Kumho V710 for Trackday use; a waste?
 

still planning out my R-comp tire purchase for later this year. As w/ many of you, I enjoy doing both AutoX as well as HPDEs. probably 8-10/year and 3/year, respectively. last year I had the Dunlop SSRs on my Audi, nice all around performer but certainly not the quickest available.

With everyone agreeing that the V710 is pretty much the tire to have in Solo ( B Stock, at least), are they so soft that I would be wasting them by using them also at track days?? (assuming I'm not doing Time Attack, only untimed HPDEs)

for those who've used the V710s in both autoX/track , how many total events did they last?

TIA
Gulaman

Lots of guys road race on them. V710 cars had the pole a in T1 and T2 at the runoffs.

My buddy runs them on his big fat T2 Firebird and zero problems with them. I will say he does not worry about how long they last, as with all the top level guys they are on new stuff every weekend.

I would say Autox them first, then as they start to fall off after about 50-60 runs, use that set for track days and get a new autox set.

they fall off after only 50-60 runs, eh? how abruptly?? that's only about 7 autoX days, counting fun runs; not even a full season. if that's the case I definitely wouldn't track them early on, as you suggest.
my '06 track days are looking more and more like a good place to thrash the OEM Dunlops :-)

Its not bad... I would say after 50-60 runs they are about as fast as the older Kumho Ecsta and Victoracer. I have run them up to 100 runs and they still have grip. I think the 100 run tires were about 1 sec slower than brand new.

V710 is apparently a great track day tire too- excellent wear and we all know about the grip. i sold a set with 90+ runs off my autocross car that was just to the wear bars to a guy that has used them for a number of track days.

they start to get very gradually slower after 50 runs. not at all like the hoosiers that just up and die at 60 runs.

amazing tire.

james

they overheat on a 1 minute autox ... might be Ok for a few pole qualifying laps but I don't see how they won't burn up on the track unless you take it easy most of the time

Good enough for 2nd place in T1 at the run-offs on a very heavy high powered Viper.

>they overheat on a 1 minute autox

kumho intended the V710 for track use as well as autocross.

but you bring up something i havent understood. the heat range for track tires (the victoracer or the V700 i cant remember) was listed as 160-200 degrees. but my experience was for autocross they were overheated at much lower temps.

i dont know the published heat range for the V710, but i know the window for autocross is about 90 to 130 degrees. i am sure the track temps are higher than that.

so do they get stickier again at higher temps? is this generally true of dot-r tires?

james

Keep in mind road course and autox are two very different things. Most people way over drive an autox run. From start to finish the tire is pushed to the limit and beyond for 60 secs.
A road course may only have 8-12 turns over the course of a min and you have a long strait which gives the tires a brake. Any road racer that wants to finish and stay on track wont run the car the way we do at an autox.

true, good points

that still doesnt answer the temperature question. if kumho says the temp range for a tire on the track is 160-200 degrees, then why are my max temps so much lower?

i dont know the published track heat range for the v710, but i am sure they run at hotter than the 130 that i max out at in autox. i prefer to start a run below 110.

this is with a probe-type tire pyrometer.

james

FYI, there are some inexpensive Road Race Hoosier tires available here:

http://rsracing.com/rscatalog/asppages/rt-discount.asp

Just in the 225/40/18 size, but there are 285's if you have a wider rim.

It is a small but good tire outlet.