Tire contingency

[mattbatson4570]

I went to the Kumho site and the contingency info is a couple of years old.
I had meant to put all the stickers on my car and send a photo in, buy some 710's and enjoy the contingency money for 2008, but I never got my stuff together with the move and all.

However, now I am prepared to buy my next set of tires and I find myself wondering if Kumho will be running the same great program this year (in IT it was 300 for first, 200 for second, 100 for third). I could have a free set of tires a year with this plan. With the economy and car manufacturers pulling out of auto shows, I wasnt sure if 2009 would be the same.

If they arent, I'll be buying up the last remaining RA-1's as they have served me very well.

Anybody know?

[CCARVER]

I would like to know also as we have a double in Jan we plan to attend.
Carver

[erlrich]

Don't know about Kumho, but I would look at Hankook's program as well. $400/1st, $300/2nd, $200/3rd with min of 5 starters... and better tires to boot.

[tnord]

... and better tires to boot.

that's debateable.

the Kumho contingency forms say like 2005 on them, but i used them in 2007. not sure what the program will be in 2009. if they cancel it, i'll switch to Hankook or Hoosier, and i'll have 5 205/50/15 V710s for sale.

[mattbatson4570]

those are big money numbers put up by Hankook!
And with my move here to Florida, we almost always get 5 or more ITB cars.

How do the Hankooks stand up to the kumho and RA-1? I'm very familiar with the RA-1...
I'm downloading the Hankook contingency form and filling it out.
Is there a contact guy for the southeast?

[erlrich]

that's debateable.

I know - just wanted to see if I could stir up some shit

How do the Hankooks stand up to the kumho and RA-1? I'm very familiar with the RA-1...

As far as comparisons go, I think a lot of it is subjective, but I think there is nearly universal agreement that both the Hankooks and Kumhos are significantly faster than the Toyos. I've used all three, and liked the level of grip with both the V710s and the Z214s. I just had some problems with the Kumhos falling apart (they've probably fixed that problem by now?) so I will stick with the Hankooks. And they seem to stay fast for quite a few heat cycles - I commented to Chris Perera last year after setting my personal best lap time on a set of well-used Hankooks about how impressed I was with them, and he noted that when he had set the new ITA track record the year before he was on 8 heat-cycle Hankooks at the time. The Toyos are known to last forever, but you pay for it in terms of grip.

[mattbatson4570]

excellent, thanks so much for the info. Sounds like the Hankooks are a no-brainer for me.
Good tire life, good grip, and possibly free if I place well enough.
Looks like the contingency form is much like the Kumho. Get the decals and tires on your car, take photos and send in along with necessary forms, and then place in the top three

Looking to order a set now.

thx again

OH, quick question...which compound would you run for a light FWD ITB car? the 70 or 51?

[tnord]

in the past, hankook's have been super fast on their first couple cycles, and then continually fall off. i've found the V710 to be an awesome qualifying tire, but in the Kansas August heat, after about 3 or 4 laps they start to get slimy. they're both good and bad for different reasons.

hankook also has some supply issues.

[erlrich]

Oh, and I did forget to mention the one problem with the Hankooks - supply. They are notorious for being slow getting the new tires to the dealers in time for the first races of the season, and seem to be out-of-stock quite often. If you can find your size in stock, however, you should be good to go. As far as suppliers, Appalachian Tire is an excellent choice in the SE, and Phil's Tire Service has a great reputation in the NE.

[jay05]

Emailed Rudy a Kumho. He said there will be a contingency for '09. Contact him. I'm sure he can forward you the proper forms.

[mattbatson4570]

Emailed Rudy a Kumho. He said there will be a contingency for '09. Contact him. I'm sure he can forward you the proper forms.

Well, I suppose Hankook might be the better one to go with as the money is better?
Seems the tires are pretty equal in most respects....

[mattbatson4570]

scratch that...looks like the Hankook 205/55-14's in both compounds are on national backorder.

Kumho it is

[GBugg]

OK... dumb noob question to follow....

How do Hankook and/or Kummo compare to Hoosier?

[JLawton]

OK... dumb noob question to follow....

How do Hankook and/or Kummo compare to Hoosier?

I've run the Hankook and Hoosiers in back to back weekends. I found the Hankooks much more consistant over the length of the race and aren't as quick to let go. I could feel the Hankooks start to give and could correct where I felt the Hoosiers gave very little warning. I seemed to have an easier time dialing in the set up with the Hankooks too.

Oh, and I've done all my fastests times on Hankooks.

However, the supply issue may be their downfall. You would think after three seasons of this they would have figured it out. If I took that long to get it right in my job I would have been fired a long time ago!!

[Gary L]

Jeff - Good info, thanks! What sort of optimum pressure differences (if any) did you see, Hankook vs Hoosier?

[Sandro]

Just an FYI for the regions that aren't blessed with healthy class counts(like me)

Hankook only pays more if their are 5 or more starters

If their are 3 or 4 starters Kumho pays more

[GBugg]

Just an FYI for the regions that aren't

Hankook only pays more if their are 5 or more starters

The Hankook contingency form says $H150 for the win with 3 starters. 200/100/50 for 4 starters and 400/300/200 for 5 starters.

[Sandro]

This is for 1st place

Starters....Hankook.... Kumho
......5 .........$400........ $300
......4..........$200.........$300
......3..........$150.........$200

[Rabbit07]

The word on the street is that Rudy is leaving Kumho and that even the Contract Drivers are up in the air right now.

[JLawton]

Jeff - Good info, thanks! What sort of optimum pressure differences (if any) did you see, Hankook vs Hoosier?

I ran about the same pressure. Unfortunately I rarely had anyone to check my pressures on the hankooks so in that regard I can't say if I had them at the optimum. I'll try to dig out my notes when I get home.

If all the finaincial stuff was the same, I would still take the Hankooks over the Hoosiers.