Circuit Semi Slicks

[admS15]

Thanks for that. I'm tempted to buy a set and store them until my current tyres finish up. Hmm....

[Kinkstaah]

With reviews and prices like that, time to hunt for some track day rims..

[260DET]

Geez, this thread needs a bump to keep up with what's happening on the semi slick club race scene. OK I'm bitching, a set of new Hankook 214 SOFT worked great at Challenge Bathurst 2016 but that was it, plenty of tread left but zero grip, wheelspin in top gear, no grip whatsoever at Morgan park a few months later. So I'm thinking mediums instead for this year's Challenge but the price has gone up of course no doubt as a result of  their club popularity transferring to the propretend (TV exposure) lot. What was once a budget buy is now a greed grab in price, I'm looking elsewhere.       

[Hadouken]

I think the normal tyre thread has swallowed some of the circuit tyre chat.
As far slicks go though, there isn't much choice in the budget range.

[sweefu]

I just picked up a set of 245/40r17 Kumho V70A in the K60 (medium) compound. 

I'll be trying them out at a tarmac rally next month. I think this tyre was more popular a few years ago. Although it's been manufactured quite recently (my set have a July 2016 manufacture date) it seems like they aren't as popular as the Toyos, Hankooks and Advans etc.

From what I can see they should be a good medium budget tyre, my set cost $1100 all up, but the other brands were more like $1600 - $1800 a set. 

[Duncan]

V70A used to be our control tyre, I used to run the mediums and found them the best of the mid priced tyres.

of course then the hankooks came along at mid price and blew away even the most expensive ones which turned the market upside down for a while.  I haven't priced them lately but per Richard's post, if they have got expensive that may make v70a a good choice again.

One surprising thing about the v70a, they like really high pressures. Like 40-45 hot high. 

[sweefu]

20 minutes ago, Duncan said:

V70A used to be our control tyre, I used to run the mediums and found them the best of the mid priced tyres.

of course then the hankooks came along at mid price and blew away even the most expensive ones which turned the market upside down for a while.  I haven't priced them lately but per Richard's post, if they have got expensive that may make v70a a good choice again.

One surprising thing about the v70a, they like really high pressures. Like 40-45 hot high. 

Thanks very much for the feedback Duncan and recommendation about the higher pressure. 

I originally wanted the Hankooks but could only find them for $1800/set, so the Kumhos seemed like excellent value. 

Have you ever used them in damp conditions? The event I am using them in (Snowy River Sprint, Lakes Entrance VIC) is sometimes damp. 

Cheers. 

[260DET]

Good to see some input, there are quite a few tyres around described as semi slicks but which have road tyre type tread so that excludes them. Nitto NT01's  have their fans as do the new R888's .                                                                                                                .

[260DET]

miss take

Edited August 16, 2017 by 260DET

[Duncan]

Well from my point of view the hankooks at 1800 a set are still a better buy than the dunlops or yokos are 2500 a set since they perform better. They were are no brainer for the performance they gave at the old pricing but if you want to be at the front of a competition you would still have to buy them at whatever price since they are the best tyre.

But now the pricing has shifted I guess it is worth looking again at the 888, v70a etc for general/club use where price is more important than outright speed. The 888 used to be poor under heavy cars like GTRs but I'm interested to see results if they have changed them recently.

[260DET]

Bathurst in November will be my last run on 17" tyres so I'm a bit price sensitive having to buy a new set for only that event. With the Hankooks it looks like the price has gone up due to demand not to production cost, it's a bit annoying because it's always the club blokes looking for a bargain that first try out new tyres and so establish their reputation or not. Oh well, I'm going to try out a newbie and see how they go and keep quiet if they are good, stuff it

[Hadouken]

Nankangs

[hrd-hr30]

Richard, I don't think anything has really changed in the semi slick landscape since you asked the same questions last year, other than the R888R which are still a bit of an unknown quantity. I haven't seen any decent cars try them or heard any reviews. Price of every tyre has crept up a bit. Just go back a page or two and the advice is all still relevant, including the warnings about Hankook Softs giving up the ghost after not many heat cycles, and way before the tread wears out... the Mediums cycle well.

I've had the Nankangs on the Soarer for just over a year now. Wearing well and heat cycle well, although I have only used them twice since buying another car at the start of the year, they're still getting PBs when I dust the big Soarer off for a run. I also bought a set for my other car that I've mainly been using this year. Definitely the pick of the budget semis. 1.09sec faster than NT01 at Lakeside on the Soarer, and they're cheaper. Or compared to arguably the fastest semi available, Hankook Z221 C70 Soft, the Nankang is just 0.27 slower at Lakeside, for half the price. More sizes available than when they first came out too.

Edited August 24, 2017 by hrd-hr30

[260DET]

With you Harry, going with a set of the Nankangs. Pissed off with the advice I got, or did not get, about the soft Hankooks from the Q distributor. From what I know now for a track like Bathurst mediums are the go, they just take a bit more time to heat up but cycle way better than the softs which is irrelevant when you are doing 20 minute sessions.

[Hadouken]

@hrd-hr30

What pressures did you run in the nankangs?

[260DET]

25psi cold is my default starting pressure for semi slicks.

[hrd-hr30]

it depends on the car - weight, amount of camber, balance etc. 

in my 1530kg rwd Soarer 32psi hot all round

in my 1080kg fwd Levin  30 hot front, 34 hot rear. 

 

[hrd-hr30]

mistake above. Levin's normal pressures were 32F 36R according to my notebook.

I did another hillclimb on the weekend with it and tried lower pressures 28F 32R. It had heaps more tyre squeal and heaps more understeer. Ran 50.72, 50.79 and 50.69 like that. Pumped then back up to 32F 36R and was instantly back to the normal  sort of times with a 50.06, much less squealing and noticeably improved grip. Ran them 2psi higher on Sunday and they felt a little better again, set a new PB of 49.92.

Based on that, I'm going to try the a bit more pressure in the Soarer next time too.

[dkbcleaner]

Hey guys, ive got a set of z221 for the gtt which ill be running at winton this weekend. What is the recommended tyre pressures cold and hot for these tyres?

[Duncan]

32-34 hot.....most people prefer the lower end of the range.

cold is too hard to guess, depends on track, car and driver.  If you have no idea where to start set them to 28, do 3 hard laps, come into the pits hot and let them down to 32