Any suggestions? the R1's are cheaper than the A6's or the Z214's. What do you guys that autox prefer? I know the A6's are ideal but theyre just really pricey. anybody know which of the three will last the longest (with proper heat cycling)?. thanks for the advice.

 

Hoosier A6's or Kuhmo V710's are the main 2 for autoX...those are what the Natioanl Champs drives on.

From researching
-Hooisers last around 50 runs until they cord, but have good grip throughout the whole time
-Kuhmo's will last longer (rubber wise)l, but will start to loose grip before cording.

I had Hankook's last yr (275/17's) and loved them. I got 100+ runs on them, and still use them for practice days (maybe 25% tread left)...they lost grip (compared to new) around 60-75 runs.

 

yeah I forgot to put the V710's up. you have over 100 runs on the Z214's though? I doubt i'll complain about losing a little grip (its still an r-compound slick 0_o) if I get over 100 runs on em.

 

V710s are where its at

 

Kumho. Grip and longevity.

Hoosiers will cord early on camber challenged cars - 350Z - in 20-25 runs then they have to be flipped to get another 25. Wasted money trying A5 and A6s. After that Hoosier Tom said it was the car and not the Hoosiers. Hmmm.... But the 285 Kuhmo wrapped on a 8" wheel let's you get 100 - 120 runs before you start peeling the rubber off the threads.

I run 50-60 runs at events that are important to me and then use them for regional and practice until 100 or more. You need two sets of race wheels to make this convienent.

 

well I'm not hoping to be REAL competitive...I'm running 4.08 gears which puts me in SM2 lol...little outgunned...just a lil...

 

then FWIW, the Hankooks are still going strong -

2007 - 88 autoX runs, 100+ miles (once they were 'dead'...but like you said, a 'dead' R-comp is still an R-comp!)

2008 - I've been driving them on the streets to/from the practice autoX's (only 8 runs so far this yr, but over 300 miles on the freeway), and they hold up fine (R-comps on the street ...assuming no rain or snow ).

 

Hankook Z211s are road course tires, which is the main reason they last longer than typical autocross tires. Having said that, I bought these tires for that specific reason. For local autocross events, it is much more cost effective to use road course tires. If you're competing at the National level, go with the softer autocross-specific r-compounds.

 

I was wondering about that. I was thinking about going with BFG R1's so I could run modified class at redline, keep up with SM2's locally and still get at least 2 1/2 seasons out of em.

 

Once you're ready for a set of r-compounds, I suggest start with a used set first. Depending on the size, most new r-compounds will set you back ~$200-$300 per tire. You can get a used set shipped for ~$300. Contact John Berget -- he is a re-seller of used race tires. His website is below:

http://www.jbracingtires.net/

 

Hankook Ventus R214's come in 3 different compounds...I had the C70 compound, which is their softest and more suited for autoX. (this may have changed in the last yr or so)

 

thanks for the link z-u-later. I've been looking for a way to skip 260 a tire for R-compounds that'll last me 2 seasons at best lol >.<

 

The Z211s also came in 3 compounds with C50 being the hardest. Frisby Tire is clearing out the last of Z211s in C50 compound. I got a set of 285/30-18s for $156 per tire.

The new autocross Z214 compound is C71.

 

wait...are they still selling tires at that price!?


if I give ya 700 bucks will you buy another set of 285/30-18 Z211 C50's and ship em to me? lol

 

Call them and ask if they still have any available: http://www.frisbyracetire.com/

 

I got a set of 245/35-18 Hankook Z214s, C71 compound because of price and availability. Kumhos were out of stock for 245s and these are meant for regional competition so I didn't want to pay for 285s.

I ran my first time on them this weekend. The grip was surprising and I don't think I ever got them sliding since there was no sound of slipping. The soft compound is really soft, more like the slicks that the C mods run. They pick up rubber off the course and stones stick in them deep.

Ended up 3rd in raw time behind SS and CSP which seems pretty good.

If the grip stays good and wear is reasonable, I'll probably get another set.

 

glad to hear you liked them. +1 on how soft they are - I always tried to clean them off after each event, and was getting tired of how deep the rocks get burried into the rubber!

I overheated them at 1 event and noticed that i had a decent amount of "rubber migration" (I had forgotten my water bucket)...that extra rubber came off at the next event, but I was much more mindful of brining my water sprayer.

FWIW, I just ran on the same tires at a local event (was too lazy to put the trailer on, so I ran the Hankook's from last yr)...they're still lasting well and have decent grip - I really enjoy having a set of older R-comps that can be used for practice!

 

The course was over a mile long and times were in excess of 100 seconds. I finally got to 98.8 on my 5th run. We got the Hankooks real hot with 2 drivers by the 4th run. We had a break for timing and I drenched the tires. Unlike my experience with Kumhos, they cooled off and gripped better for our last runs. Now I really liked that!