Umrswimr

Does anyone have experience running both of these tires? How would you say they compare, performance-wise in an autocross? The VR's come in the "proper" sizes for me, the 700's would be a tight fit (335/17) and I can't seem to get a straight answer from the corvetteforum as to whether they'll fit without spacers.

Anybody care to comment on these two?

in2twins

What size rear rims are you running? Your terminology is a little off. The .two tires are the V700 victoracer, and the V700 ecsta. Most people prefer the Victoracer, as the ecsta has a tendency to chunk unless shaved. You do not have to shave the Victoracer, so more tire for your money. There is a third tire, which may let you go a little larger in the front. That is the V710. Check the tire rack for specs. That tire is the fastest DOT tire(and the most consitent/easiest to drive) Available. Cost is ~10-30.00 more than the Ecsta. The one question on these is how long they will last rel world, as Kumho say that they wil be extremely fast for "a typical race weekend"(road race). I suspect that they will last well for Autocross, and I will be running them on my Single turbo Supra this year. Size wise, I cannot help you, but unless you are running 12" or wider rims you should stay with the 315 anyway. Hope that helps, Carl Byck

redrotorR1

Umrswimr, for your application, you can run both the Victoracers up front and the Ecsta V700's on the rear. I know that is the combo that the Naykid Racing team uses with great success. Between the two, there is a slight difference. The Ecsta V700's are marginally faster, but, as Carl pointed out, need to be shaved. The tread compound used in the Ecsta tends to chunk if you run them at full tread. On the flip side of that, they make great rain tires .... but, I take it that you'll be wanting to make these your full time race tires. The Victoracer is a great bargain R-compound. They last a long time and are pretty sticky for the price.

The new Kumho V710 is so far testing very fast. It is not necessarily the fastest DOT-R tire though. Hoosier has a new DOT-R out ... the A3SO4, which is supposedly faster than the old A3SO3. If this is your first foray into the world of R-compound tires, I'd recommend sticking with the Victoracer and then trying new stuff once you're able to effectively push the limit on DOT-R's. FWIW, you shouldn't need 335's unless you're putting down massive amounts of power.

Umrswimr

The 710 is supposed to be a much better performer but it's not supposed to last nearly as long as the old 700's... Not to mention they're $40 a tire more expensive.
Which is why I was limiting myself to the 700 line. According to the folks on Corvetteforum (who did all the pre-release Corvette testing for Kumho), the 710 is about .5 faster than the 700, but the treadwear rating will only make it about 4-5 events before they're completely gone. I need something that will last a whole season as I'm not rich. Yet.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=720031

Are you sure you don't have to shave the VR? Tirerack offers a "shaved" option for both the Ecsta and the VR.

Wheels are 9.5x17 and 11x17" (Grandsport wheels).

Umrswimr

Actually, I would have to run it the other way around- Ecsta's in the front, VR's in the rear They don't make a 315/17 Ecsta.
I guess that would give me a little more oversteer in this configuration?

redrotorR1

Depends on what's more important to you. 0.5 seconds on an auto-x course is an ASSLOAD of time. Tires are the biggest time improver (other than the driver) .... so what's your priority? Faster times or longer treadwear?

BTW, I thought you were trying to run 315's up front. Which you could still do ... it just be awfully tight on that 9.5" rim.

Umrswimr

Indeed it is. But an extra $900 a season is an assload of money, too.
I'm trying to run 275's up front, not 315's- that wouldn't fit very well on my 9.5" rim. I want to run 275's up front, 315 or 335 in the rear. 315's if I go with the Ecsta 710's or 700VR's, 335 if I decide to go with the Ecsta 700's. I'm just not sure a 335 rear will fit properly on my 11" rim and not rub (the rubbing part I know you guys can't help me with).
It all comes down to the performance difference between the 700VR and the 700Ecsta. If it's significant, I'll buy the 335 Ecsta and *make* 'em fit. If it's not significant, I'll run the VR in the proper 315 size.

DamonB

I've been running full tread Victoracers with no problems and getting very good life. I have not run the Ecsta V700 but here's the feedback I get from people smarter then me: The Ecsta appears to like lightweight cars better. Heavier cars tend to heat the tire and make it greasy. Lightweight car = Miata; heavy car = Corvette. This also makes sense with what Carl says because a shaved tire will hold less heat in the tread.

For now I'm sticking with the Victoracer, but I will be investigating the new Ecsta 710 closely. If its life is too short I too will probably stick with the V700.

The way I look at it is that I can probably go faster on the Hoosier or some other stickier tire, but in the scheme of things those fractions of seconds are not going to move me up in the standings. I will be quicker, but not quick enough to outrun the well driven Z06 cars. I already beat the slower Z06's, but I'm going to need much more than a second or so to threaten the other drivers who are beating me. Therefore I'm not going to throw money at tires. If I was closer right now I would do it though.

Umrswimr

Thanks Damon... I was thinking the same thing with your last paragraph there- I'm not fully competative enough to really benefit from the advantage of the 710's or Hoosier AS03 or AS04 right now.... We'll see how long the 710 lasts and how much better it really is.

Looks like I'm pulling the trigger on the VR's. If it's good enough for Damon, it's good enough for me!