Gary - V700 Ecsta pressure and is Kumho phasing out the Victoracer?

[SoloII///M]

Noticed that they are starting to make a 245/40/17 Ecsta. Having just done my first event on 235/40/17 Ecstas (after running Victos for several years on various cars) I can say that there is no comparison. The Victos have a stiffer sidewall, are more predictable, have more grip, and according to reports they last longer.

What is Kumho THINKING? The Victo should soldier on as the budget R-comp that will easily last a full season of 14-20 events, and the V710 should be the 3-4 event Hoosier contender. The Ecsta? Well... I guess I'll just have to do my best to convince people not to buy them. Maybe Kumho will realize the mistake then.

Is there someone at Kumho I can write to express my concerns?

Any suggestions on tire pressures for these damn things? I started at about 40psi hot (front) and 36psi hot (rear) but ended up bleeding off a lot of pressure after noticing that the outside treadblocks of the tires weren't even getting scuffed... I ended up with 37.5psi hot (front) and 35.5psi hot (rear)

Thanks,

John V - Managed to nab second in BS at our test and tune, but i have no idea how on these tires :mad:
Koni Yellows, RD front bar set to full soft, 0* / .41* total toe F/R, -1.5* negative camber all around, Borla exhaust

[Gary@Tirerack]

You're correct on all accounts. The ECSTA is not meant to be a replacement for the Victo, and is not as strong in hanlding/grip. These also should not be run in hot conditions at full tread depth on a dry track. Unfortunately we've not found that changing air pressures makes much difference in narrowing the performance gap. Its unfortunate that the Victo does not come in more sizes.




Kumhos tech center number is 330-666-4030 While you're on the phone with them you can ask about their suggestion for air pressure.

[SoloII///M]

I will give them a call. Kumho's tech center is in Ohio? I guess that makes sense, my g/f's company mixes their rubber compounds and they're in Ohio as well.

I will let you know what I find, but I'm not expecting much.

I made the mistake of purchasing these tires thinking they would be as quick as my Victos were and I'm very disappointed. Looks like my only choice is a set of Hoosiers that probably wont' last me a whole season. :(

[Pinecone]

You're correct on all accounts. The ECSTA is not meant to be a replacement for the Victo, and is not as strong in hanlding/grip. These also should not be run in hot conditions at full tread depth on a dry track. Unfortunately we've not found that changing air pressures makes much difference in narrowing the performance gap. Its unfortunate that the Victo does not come in more sizes.

Kumhos tech center number is 330-666-4030 While you're on the phone with them you can ask about their suggestion for air pressure.

Does shaving help?

[Gary@Tirerack]

Does shaving help?

Yes, certainly helps with responsiveness and keeping the tires from overheating and getting outside of their ideal temp range.

[·clyde·]

Looks like my only choice is a set of Hoosiers that probably wont' last me a whole season. :(

Speaking of which, my Hoosiers arrived today (thanks, Gary!). Each package of two was a lot lighter than I expected, but I digress. I still haven't been able to find out too much about how long the new Hoosiers are supposed to last, only that they should last longer than the S03s. About the only thing specific I've seen was on sccaforums.com where an S2K driver (IIRC) said he had ~50 runs on them and they were still good (I forget how many heat cycles, but I think it was a bunch). A sample size of one certainly isn't large enough to draw conclusions, but when the S03s were only supposed to be good for ~25 runs, tops, it sounds promising.

That said, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to run street tire X in the NCC series.

And, John, who took first in BS yesterday?

[SoloII///M]

Speaking of which, my Hoosiers arrived today (thanks, Gary!). Each package of two was a lot lighter than I expected, but I digress. I still haven't been able to find out too much about how long the new Hoosiers are supposed to last, only that they should last longer than the S03s. About the only thing specific I've seen was on sccaforums.com where an S2K driver (IIRC) said he had ~50 runs on them and they were still good (I forget how many heat cycles, but I think it was a bunch). A sample size of one certainly isn't large enough to draw conclusions, but when the S03s were only supposed to be good for ~25 runs, tops, it sounds promising.

That said, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to run street tire X in the NCC series.

And, John, who took first in BS yesterday?

Greg Obadia, and he smoked me like a cheap cigar.

I guess I don't care enough about being competetive at a local level to pony up the (big, huge) dollars needed to put Hoosiers under the car. There just is not a budget for it right now. Besides the fact that even if I did, the car would still be uncompetetive. Oh well!

[·clyde·]

Greg Obadia, and he smoked me like a cheap cigar.

I guess I don't care enough about being competetive at a local level to pony up the (big, huge) dollars needed to put Hoosiers under the car. There just is not a budget for it right now. Besides the fact that even if I did, the car would still be uncompetetive. Oh well!
Part of my problem is that the pickings for R comps that a reasonable fits for 18x8 wheels are pretty slim. $1k for tires was a bitter pill. OTOH, there is the DC Tour and the DC Pro in May and the North East Divisional Championships in July.

Will the RX-8 be competitive? No one has run one at a National level event yet.

[SoloII///M]

Part of my problem is that the pickings for R comps that a reasonable fits for 18x8 wheels are pretty slim. $1k for tires was a bitter pill. OTOH, there is the DC Tour and the DC Pro in May and the North East Divisional Championships in July.

Will the RX-8 be competitive? No one has run one at a National level event yet.

I think they will be. Once the proposed BS changes take effect (which we don't know if they will yet) and the Z4, S2k and Boxter are out of B Stock, it will be RX-8 Vs 350Z vs 968. Should be fun for you guys. I think the 350Zs will be tough to beat, but at least you'll have a fighting chance.

FYI, I sold the Ecstas and picked up a set of barely used victoracers in 255/40/17. Yeah, a little big for a 7.5" rim, but I'm told that they will just barely fit under the fenders.

I think they will work better than the ecstas.

John

[Pinecone]

Part of my problem is that the pickings for R comps that a reasonable fits for 18x8 wheels are pretty slim. $1k for tires was a bitter pill. OTOH, there is the DC Tour and the DC Pro in May and the North East Divisional Championships in July.


Yeah, you are basically stuck with the Hoosier 245s on a slightly small rim, or drop down to 225s in Kumhos.

The same problem I have looking for a set for my E46 M3. I picked up a set of slightly used Kumho Ecsta V700 from Team Z4 in 225 front 265 rear. Not optimum, but they will work.

Either that or go SP and put 18x9.5 rims all around and run 265s.

[·clyde·]

Yeah, you are basically stuck with the Hoosier 245s on a slightly small rim, or drop down to 225s in Kumhos.

The same problem I have looking for a set for my E46 M3. I picked up a set of slightly used Kumho Ecsta V700 from Team Z4 in 225 front 265 rear. Not optimum, but they will work.

Either that or go SP and put 18x9.5 rims all around and run 265s.
I could have gone STU locally this year if WDCR had, in its infinite wisdom, opted to run it. I understand that they felt like they were between a rock and hard place but it would not have taken one person more than a couple hours to fix the self-created scheduling issues.

[SoloII///M]

Yeah, you are basically stuck with the Hoosier 245s on a slightly small rim, or drop down to 225s in Kumhos.

The same problem I have looking for a set for my E46 M3. I picked up a set of slightly used Kumho Ecsta V700 from Team Z4 in 225 front 265 rear. Not optimum, but they will work.

Either that or go SP and put 18x9.5 rims all around and run 265s.

A local fella, and a good buddy of mine, has wrapped 265s on the front wheels of his E46 M3 (stock class). They do bulge a bit, but they wore just fine during this last weekend's event.

Maybe I can get him to post on here with his feelings on how well it works.

[kenkamm]

Yeah, I'm the foo with the 265/35/18 Kumho Ecsta V700s on all four OEM 18s on an E46 M3. :thumbup:

I emailed several people who have done this and asked a lot of questions before doing it, because I really had my reservations about pinching a 265 on the OEM front 8" wide wheel. I talked with a few people who have autocrossed with this setup, and one guy who used it at the track and had other friends who had also tried it. All said that it worked well and that it was the best choice considering the other sizes available. Surprisingly, the front tires won't roll over as much as you would think they would. Although they are pinched a bit and thus have a little more roundness near the sidewall, they are still giving you much more contact patch than the 225 would. Some guys have even run the 275/35/18 Hoosiers on the OEM 18s!

All that said, the available tire choices for this car leave a lot to be desired. The Ecstas aren't as good as Victos but Victos aren't even available in 18 inch sizes. Hoosier makes 245s and 275s but the price is way up there and the life may be less. I'd hate to have to buy two sets of Hoosiers to the tune of $2000 for a season of autocrossing. If I want to win that bad, I'd be better off getting an S2000, STi, Evo, Vette, or one of the many other cars better suited to autocrossing than the E46 M3. :rolleyes:

Cheers,
Ken

[Pinecone]

I could have gone STU locally this year if WDCR had, in its infinite wisdom, opted to run it. I understand that they felt like they were between a rock and hard place but it would not have taken one person more than a couple hours to fix the self-created scheduling issues.

Well, the local autocross scene has always danced to their own tune. :)

[Pinecone]

Yeah, I'm the foo with the 265/35/18 Kumho Ecsta V700s on all four OEM 18s on an E46 M3. :thumbup:

I emailed several people who have done this and asked a lot of questions before doing it, because I really had my reservations about pinching a 265 on the OEM front 8" wide wheel. I talked with a few people who have autocrossed with this setup, and one guy who used it at the track and had other friends who had also tried it. All said that it worked well and that it was the best choice considering the other sizes available. Surprisingly, the front tires won't roll over as much as you would think they would. Although they are pinched a bit and thus have a little more roundness near the sidewall, they are still giving you much more contact patch than the 225 would. Some guys have even run the 275/35/18 Hoosiers on the OEM 18s!

All that said, the available tire choices for this car leave a lot to be desired. The Ecstas aren't as good as Victos but Victos aren't even available in 18 inch sizes. Hoosier makes 245s and 275s but the price is way up there and the life may be less. I'd hate to have to buy two sets of Hoosiers to the tune of $2000 for a season of autocrossing. If I want to win that bad, I'd be better off getting an S2000, STi, Evo, Vette, or one of the many other cars better suited to autocrossing than the E46 M3. :rolleyes:

Cheers,
Ken

Interesting. I may have to try that.

[kenkamm]

Just be sure to get them shaved to 4/32". They will get the "groove of doom" if you don't.

Cheers,
Ken

[Andy]

I'm running 265/35/18 Ecsta V700s all the way around on my 330i. With the right tire pressures, these things hook up like crazy!! I can't compare them with a set of Hoosiers (because I haven't driven on Hoosiers... yet), but I like my Kumhos a lot. I did get them shaven and heat cycled, so maybe that is the difference.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48297

Andy