the forums for used tires and take whatever's out there. I'm trying to get my hands on some BFG R1 scrubs as they're the spec tire for some of the mustang classes. I hear they work as well as the R6/V710s but don't heat cycle away as fast.

[Cobra4B]

Originally Posted by NZGTRA17

Jim, good spotting on the new tyre option front. I just love the Goodyear sales pitch on their site about the......."Premium Sidewall Styling"............

Always been one of my top prioritys when choosing a race tyre!!

Don't you know looking good is half the battle

[jmimac351]

These cars are very economical as far as these things go but I'm trying to find a good performance / price mix. Pomroy has used the Nitto 555RII that seem to last forever. For the price they are a good value. He also raved about the V710. I think he is keeping track of the number of events he's getting out of them. All of the best stuff seems to be around $250 or so for 275/40-17. What's attractive about the Nitto 555RII is that sometimes they are on sale for ~$150. Admittedly they aren't as good but that's a big difference. It may make sense for me to get a spare set of wheels with a set of those and a set of the V710/R1 variety. Then depending on where I am running and how much I want to get after it I have a choice on how much money I want to burn.

[Gatorac]

One thing I learned this last weekend is to not waste track time on crappy tires. I'm sold on the V710's. I have some new V700's that I will try out, but the 710's kick ass. R2's are out. I have a set that still have rubber on them. If you want them they are yours.

[jmimac351]

Originally Posted by Gatorac

One thing I learned this last weekend is to not waste track time on crappy tires.

That's a good point. Reminds me of ancient Chinese proverb... "Life is too short to drink cheap beer". I think I'll get some 710s. Need to find a deal.

[jmimac351]

Originally Posted by boothkc

The new Goodyear tire is very fast for a DOT tire. We did some Miata testing with the same very fast drive and car and it was 1.5 sec better than other DOT tires....thats a lot in a Miata.

I'd give them a try if you can get them and they fit. Looks like 275x17 should work all around.

Have had good experiance with R6s, Nittos, didn't like the Kuhmos, but maybe just me.

Kevin

Kevin, was the Goodyear faster than the Kumho? That might help me beat Pomroy.

[Panoz Paul]

Greetings ... BFG R1's ROCK !!! Very predictable , great stick ; I get a through a season ( 12 to 14 full days )w/ two sets ... BIR's lead instructor was a Panoz GTS Pro Racer & drives may car often ; he always comments how he likes the BFG's performance !!! I turn 1:52's on a 2.6 / 13 turn cource ; Gary runs 1:46's

[jmimac351]

Sounds good. The picture is becoming clearer now. Looks like I need Kumho V710, Goodyear RS, and BFG R1 tires. Hoosiers are out and no one has mentioned the NT-01 - which are quite a bit less.

6 days on a set of BFG R1 tires does sound pretty good.

[jmimac351]

This is interesting... and it mentions treadwear as well.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...irePageLocQty=

From Tirerack.com...

March 2, 2007

Tires tested:
BFGoodrich g-Force R1 Track & Competition DOT Racing Tire P225/40R18
Hoosier Racing Tire R6 Track & Competition DOT Racing Tire P225/40R18

Vehicles used:
Acura RSX Type-S
Ford Mustang GT

The g-Force R1 radial is BFGoodrich Tire's Track & Competition DOT racing tire developed for drivers looking for race- and time attack-winning performance, as well as track-day drivers seeking predictable grip that is comfortable to drive at the limit. The g-Force R1 radial is designed to offer best in class dry grip, cornering power, steering response and turn-in precision to inspire driver confidence for the quickest times lap after lap.

The Tire Rack Team doesn't normally evaluate Track & Competition DOT racing tires because we don't have appropriately prepared vehicles in our test fleet, and while our test track does a good job of representing conventional roads to challenge a tire's traction and handling, it doesn't have the sustained high speeds and the longer, larger radius corners normally associated with road racing circuits. Additionally, BFGoodrich's wintertime introduction of the g-Force R1 radial and the cold ambient temperatures in South Bend would prevent us from conducting a timely Performance Test Track Drive anyway.

In order to overcome these obstacles, BFGoodrich invited several members of The Tire Rack Team to a g-Force R1 introductory track drive on the 1.4-kilometer (.86-mile) road course at the Michelin Americas Research and Development Corporation's Laurens Proving Grounds in South Carolina. The road course's nine turns, elevation changes and dry asphalt, along with 72-74°F warmth and sunshine, would allow the drivers to experience the tire's capabilities in typical track and weather conditions.

BFGoodrich provided Acura RSX Type-S and Ford Mustang GT test vehicles equipped with safety modifications including racing seats, 5-point harnesses and roll bars. Not intended to represent any specific class of competition, the test vehicles' level of brake and suspension modifications focused on increasing vehicle drivability, consistency and durability. Like many track-day cars, they were prepared beyond allowed showroom stock adjustments but did not approach improved touring class modifications.

The Acura RSX Type-S was used to represent front-wheel drive cars on tires carrying typical loads and the Ford Mustang GT was used to represent rear-wheel drive cars on more heavily loaded tires. Both test cars were equipped with P225/40R18 sized radials mounted on 8-inch wide alloy wheels.

The g-Force R1 radials were ordered from BFGoodrich's distribution center and compared to Hoosier Racing R6 Sports Car D.O.T. Radial tires that BFGoodrich ordered from The Tire Rack. Tread shaving wasn't required because both tires are molded with approximately 4/32" of original tread depth. None of the tires were heat cycled before the test and, in order to emulate typical track sessions, multiple lap stints were driven to bring tires up to temperature and then challenge the tires' consistency as they ran successive laps.

While the Hoosier R6 tires provided the expected responsiveness and grip, the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 radials provided quicker response and higher levels of grip, as well as more consistency lap after lap. Additionally, the g-Force R1 radials were more responsive to begin with, as they immediately began to carve through the transitions of the left-right-left s-turn and into the steady-state corners. This combination of characteristics allowed the drivers to run the g-Force R1 radials with greater confidence, reduced the variations in lap times and resulted in lap times that averaged just over one second faster than the Hoosier R6 tires on the approximate 45-second, nine-turn course. While the number of laps run didn't wear out any of the tires, the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 radials appeared to have less treadwear as well.

Obviously our introductory experience didn't allow us to explore every combination of vehicle preparation, suspension adjustment or inflation pressure, however it did show that the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 radials combine the predictability and consistency under these circumstances that's ideal for beginning drivers, as well as the responsiveness and speed desired by experienced racers. We consider the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 radials to be worthy of consideration for every driver participating in track day, time attack and racing events.

[jmimac351]

Has anyone purchase used track tires? I've come across a few sources...