Tyre Recommendations For Tarmac Rally

tasdigi · Postby **tasdigi** » Thu May 05, 2011 12:13 pm

I'm looking for recommendations on tyres ( 185/60-14 ) to be used in tarmac rallies.

I'm looking for the best grip for both dry and wet conditions, if possible....

Postby **NitroDann** » Thu May 05, 2011 12:17 pm

You might find that your better with tyres that arent the best, due to wear issues, depending on driving style and horsepower. I run an ae86 dirt rally car (no tarmacs yet), and you cant just run the best gripping tyres when your running a super tight diff full power for 400km

Dann

bensale · Postby **bensale** » Thu May 05, 2011 2:39 pm

Toyo 888s are the default choice for many track day runners and when I was spectating at Targa Tas I noticed quite a lot of cars were running them.

I have thought that the Dunlop DZ1 star specs I run would make a good tarmac rally tyre. They don't quite have the grip of the 888s as they are not an all out semi (they're very close in dry grip though) but have better wet weather abilities than the semi slick alternatives which is desirable.

I just looked up Kumho sizes and the v700, v710 and v70a are available in that size. I think the v700 is what the MX-5 racing NC's run at Targa and they do very well with them.

Guran · Postby **Guran** » Sat May 07, 2011 9:36 pm

You had me scratching my head there Ben. I've previously looked at Kumho R-specs for my car in 185/60R14 and only the V700 comes in that size. The V70A 14" tyre is only 185/55R14 and the V710 is 195/55R14. Note that V710 is not street legal in Australia and also cannot be used at NSW Supersprints (except in Type 5 as slicks).

Interesting to see that V700 in 185/60R14 medium compound are only $225 each from FSPORT (fitting and balancing is extra). For that price, I'm tempted to give them a try next time (paid $330 each for RE55s, fitted & balanced).

But then on second thought ...

Tire Rack wrote:Important Notice: Kumho VictoRacer V700 tires must be shaved to 3/32" - 4/32" (2.4mm-3.2mm) of remaining tread depth for any track use in dry conditions.

Kumho advises that the VictoRacer V700 DOT-legal competition radial must be shaved prior to use in dry track conditions. If this tire is not shaved, excessive wear may occur causing the tire to wear to the cords prematurely in a localized area.

Tire heat cycling will not prevent the excessive localized wear of full tread depth tires but will continue to enhance the tire consistency and wear on shaved tires.

The VictoRacer V700 should only be used at full tread depth (6/32", 4.8mm) on the track in wet conditions.

Charlie Brown · Postby **Charlie Brown** » Tue May 17, 2011 9:37 pm

Might I suggest Dunlop D03.

Tends to dominate the leaderboard of tarmac rallys.

I'm running V70a on the track and they are great in the dry but wear out quickly so if you had a shower of rain in a rally it would be off into the scrub.

The Dunlops are harder and have a bigger groove to move the water away.

With all R Spec's you need to choose the compound hardness to suit the road and weather conditions. Go soft compound on a hot day and you'll slide around and wear it out quickly, go hard compound on a cool day and the same sliding will happen without the wear. It's not cheap to go motorsporting.

manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Tue May 17, 2011 11:28 pm

I had Dunlop D03s on at PI last July. With 80% tread they were going into full aquaplane mode at anything over 140kmh on the main straight. There's very little wet grip when they're not aquaplaning anyway. I can't imagine them dominating if it gets damp. R888s are better in the wet and pretty much equal in the dry, plus they're a lot tougher and longer lasting, both in terms of heat buildup witihin a session and total mileage.

I'd go along with Ben about the Dunlop Star Specs - they're almost on par with R-specs in the dry and streets ahead of them in the wet.