What about Kumho Ecsta V700's?
 

Alright, while im finishing up my vette and trying to get it ready to run/break in, i wanted to get some new tires. I am running P265/60/16 right now, but they are some shitty treadware 400 POS tires. The car is set up for road racing. I am looking to go to willow springs after everything is broken in.

Now are the V700's worth the extra risk since i may be nailed by a cop for no tread? Or should i run the V710's? Will i lose a substancial amount of performance between the two?

Both are great, the V700's are unbelievable.

I wouldn't drive on the street with R compounds... 1 they won't last long, 2 you'll heat cycle the life out of them in no time.

Do the 710's have the R compound in them? The car will only see the street on the weekends or when someone needs a lesson. :evil:

R is not a compound, its a rating... like W or Y or Z. All of the Kumho Victoracers (the tires that are VXYZ) are classified as DOT R compound tires (short for DOT RACE). They've got a treadwear of 50 or so, and are basically intended for short stint races... club races are about 30 minutes... now, they'll last longer, the problem is that they heat cycle quickly. Basically the rubber gets harder every time it heats up and cools down, and the tire looses its grip. Most people seem to say that 6 or so weekends will do a tire in, even though there's a considerable amount of rubber left on the tread block. Get a 2nd set of rims if you want to use R compounds. If you're looking for a crossover duty tire, then get something like the Potenza SO3, BFG KDW, Kumho MX or Falken Azenis.... unless you really like buying tires $200+ tires all the time.

the Excta V700 has more tread then the V710... you may want to verify the tires you are looking at.

BYW, the V700's are slower then the Hoosiers but the v710's are faster then hoosiers...and they last about as long. For any of them your looking at about a 5,000 mile or less life span...

have you looked at the Toyo RA-1? it may not grip as well as the Kumhos or Hoosiers, but they definitly will last longer.



BTW, all of the above are technically DOT street legal Tires.... though some are only legal for the first 50 miles or so....

I have a second set of rims. I wasnt planning on using them, since i really dont care for them, but they are 295/16's. I really couldnt find any good tires for them. I was looking in one of the recent car & drivers and they didnt list anything that wide in a 16" rim. And i really dont know of a good place to look at tire sizes online. I have been to Grand American Tire Co. and Americas Tire Store, but they cant help me out at all. Told me that they cant get tires that wide in that size rim.


Thank you for your info on the heat cycling...... That is something new to consider when making my purchasing decisions.

zzyzx,

Thank you for clearing that up. I was looking in my magazine at the tires. They had the caption on the bottom of the pictures incorrect. I just looked them up on the internet to verify your claim.

I could have made one hell of a mistake. Thank you!

You might also want to look at the avon tech r, users posting reviews at Tire Rack seem to think that they are competitive with the Hoosiers, and v700s, with better wear characteristics.

hmm..... I am looking at these and beginning to think i may have stepped over my bounds...

To tell the truth, i know very little about tires (now theres a "DUH" statement). I read a good review about the tires. Good enough to make me want them. But they may not be what is best suited for the car.

My car is not made only for the track. It is a cruiser. I would love to take it around the track on the open days that they have. I am not looking to compete in a class. I am looking for a tire that will give me good traction around corners (and straight lines), but also live for more than a week.

The car is setup for about 650-700 whp. Its a twin turbo'd vette on 10 psi, with a 50 shot for added cooling when needed.

What, in your opinions, would you recommend?

The widest tires you can buy. I'm guessing it makes a lot of power down low, and you're going to want lots of rubber. A friend of mine is making 480 or so NA on a 400 Small Block, and I want to say hes got 9 or 10" rims with 285 or 295 sticky tires and he'll still spin them all the way into 3rd. Especially if you like "playing", get something fat.