R comps

[clyde]

So bren clued me in to a TireRack special on 265/35-18 Ecsta V700s. $71 each. Last fall and early winter, this was one of the tires I was thinking about, but as more became known about the new Hoosier A3S04 (and it's longer wearing characteristics) and the improved grip of the new V710 the less appeal the V700 had. Combined with the fact that 265 is pretty friggin wide for an 8" wide wheel and more suitable sizes (225, 245) would be available with the Hoosiers and possibly the V710s, I dismissed the V700s. Availability of the Hoosiers and V710s is an issue, though.

Now, here we are in early March. I probably won't be able to get hold of Hoosiers before mid April (maybe later) and V710s still haven't been announced in a suitable size for me (I must use 18x8 wheels). And now this killer pricing (for what are probably old tires. :paranoid: ) on the V700s. My inherent cheapness makes me want to order the V700s right now and be done with it (I'm guessing that the Hoosiers will run ~$250/ea). My competitive side kind of wants to hold out for the Hoosiers.

Not sure what to do.

[bren]

The story seems to be that the tires were manufactured in 2001....what is the shelf life of a tire?

I don't know enough about them to judge whether the Hoosiers will offer 4x the value but at $75/tire it seems like it would be worth buying a *couple* sets. Hell, I'm considering buying a set and I don't even have 18" wheels :twisted:

[JST]

So bren clued me in to a TireRack special on 265/35-18 Ecsta V700s. $71 each. Last fall and early winter, this was one of the tires I was thinking about, but as more became known about the new Hoosier A3S04 (and it's longer wearing characteristics) and the improved grip of the new V710 the less appeal the V700 had. Combined with the fact that 265 is pretty friggin wide for an 8" wide wheel and more suitable sizes (225, 245) would be available with the Hoosiers and possibly the V710s, I dismissed the V700s. Availability of the Hoosiers and V710s is an issue, though.

Now, here we are in early March. I probably won't be able to get hold of Hoosiers before mid April (maybe later) and V710s still haven't been announced in a suitable size for me (I must use 18x8 wheels). And now this killer pricing (for what are probably old tires. :paranoid: ) on the V700s. My inherent cheapness makes me want to order the V700s right now and be done with it (I'm guessing that the Hoosiers will run ~$250/ea). My competitive side kind of wants to hold out for the Hoosiers.

Not sure what to do.

I'd get the 700s.

[FC]

Well, at 71 vs 250, I'd say get the V700's and try them out. But these are just rears, or are the fronts also on sale?

I'd look at what % you are saving. If the set of hoosiers will cost significantly more (more than twice as much), I'd probably try the cheaper ones first.

[blee]

$75 is an absolute steal. If they only give you 1/3 of the value of your Hoosiers, you will break even. Of course, it depends somewhat on what you're willing to sacrifice. If the tire is "good enough" then I would jump all over that.

[Rob]

How long will they last? You will go through them in less than a season, won't you? You might have a chance to try both this year, one at what sounds like a ridiculously low price.

[blee]

Seriously, four of those = $300. One Hoosier = $250?

[clyde]

The story seems to be that the tires were manufactured in 2001....what is the shelf life of a tire?

My understanding is that R comps tend to start getting pretty hard after two years...and these are three years old? :sigh:

[clyde]

How long will they last? You will go through them in less than a season, won't you? You might have a chance to try both this year, one at what sounds like a ridiculously low price.

I could probably get a full season out of V700s which would make it that much harder to justify Hoosiers or V710s in mid summer (or sooner).

[Doug]

The story seems to be that the tires were manufactured in 2001....what is the shelf life of a tire?

My understanding is that R comps tend to start getting pretty hard after two years...and these are three years old? :sigh:

True, and they have to be stored properly to get 2 years out of them as it is

[clyde]

The story seems to be that the tires were manufactured in 2001....what is the shelf life of a tire?

My understanding is that R comps tend to start getting pretty hard after two years...and these are three years old? :sigh:

True, and they have to be stored properly to get 2 years out of them as it isMy main fear with buying them is that they're old/hard enough that they won't offer substantially more grip than the OEM RE040s and that the $300 will be wasted.

Still, I've got nothing to lose by checking into it, so I sent an email to Grant at Tirerack (who is covering for Gary while he's on vacation) asking about the tire age and other things. We'll see.

[scottn2retro]

Seriously, four of those = $300. One Hoosier = $250?

True, but believe it or not, expensive tires, if they truly outperform other tires, are a fairly cost effective way to gain an advantage (or prevent the competition from having one).

I was talking to Tom Milner and we were discussing Dunlop being made the spec tire for the Daytona series. Since he has budget, he thought it was great. If he can afford one more set of tires over a competitor, it might give him another 20 seconds advantage. To get that out of the engine compartment could cost him $50K.

[blee]

Seriously, four of those = $300. One Hoosier = $250?

True, but believe it or not, expensive tires, if they truly outperform other tires, are a fairly cost effective way to gain an advantage (or prevent the competition from having one).

I was talking to Tom Milner and we were discussing Dunlop being made the spec tire for the Daytona series. Since he has budget, he thought it was great. If he can afford one more set of tires over a competitor, it might give him another 20 seconds advantage. To get that out of the engine compartment could cost him $50K.Oh, I totally agree with this. If someone is focused on winning, the right tire selection is invaluable. I hadn't thought about clyde's intentions with the autocross season.

If the sole purpose is to win, then perhaps it isn't worth "saving" $700 over a season.

[Doug]

One thing about Hoosiers, they are great tires but not forgiving to mistreating. If ya hit a rough patch or drop a wheel off track you will 9 times out of 10 ruin the tire. RA-1s, A032s, and most other R comps are much more forgiving to these circumstances.

[clyde]

Well, by the time Grant got back to me they were sold out, so it doesn't really matter.

[scottn2retro]

I'm going to have to change my sig pic -

Yokohama has decided to support our team and boot GY off the car!

We'll be using the A0302 in the newer S (soft) compound - which is ideally for AutoX - at Phoenix. Will let you guys know what we think of them.