Got a question for the experienced road racers out there. I have an opportunity for some "scrub" tires.....used in other words...........but I just saw them all and they're all in great shape. These will go on stock rims on my FD, which I'll be driving at Sebring this Saturday.

I can buy them for $35 apiece or all 8 for $200. They're sort of mix and match and I'm wondering what I should do..........I'm sure I'll buy all 8.

225/50 x 16 Kumho Victoracer V700 - 2 each
245/45 x 16 " " " "
265/45 x 16 " " " "
225/50 x 16 Hoosier R3SO3 2 each

Right off the top, I was thinking I could put the 265 (rear) and 245 (front) Kumho's together as a set. On tirerack it says the rim width range for the Kumho 265's is 8 - 10 inches so I guess I'll be OK there. Then a question will be is it OK/Safe to put together, as another set, all the remaining 225's, considering I would be mixing Kumho's and Hoosiers, and they obviously have different characteristics. If that's not safe, I could always suck it up and buy matching Kumho's and Hoosiers for a total of three sets.

Thanks in advance for all the sage advice.

David

 

The 265's won't fit. It rubs. Badly. I'm always going to advocate for the wider tire, so I'd definitely get the 245/45's. The 225/50 are probably a good deal, but it might be weird with Hoosiers on the front and Kumho on the rear (or vice versa). The Hoosiers are likely done or very near done. But there's the question ... when you saw these tires, how good of condition are they in? Is the fake tread still there? Did you get to touch them ... tacky at all or just hard?

 

Yeah, I saw and touched all of them, and they're not really hard at all.

Where do the 265's rub, the shocks, inner fender wells, or what?

Also, the Hoosiers has plenty of tread, seemed like the fake tread lines were like 1/8" deep.

Thanks.

dp

 

I'd try to stay with the same tire brand fr/rr. Hoosier 265s should not rub in back, unless it's the trailing arm that's rubbing the tire?

 

I would never mix and match two different manufacturer's race tires. The compounds are different and so their grip as the tire heats will be different as well as their sidewall stiffness and therefore "feel". I wouldn't want anything upsetting the balance of my car but me

Given your choices I would go Kumho 225/50 on the front and Kumho 245/45 on the rear (but preferably wouldn't mix those sizes unless I had much more than stock horsepower). You're not going to make the car a handfull this way, but depending on your suspension you may push.

 

New Hoosiers have a fake tread pattern on the entire surface (not just the two grooves). Sounds like they're pretty worn and probably heat-cycled a bit. Before you hand over any money, I would dig a fingernail into the Hoosiers and see if you get that gummy feeling.


Yup. Trailing arm no likey 16" WIDE tires.


Eh. You can dial that out with some stiffer rear rebound. Wider tires better!

 

I don't see anything in his mod list that will allow him to do that...

 

Errr ... yeah. Hmmm. Might be a bit difficult to do that with non-adjustable shocks.

Good eye, there, Mr. B.

 

Don't mix tire brands on the track. Ever.

 

I wouldn't ever use drift tires/used tires on a track.

 

wait, so you buy new tires for each outing???

Nothing wrong with buying used tires, as long as you know they haven't had a lot of heat cycles, haven't sat outside, and have plenty of meat left.

Definitely don't mix/match brands though

PaulC