hey guys, i'm looking for a good r-comp for auto-x. i'm wanting to keep costs low, so i have these two in mind:
kumho ecsta v710 - 245/40/17 - $177 each
nitto nt01 - 245/45/17 - $146 each.

my question is if the nt01 will perform as well as (or close to) the v710. i've heard the nt01 is more oriented toward road courses and not so much the low speeds of auto-x. is this true? does anyone have experience auto-xing on the nt01?

anyway, fill me in with some knowledge. i need it. and if you know of any other cost-effective r-comp, please tell me!!

 

Can't say much about the Nitto as we do not carry them. The V710 is a great tire for the $. Probably the closest to a Hoosier w/out paying Hoosier or Michelin prices. There are two shoulder designs, square and rounded. The size you mentioned has a square shoulder. Not sure why Kumho has done that but we haven't seen much difference in handling between them.

 

I ran the V700s for a race last year.

I am running the NT01s this season for a few AX, mostly shifting over the HPDE/TT. First race on them is next Saturday. I will do a review on them soon after that.

 

saturday the 1st, or the 8th? my next race is the 8th, so i was hoping to get these figured out before then. lol. oh well, one more race on my old tires won't kill me. but yeah, definitely post up how they do in auto-x. i'm very interested to find out.

 

May 8th Will do!

 

Once you get the V710 warmed up a bit they have much more grip than the NT01.

 

The v710 has more grip, but it is not cost effective for road courses. I ran that size this spring (245/40/17). I got only about 35 min of driving from stickers to cords.

d

 

For autox, either go with the Kumho V710 or Hoosier A6. The new Hankook might be good as well, but I haven't checked the SCCA forums for feedback on it. (No one I know runs them.)

These are both autox compounds and are not intended for time attack or road racing.

 

Sorry to go offtopic... Is there something "new" about the z214?

d

 

I don't know of anything new about the z214, but he might mean the C91 compound, which is hard to come by as I understand it. Most of the RTA super modified and unlimited teams run on these.

The best r-compound you can get for autox would be the Hoosier A6, hands down. Look at the nationals results. The Kumho v710 (which I have) is a way better bang for the buck, though. The Hoosier and Kumho run roughly the same price +/- $30 (dependent upon size), IIRC, but the Kumho lasts much longer.

 

so would the nt01 be detrimental to have in auto-x, or would it still be a decent tire? (as in head and shoulders above a summer compound)

 

i run BFG R1's 225/45/17's and 245/40/18's

 

Nah, I have seem people use them for years. Are they a HPDE tire - yes. I think they will be more like the V700s I ran. Not as sticky as the V710s but will last me a lot longer and they will be better on the track. Running the A6s on the track is crazy. They wear very fast there.

There was an article somewhere comparing the NT01 to a bunch of tires. I just remember the NT01 finishing only .5s behind the others. Maybe it was GrassRoots....ah, should have scanned it.

EDIT: GRM, but a I cant find the article.

 

i'll see what i can find in the grassroots mags i got here