This past weekend I ran my first event w/ the V710s! I was a great experience.

I got the 275/40/17's all around mounted on the stock 17" wheels (7.5" F, 8" R) a few weeks ago and was ready to go. I ran at GCAC in Ft. Myers, FL as usual Sat practice and Sun points event (same place the NT will be held in Feb).

The improvement was great and a little more than I expected, on the practice course my best time ever was a 43.5 on street tires, on the R's I ended up w/ 40.5 (and I know the car can do much better than that w/ more practice). As for the points event I would estimate the improvement was about 4 secs (it was a ~70 second course).

I cant say I am used to the tires so I am wondering how much further improvement I should expect: What has been your experience w/ transitioning to R's, did it take long before you were able to really utilize all the added grip?

BTW, I've been autocrossing for a year now (about 16 events and 1 evo school)

 

I'm still learning on my tires but they are horrible to begin with so I can't say much. I've got Dunlop SS Race tires and they are VERY inconsistant. I keep a log of my pressures and temperatures and the track conditions and there really is no consistency with them. I just hope Kuhmo steps up with some better sizes for 18s soon.

 

Interesting comparison results. The gap is a little larger than I expected.

What street tires were you running? OEM?

Did you run the same course on the same day? How familiar were you with the course (ie: how many runs did you do on street tires first)?

Another good method of measurement is to see how you did compared to other experienced regulars.

I've heard the 710s like larger slip angles compared to other Rs. I've seen some guys push their cars pretty hard on those tires and surprisingly got better times.

Keep us updated on the wear (noting how many runs you did etc...)

I'd love to see a 245/40/18 sized 710.

 

what would you use a 245 on a 18 for? 275 is the way to go (even tho they don't make it)...

what types of pressures were you running?

 

In the next few months I am seriously considering the Hoosiers just so I can compete. I'm still trying to decide on if the v700s are worth it.

 

if you got the money hoosiers are nice.. v700s are definitely a nice step up and you will be noticeably quicker, but not as fast as a 710 or hoosier. are you referring to the ecstas or victos?

 

I had Escta700 and I find the V710's are 5 seconds faster on a 2.5 mile track like Sears Point.

 

any issues with running 275 710s at the track on stock wheels?

 

I use 17x9 wheels but have in the past run 265x35 18 on stock wheels with no problem.

 

some say you might need a 5mm spacer for the front. some don't have problems.

 

I can't understand how driving with such a wide tire on a narrow rim to be advantageous (even though it apparently is).

Stuffing a 275 on an 8" wide rim would result in lots of sidewall curvature to the rim. The tire wouldn't sit flat on the ground nor square on the sidewalls. Wouldn't that comprimise the traction of the tire and the steering response would be like driving in sand?

I"ve always felt that steering feel/response are priorities so that I know exactly how much I can push. Logic would indicate 245 on a 8" is as wide as one should go but obviously I'm wrong...

 

didnt know you could fit a 275 on 17s

 

I'm talking about the ecstas. I was considering using the ecsta 700 as my rain tire anyway being as I do live in Florida where we have 2 seasons hot and rain. I've have heard that the hoosiers need more camber and they cord quicker. Some say you only get half the runs out of them before they are scrap. Can anyone confirm this with the A3S05?

 

i've heard a3s04 > a3s05. my friend who runs locally does not seem to get much life out of his hoosiers and i heard he was swtiching to 710s. from the people i have talked to at events, the v710 just seems to be a much better tire for the 350z in regards to longetivity and the built in camber it has. realistically any r-comp needs a few degrees of camber to work properly, and the lack of the built in camber on the hoosier seems to be why people are killing the shoulders on them.

as to squishing a ~10.5" tire onto an 8" wheel. yeah, steering responses aren't as sharp as a 245 IMO, but it's really a trade off for having the maximum amount of grip possible to having the most nimble steering response. just turn earlier

 

After much research and debait, I decided to go the 275 Kumho 710s on 17" stockers. I completely agree that the turn in response is not quite as crisp as if the sidewalls were perfectly vertical (245s) but once I got used to them (about 3 events) I'm extremely glad I went this route. The amount of grip is better than the Hoosiers I've run, and they really wear well on our heavy car. 22 events on concrete, and just now planning on swapping them on the rims (inboard to outboard.) I fully expect them to heat cycle out before I cord them.

They really like low pressure compared to other R-compounds (especially Hoosiers) including Victoracers.

 

Yes, I was surprised about the pressures these tires work best at. It was a relatively cool day and the pressures I ran were 30psi/front and 26psi/rear.