2009: Kumho vs. Hankook vs. Hoosier vs. BFG... fight!

Ron Cortez is the best tire guy on earth!!! I'd trust him on his datas on the Hankooks. I would probably go with the Hankooks based on what your requirements are (price/grip/durability).

One thing to consider though......considering how much money you've invested or will invest into the car, would you want to have that investment limited by your tire choice? It always helps me to put my mind frame on race weekends where I can recall instances where I wish I had spent a little more to get that little edge.

Ed Chang
SFR ITS GSRs
 
Anybody have experience with the Nitto NT01? They also offer a 225/45/15 and priced right. Plus you can get them from www.discounttire.com for free shipping. These tires seem to be popular in NASA and with the open track crowd. I seem to remember them doing well in a Grassroots Motorsports comparo.

The fact that Kumho doesn't offer a 225/45x15 to me would be a turn off if I needed and can use that tire size. I am not sure that it would be fair to compare the Kumho 205/50 to a 225 from the other manufacturers. That said, I would NEVER turn down really cheap or Free tires if it means I can get track time.

BTW I drive on Kumhos and like them. I can afford them and they drive predictably. I have beaten Hoosiers with them - twice last year at HPT.
 
Thanks Ed & others.

My car is nowhere near "built to the hilt" yet so I'm not overly concerned about being tire-limited, but it'd be nice to start out with tires I can grow into for the next couple of years.

Scott, I ran the Nitto NT-01s on my race-prepped Evo 8. Nice sticky durable tires, overall about the same level of grip as the Kumho Victoracers but a bit less "peaky" and more consistent performance throughout their life. A modest step up from the RA1s, I think. Rumor was that they have the same compound as the RA1 successor, i.e. what's called the R888 today. I ran a couple sets of Victoracers on my Evo and they had a nasty way of wearing very unevenly; shaving might have helped but then why not go for the V710s.

In brief, NT-01s are nice but not in the same league as the semi-slick DOTs.
 
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lateapex911 said:
I have zero experience with the kuhmo. Here's why:

They are slower than the Hoosier by all accounts.
They don't last as long as the Toyo, by most accounts.

So, they seem to be a compomise. And they offer(ed) decent contigency.
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all tires are a compromise jake, it's just a matter of where the mfg's want to make that compromise.

the last time i drove on hoosiers was maybe some R3S04s or 05s, so i can't really say from experience if the 710s are slower than the new hoosiers. i do think some clarification is needed here though....i would REALLY hesitate to say the hoosiers are faster than the v710 in a qualifying situation, and i think depending on driving style, car type, and car setup the V710 can be as fast as the hoosier at least for a while. there are plenty of AS guys who do actually choose the kumho and prefer it to the hoosier.

the toyo thing is all smoke and mirrors. in order to really get maximum performance out of the toyo you have to shave it down so far that it's only useful for a couple weekends, and even then it's an inferior tire to the other three in everything but initial cost.
 
The RS06 is an amazing tire. Great grip and much improved longevity over the earlier versions. 3 race weekends is very doable.

I say that knowing nothing about the Hankook, since our local vendor does not carry them and I heard supply is 'difficult" to say teh least. With a Hoosier, if I need one in a pinch, or if I need 4 in a pinch, I head over to the App Tire guys and get them. That simple. That's worth a lot to me, and something you (the OP) should consider when making a tire choice.

Andy, will the new Goodyear tire be available in 15" sizes?
 
Spin- I'm far from an expert, but I have always tied to aim for my colds to get me to an optimum hot pressure. I ran Kooks last year, but Hoosiers before that, and IIRC the gurus like Phil of Phils Tire Service recommended in the 38 hot vicinity. Different tracks required different starting pressures to get there, but 7-8 pounds build was typical.
 
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As Jake did, I ran my fastest laps on Hankooks. I even ran Hoosiers one weekend and Kooks the next. I found them to be much more consistant than the Hoosiers. A little more forgiving.

But they can be hard to find.......... *&%^$#@*!!
 
If you are learning as a driver I would reccomend just choosing a a consistant and inexpensive tire such as the TOYO. Stay with the same tire and develope your driving skill. Eventually, when you are driving to the limits of what the tire and car can handle, try some other makes of tire and feel for yourself the difference.
 
Kevin, thanks but that's missing the point. If I wanted cheap/consistent tires/car I would have stayed in Spec Piñata.

Of course I'm still learning as a driver. I'm always learning. Has anybody here stoppped learning? I've "learned" past the point where stickier tires are beneficial for me, really!

Anyway after I factor in the cost of shaving, they're not actually cheaper than the Kumhos or BFGs are for me as I can get the latter two at discounted prices.
 
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haha. ofcourse free tires are the best tires. LOL:D
But I run a 1990 Honda Civic Si in ITA, and Ive found the Kumho V710's to be a pretty damn good tire. Good performance for the price. I havent tried the Hoosier's (mainly cause im a kid, and im racing on a shoe string budget, so I dont want to spend more than i have to for tires)
Last year I used 205/50/15 V710's
This year im switching wheels and tires to 205/55/14. mainly cause the price of the 205/50/15 are a lot more than the 205/55/14.
But to any budget minded racer (and I think we all mostly are) The Kumho is the best bang for the buck (in my opinion):026:
 
lateapex911 said:
As far as contingencies, many companies make it hard to collect....not impossible, but they aren't looking to make it super easy. They get most of the press from offering the money, not from paying out. It's advertising for them.
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Kumho usually sends the Kuhmo bucks 2 weeks after I send in the results. They are good for 90 days. I'll call and order the tires from The Tire Rack and I'll send the Kuhmo bucks with the invoice number and they'll cedit my card. Didn't pay for tires last year. Only shipping. Looks like this year may be different with them lowering the payout.
 
earlier in the year i could not use the hankooks. they would plow. when we got the set up better is when i was able to use the hankooks. the hoosiers seem to let you get away with poor setups.
at the last race of the year i ran hoosiers on saturday and hankooks on sunday.
my fastest lap was on the hoosier by 4 tenths. both tires hung with me throughout the 45 minute race.
 
Bang for the buck won't usually get you into the winner's circle. I'd say get the best you can. With proper tire management, it will all be worth while in the end.
 
Unless you are running at the very front, who cares if one tires is a couple tenths faster then another. If you are a full second behind the leader is the extra $200 a set worth it. i think economics and consistancy are more important, unless you are at the front.
 
vtluu said:
If it makes me a second faster, then yes. :D

If only it was that clear-cut a decision. Thanks everybody for all the helpful replies!
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Actually, aside from my Goodyear preference and pending 2009 availability, it is.

If you wanna go fast, it's Hooiser. If you want to compromise, then compromise and be fine with it - and go with the Toyo RA1.
 
check out the BFG R1s, they are fast and last a long time.

I have one (brand new) that i am looking to get rid of because of spec tire issues.

We found them to be 2.5 seconds faster on a Honda challenge H1 car at thunderhill with the by pass, versus a toyo RA1. That is out of the box running the same everything as the RA1s. And the data was showing that the tires would preform better with a setup more suited to them.

I know of one SFR SCCA ITA car that made the jump from Hoosiers to hankooks, because they were faster.
 
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