Just got my delivery

they're a set of 4 275/40/17's Hankook Ventus Z214 C70 (they come in 3 different compounds, C30, C50, C70...70 being the softest. )

Hankook_Race_Tires

These things look beautiful - I've been AutoXing on Toyo RA-1's and can't wait to feel the difference (RA1's are a bit hard for autoX - they take too long to warm up)...only bad thing is that the next AutoX event is not for 3 weeks

I've been reading up a lot on AutoX tires and know that people usualy talk about Hoosier's and Kuhmo's for AutoX R-compound tires, but there's been a lot of talk about Hankook the past few years, and it sounds like many people prefer these over the others. It really seems like Hankook is pushing hard to enter the racing world...they've developed a great set of tires (dry & wet R-compounds with a range of compounds), and they've been giving really good contingency's!


Here's some shots of them:







I'll post up my impressions once I get a chance to run them. I'll be running in BSP this year.

-Peter

 

Man, those look nice! I'm buying a used set of 18" Rays rims for auto-x and I'm looking at tire options. I'm considering the Falken RT-615s but they don't have the 275/40/18 series. I may have to look at other brands to get these sizes.

 

I just bought them in 265/35/18 and they are also available in 275/35/18". Any reason you're stuck on /40/ series?

 

where did you get them?

 

Also curious where you got them and perhaps how much they cost!

 

got them directly from Hankook...they're my newest sponsor! I've seen these for around $213/ea (275/40/17) - which is on par for Kuhmo's...Hoosier's are always more expensive.

-Peter

here's a link to where I saw them for sale: http://www.aimtire.com/typ_category.asp?ObjectID=6651

 

I've seen the 275/35/18 series tires on a Z and there's too much gap between the tires & fenders (tires are not as tall as 40 series). I know it's about performance but I want them to look good also. Which is why I'm looking closely at getting the Tom Motorsports coilover springs (adjustable) so I can lower my Z when I swap my street setup for these track rims for auto-x/HPDE.

 

I have BFG KDW's in 275/35/18's on my street wheels...I'm also lowered on JIC 2's, so I don't have much of a fender gap. One downside was the road noise of the 35 series - but if they'll be your track/AutoX tires, probably doesn't matter.

*I've adjusted my hieght and it's kinda a pain to do it on the rear b/c the height adjustment is on the spring perch (assuming that you'll get a coilover with the same design as OE)...in all it takes about an hour. I'm usually so busy doing other stuff for Track/AutoX events, that I try to limit what I need to do to get the car prep'd.

 

Ahhh, the dilemma of looks vs. performance. Usually, they don't go together.

If they're strictly for autocross, who cares what they look like?

 

If you are more concerned with how it looks then how its going to perform, maybe you should reconsider racing. You will just be hurting your overall performance in the end.

 

Can you give me facts stating that going with a 40 series vs 35 series seriously affects performance? I sure would like to know from a pro racer like you.

 

LOL

Who cares about fender gap if they are faster than the hoosiers...

 

How about from a multi-time regional champion (and a National Tour trophy winner)?

Looks will rarely equate to better performance. In fact, the only real reason for the car to look good is for the sponsor, not the driver.

40-series tires have more sidewall than 35-series tires. More sidewall = more sidewall flex. That means that there will be a larger angle difference between the tread and wheel (ie. slip angle). Is that good enough? No? OK, how about this: the larger the angle difference, the longer it takes for the tire to reach its maximum slip angle, which means the longer it takes to turn the car -- and the more you have to turn the wheel to affect the direction of the tire. For, it is the tire that actually turns the car, not the wheels -- since they are the ONLY part of the car that is actually in contact with the ground.

 

For the same width tire, a 35 series tire is "shorter" (smaller diameter). A smaller diameter tire gives you a effective lower gear ratio allowing you to accelerate faster at the expense of top speed. A smaller diameter tire brings its weight closer to the rotational axis giving it a lower angular momentum. That translates to a lower rotational inertia which is easier to spin up - hence quicker acceleration.

Sorry, but I'm not a pro racer. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn last week.

 

Makes you wonder why they don't go for the wider and shorter 285-30-18. Not that size will matter if you are on a slower tire.

 

too funny!

 

Z-U-Later... Go for the 35 series tire. better performance, better acceleration, and a LOT more choices of tire. 265/35/18 is one of the most popular tire sizes.

Also, if you want the car to look pretty on them, lower the car

Tony(runs 265/35/18 on all 4 corners)

 

Yeah, yeah, don't state the obvious . . . I'm well aware what you posted. Tell me some hard facts, like "Well, I know for a fact that we have more National Champions driving on 35 series tires than 40 series tires." And like another poster stated, if 35 series is faster than 40 series, why not go one step better and get 30 series tires, so you can go even faster. Which is the same argument on going with 17s vs 18s.

OP, I guess based on the "expert" opinion here, you should have bought 35 series tires since they're faster than the 40 series tires you just bought.

 

Hey Tony, I thought about that but can you put 265s on the 18x8 front Track rims I'm buying from you? I know it'll fit on the 18x8.5 rears but not sure about the 18x8. Although I have seen 275s on 17x8s before . . .

 

That would be impossible, there are no 350Z national champion autocrossers. However the 2nd place 350Z at natls was on 285-30-18s.