magnusfeuer Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 Hello, I will soon dish out money for a new set of tires for my Caterham, and I have a few questions. The car is an SV (175 HP Zetec) equipped with the standard 15"/6.5" wheels, De Dion rear suspension with Watts linkage, standard shocks, springs and anti-rollbars all around. No LSD (yet). The car is a daily driver. Occasionally, however, I take it out for a more enthusiastic drive or on to a track. Being in California, wet handling is not an issue. After talking to a few people, the Kumho V700 has come forward as a cheap and good candidate. Info on the tires can be found at: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Ecsta+V700 - and - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=VictoRacer+V700 Addiotional info is available by clicking on Sizes & Pricing / Reviews / Specs. The questions are: 1. Are either the Kumho V700 Victoracer or V700 ECSTA a good choice? If so, which one of the two would you recommend? 2. How does the V700 compare to Yokohama A032R? The A032 is more expensive then the V700, but seems to be a proven choice for a Caterham. 3. Which dimensions can you recommend for back and front? The available Kumho 15" dimensions are: 205/50/15, 225/50/15, 225/45/15 and 225/50/15. Edited by - magnusfeuer on 17 Jan 2003 19:38:16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Wong1697456877 Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 CR500 Avons are fantastic in 15".............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miraz Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 The V700 Ecsta is closer to an ACB10 than the Yoko 32's - they seem to be very popular with the Swedish seveners at the moment and look like good value for money. Give them a try, but don't expect much from the tyres in the wet - should suit California well. Miraz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnusfeuer Posted January 17, 2003 Author Share Posted January 17, 2003 Alex, I've read about the CR500, and would like to get my hands on a piece of rubber like that. But they are not sold in the U.S. as far as I know... /Magnus F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Perry Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 According to the Avon Website there are at least a dozen Avon dealers in California. I might be worth giving them a try. www.avontyres.com then select the USA section. ACB10's would be great in California Edited by - Graham Perry on 18 Jan 2003 07:32:58 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miraz Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 For road use you would be hard pushed to tell the difference between the Kumho V700 and the ACB10, but the Kumho is much, much cheaper. Miraz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooby dooby doo Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 how heavy is the V700 🤔 HOOPY 500 kg R706KGU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Wong1697456877 Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 I can't believe it's like an ACB-10 *confused*It's a radial for a start so will weigh more but probably be more road friendly - more like an 032R at a guess. Edited by - Alex Wong on 18 Jan 2003 10:41:54 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miraz Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 The tread and carcass are designed to allow much more twist than a conventional radial tyre - especially something like a 32 which is pretty rigid - the twist allows the tyre to maintain traction at high slip angles in much the same way as an ACB10 does. It's heavier than an ACB10, not quite as flexible when pushed - but at around half the price... Where's Peter Simons when you need him? - I know he has been running them on his Superlight for a little while now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJY910 Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Miraz is absolutely right. I've used ACB10:s as well as V700:s. For road use I would definitely recommen the V700 just because it is quiter than the ACB10. Handlingwise I don't think you will notice any difference on public roads. For track use there are other things to consider. First of all make sure you compare equal compounds. I've run on the soft / supersoft K8 V700 compound while I used the Caterham supplied A33 compound (hard) for the ACB10:s. (Personal note: If you run hard compound soft tyres you really ought to have your logic circuit checked...) The V700 also like a bit more camber than the ACB10:s. The walls are straighte which means that you get more rubber on the road compared to ACB10:s in the same dimension. This might be interesting in some racing classes where tyres are restricted by the tyre dimensions. So for instance: I use 175 /13 on the front end and 215 / 13 on the rear and have exactly as much rubber on the ground as 195 / 13 & 245 / 13 ACB10:s. The 245 would put a Superlight in Modsports while 215 is perfectly ok for Roadsports. 😬 If you follow this reasoning a V700 is actually a better road legal race tyre than the ACB10. The Avon weight advantage is of purely academic interest as I see it. You have to be really really really on the edge to use that to your advantage. I would even be bold enough to say that few of us are anywhere near that range... On the whole I really like the V700 and I have been quite a lot faster on it than I was on ACB10:s but that's because of better chassis set up and perhaps also some driver improvement. The most interesting point is of course the price. The Avons aren't twice as good as the Kumhos. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooby dooby doo Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 what are they like in the wet 🤔 Similar to a 32R 🤔 HOOPY 500 kg R706KGU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJY910 Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 For rainy conditions you use the softest compound. (Softer than the K8.) Jan Brolund was quite satisfied with it. Can't compare to 032:s, no personal experience from it. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andycox Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Never knew about this V700 tyre seems at face value anyway to be a viable alternative to Avon/Yoko. Anybody know what kind of milage you can get out if them? and like Hoppy I would be interested in knowing anyones comments on wet performance in a non-track use. Is it SUMMER yet? 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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