Tyres II

Author
Discussion

sdio

Original Poster:

287 posts

128 months

Friday 17th February 2017
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Following all the recent threads for tyres,
What do you think of a low budget tyre with long life, "good" feedback and low grip for enjoying/drifting the car at lower speeds on the road.

I did this quite successfully on my elise in the past with a set of Kuhmos 31

Now i see there is a similar tyre from kuhmo the KUMHO SOLUS KH17 for euro 44 a piece which might do (?) this successfully.

Anyone wishes to comment?

mono fraud

62 posts

111 months

Friday 17th February 2017
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I used to use Nankang XR611 in my 130bhp Seven for the first yrs of ownership, never had any issues, including a trip to the Alps and I had fun ; only got scared once and it was in the dry. In the wet I always take extreme care even with with the tyes I have today. I was caught on some pretty heavy rain and just went slowly. If I were to use more normal tyres again I would go for Toyo CF2 or Uniroyals.

Maybe I drive like a grandmother...

downsman

1,099 posts

155 months

Friday 17th February 2017
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I'm running my 125 bhp Seven on Uniroyal Rain Experts. I used to run Yokohama a021r tyres but they were costing me a fortune as they only lasted just over a year. The Uniroyals were less than half the price, are less than half worn after 3 years including 3 tracks days and I find they are great on the road whatever the weather is like. The only drawback I can see is a really hard driver on a hot track day would melt them, having said that, they'd be cheap to replace!

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Monday 20th February 2017
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sdio said:
Following all the recent threads for tyres,
What do you think of a low budget tyre with long life, "good" feedback and low grip for enjoying/drifting the car at lower speeds on the road.

I did this quite successfully on my elise in the past with a set of Kuhmos 31

Now i see there is a similar tyre from kuhmo the KUMHO SOLUS KH17 for euro 44 a piece which might do (?) this successfully.

Anyone wishes to comment?
I don't know what to recommend but absolutely not the Kumhos, the 'KH' tyres are a touring tyre for shopping cars whereas the tyres you had before were 'KU' 31s which were Kumho's sporty UHP tyre. Worlds apart.

Can you not get CR322s anymore?

caterham_lad

78 posts

85 months

Monday 20th February 2017
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shrink1061

102 posts

90 months

Wednesday 22nd February 2017
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if you want a long lasting, generally OK road tyre that can stand up to track abuse then you could do a lot worse than the yoko A539

i have them on mine. They are terrifying on greasy roads, but fine on wet roads, and good on dry. in a 120bhp roadsport the rear end is adjustable in the dry, but never scary, and they took a day of punishment at blyton park, without looking like they'd sustained any wear at all.

were it not for the fact that they are frankly unsettling in cold / greasy conditions, I'd just keep them. They are used as a control tyre for sprints i believe.

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Wednesday 22nd February 2017
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Caterham Graduates 'Classics' class use the A539 for racing. I used them for years. They aren't bad but even on my 100bhp car they weren't very progressive... there must be a better option out there for the more powerful K-series car.

shrink1061

102 posts

90 months

Wednesday 22nd February 2017
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i find on my little 120bhp roadsport, the A539's let go at the rear very quickly indeed.

I barely need to glance at the throttle in a bend and im correcting for oversteer. It can be a tad unsettling.

That said, in the dry on blyton park they were brilliant, offering mobility and some slide but all controllable and at sane speeds.


HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Wednesday 22nd February 2017
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Perhaps I found the CR322s more progressive because of the higher profile. I did read in an old book that 185/70 was the best size for a 7 for road use at that time. I tend to agree.

sdio

Original Poster:

287 posts

128 months

Wednesday 22nd February 2017
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Hmm
May be worth considering...

Smitters

3,995 posts

156 months

Monday 5th June 2017
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Just to add to this as I've had A539s on for a while, and will for a while to come, if they continue at the current wear rate...

I find them a perfectly adequate road tyre, communicative enough without being loud and slappy like the low tread aggressive tyres. That said, I rarely press on when on the road as it's simply not possible to generate real temperature without driving like a bellend, so I just enjoy the sensation of driving rather than go really fast.

Regards track, if you aren't able to get some temperature into them, they will slip and slide a fair bit. I find them progressive, but then there are so many variables in car set-up and the distinctly subjective term 'progressive' that it's almost worthless in this context! I just had a drying day at Pembrey and in the last two sessions was finally able to lean on them and get some heat, which transformed the tyres. It was a significant step in performance from their cold selves, or in the wet.

I would not recommend them as a wet tyre per say, since they struggle to gain temperature, in my hands at least. As a budget, hard wearing tyre, used as an all-rounder I would say they are a good bet, but with the caveat that they are not, nor will they ever be a trackday tyre, like the AO48/32/R888. I see them as a £200 over two years tyre, as opposed to a £400 over six months tyre like the trackday rubber. Sure, there's more grip, but I'm paying £700/year for it. That's my annual TD budget right there!

Car-wise, I have a 135 bhp K-series, with Nitrons and a PT Sports Cars geo set-up that is, as far as I can understand, the basic trackday settings - i.e. no input from me, they've given me what they know to work. This means any waywardness is coming from the tyres or the driver inputs, which is a helpful position to learn from.