Smokies event # 3

[steverife]

You are forgetting the Kuhmo v720!

Nope. Might work for John, but I'm not going to recommend a tire with a delamination reputation.

[TedV]

I've read that the Khumo v720 is a good compromise ... Kind of shows how arbitrary treadwear ratings can be.

This!! That's what the people who have been racing, dealing with tires for years tries to tell everyone..

There are reports of the V720 delaminating like a lot of Kumho tires have in the past. Strips of rubber peal off leaving smooth lower layers of rubber below. When I was at Appalachian we were a Kumho dealer for a while. We had tires on the semi delam... It's not a race tire problem. Appalachian quit carrying Kumho.

I honestly wanted the RE71's but they have been out of stock in the size I needed so opted for the Kumho to be cheap. Tire rack folks said they would work with me if a tire delams.

[jcox07]

Got my fastest run finally
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_ADM51KVA4

[John Brown]

I just LOL at folks worried about a tire de-laminating during auto crossing.. or street usage.

Its not even in the same universe as the rigors of Road Racing..

but, the less that use them.. increases the chances that I wont have to wait on my NEW set after every win or second place finish at National Events..

[steverife]

I just LOL at folks worried about a tire de-laminating during auto crossing.. or street usage.

Its not even in the same universe as the rigors of Road Racing..

but, the less that use them.. increases the chances that I wont have to wait on my NEW set after every win or second place finish at National Events..

I'd run them on my car and wouldn't worry because it is a light low powered car and I'm not going to burn my tires off. If the 'stones don't come soon, I may order some.

...but I've seen picks from a few different high hp FWD autocross cars that had the delamination issues.

[TedV]

I just LOL at folks worried about a tire de-laminating during auto crossing.. or street usage.

Its not even in the same universe as the rigors of Road Racing..

Exactly why I wouldn't run em on a track. The street tires come apart on the street and autocross just kind of pisses you off. I just hope the belts don't explode from the front weight of the rallypig. I've had Kumhos years ago where the belts exploded, metal wires sticking out like a furry porcupine,.. Oh, remember when Kumho DOT race tires didn't meet the DOT specs and got pulled from eligible to run list? Yet, after all that I picked Kumho over BFG. Maybe I'll tell y'all what I think of BFG some day.

[Teufelshund]

You should also look at Hankook RS3'S. Not as good as the RE71R'S for autocross, but I think they last longer and they're still a very solid autocross tire

[lcoleman]

You guys worried about delamination should try some Federal tires. Now those are scary...

[JohnSmith]

The Rival S is good for big cars because it comes in big sizes, unlike the RE71R. The Kumho V720 seems to be a very good tire. Besides John Brown in STS, John Smith uses them on his STR Miata and is doing pretty well. He should do even better when he finishes sorting the car and tuning the engine.

I can confirm that the V720 is not a terrible tire Compared to the original Rivals I had last year it seems to have shaved seconds off my times...

[Scoob]

Unless you try to run it on the track...

[dewittpayne]

Jon Nwanagu is running 295/25/19 Kumho V720 tires on his very fast FS Mustang. That's on 9 inch rims so the tires are obviously pinched. I asked him about delamination. His reply was that it was a result of running the tire pressure too high. He says that you don't want to go over about 30 psi. Interestingly enough, that's the pressure I run on my 315/30/15 BFG Rival S front tires, as does Sam Strano on his AS Corvette.

[Chuck629]

The Rival S is good for big cars because it comes in big sizes, unlike the RE71R. The Kumho V720 seems to be a very good tire. Besides John Brown in STS, John Smith uses them on his STR Miata and is doing pretty well. He should do even better when he finishes sorting the car and tuning the engine.

I can confirm that the V720 is not a terrible tire Compared to the original Rivals I had last year it seems to have shaved seconds off my times...

I was wondering about the wheel/tire setup on your car. Why the 17's in the back instead of 15's? Is it a 6 speed car and you wanted a taller tire to make 2nd more usable?

[thrdeye]

Kumho changed the marketing on their website for the V720 to say "bred for autocross" instead of "bred for the track". Seems that they know there's an issue.

I don't believe I'll be buying Kumhos any time soon. Never had a good experience with them anyway.

[dewittpayne]

RE-71R's may not delaminate, but from the comments on Tire Rack, they don't last very long on a track either.

[Chuck629]

Neither do the Rival S as well. All 3 of these "special" 200TW tires are basically the Hoosier A6/A7 of street tires.