Kumho Victoracers vs. Toyo RA-1? Size: 255/40-17.

Red Rocket · 05-21-2003, 01:14 PM

I need to decide between these two tires some time in the near future. Primary use is autocrossing, but I'll probably get into doing track days towards the end of the year. These will be my first dot-r tire, but I run max performance tires on my car now and have run Azenis in the past.

I'm leaning heavily towards the victoracer. It's cheaper, and doesn't need to be shaved for autocrossing. I also have the latest grassroots motorsports r-tire test, where the kumho is faster. On the other hand, the toyo's are more durable, in both tread wear and heat cycling. I'd like to be able to run these on the street occasionally, say, put them on for a day or two before an event, and drive to events on them. Is it a bad idea to drive to events on the victoracers? I've also heard multiple times that the victoracers tend to have a soft sidewall and are not too precise for an R-compound tire - are the RA-1's signifigantly stiffer?

Thanks for your input!

Kevin

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Turbo4me · 05-21-2003, 09:00 PM

How are those S-02's doing?

Curt

Red Rocket · 05-22-2003, 01:07 PM

Good, thanks for the hookup! I'll keep them and use them as drag wheels and for at least the next autocross.

Thanks,

Kevin

Red Rocket · 05-22-2003, 01:11 PM

I still need help on this. Ordering tires on monday at the latest. Does anybody think the ra-1 actually gives up that much to the victoracer in autocrossing?

Thanks,

Kevin

Red Rocket · 05-23-2003, 11:32 AM

Bump...

After a bit of searching around, it seems I can get the RA-1 for about $175 each, which is only about $25 more each than the kumho. I called toyo and they said that for auto-x shaving is optional - they won't do anything weird like the escta's do. I don't think heat should be a problem autocrossing. People report excellent wear on them unshaven, even with auto-xing and track days. They also have more progressive breakaway characteristics then the kumho, so they are easier to drive at the limit. A good thing if I want to run them on the street. So I'm starting to lean towards the toyo's.

Kevin

Red Rocket · 05-24-2003, 09:47 AM

I got my wheels, can anybody give me some input on this so I can get the tires ordered?

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...hreadid=364032

Thanks,

Kevin

Bailey · 05-26-2003, 02:34 PM

Red rocked,
You say you found RA-1s for 175. Thats a really good deal. I'd like to find them in 225, 45, 17.

Could you please direct me to your source? The local toyo dealer wants over 900 installed.

Thanks
Bailey

Red Rocket · 05-26-2003, 05:22 PM

They don't make them in 225/45-17, hummm. I guess you would want 235/40-17.

I just ordered the RA-1's from:

http://www.ilpperformance.com/toyo.php

Should be here by the end of the week.

Kevin

Ti-REX · 05-27-2003, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Red Rocket
They don't make them in 225/45-17, hummm. I guess you would want 235/40-17.

I just ordered the RA-1's from:

http://www.ilpperformance.com/toyo.php

Should be here by the end of the week.

Kevin

Kevin,

Good choice. I would have gone the same way if I were driving a sedan. However, with my wagon, I've already had my fenders rolled and I still get a tiny bit of rub with 225's. Going 235 was pushing it.

So far, I'm very happy with the Kuhmo. I'll see how long they last. Driving to the track with them on is out of the question though as they pick up everything - dirt, rocks and what not and I feel like having a constant sandblast of rocks inside my fender wells. Plus, track is 120 miles away... Not too good on R compound tires

spidey02wrx · 05-27-2003, 11:04 AM

that's a good price for the Toyo's but they are more of a DE/Road Race tire than an auto-x tire as they tend to need a little more heating up to be happy. Get a codriver as a tire warmer. They wear like iron, great bang for the buck, I'm sure you'll be happy. Can you PM me the info on your wheels? something like price/source. Thanks.

MNbiker · 05-28-2003, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Red Rocket
I got my wheels, can anybody give me some input on this so I can get the tires ordered?

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...hreadid=364032

Thanks,

Kevin

I'd go with the Kumho Victoracers, unless you're planning to do lots of track sessions. The Kumho's will be faster in an autox setting, and should last quite a while, if you don't drive them on the street.

-Steve

Red Rocket · 05-28-2003, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MNbiker

I'd go with the Kumho Victoracers, unless you're planning to do lots of track sessions. The Kumho's will be faster in an autox setting, and should last quite a while, if you don't drive them on the street.

-Steve

Yeah, I know I'm giving up a bit to the kumho, but I want to be able to drive them on the street. I can't justify spending $2000 on a set of wheels and tires, and then only drive on them in a parking lot!

As far as speed goes, I think somebody like me will be just as fast on a toyo because it is more forgiving at the limit. I'd probably mess up and spin on the kumho's.

Kevin

MNbiker · 05-29-2003, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Red Rocket

Yeah, I know I'm giving up a bit to the kumho, but I want to be able to drive them on the street. I can't justify spending $2000 on a set of wheels and tires, and then only drive on them in a parking lot!

As far as speed goes, I think somebody like me will be just as fast on a toyo because it is more forgiving at the limit. I'd probably mess up and spin on the kumho's.

Kevin

Not all that easy to spin a Rex (although it can be done!

)

On the other hand, it's REAL easy to spin an 88 CRX with Victoracers - as I discovered last weekend!

CupertinoSteve · 05-30-2003, 01:02 PM

Hi RedRocket,
I've gone through 2 sets of RA1's now and I've been pleased with their overall durability and extremely happy with their performance. They are my daily street driving tires (which I use to drive to all my track events - i'm too lazy to switch tires). My first set lasted about 7,000 miles with approximately 4.5 HPDE days run on them. They weren't corded yet, but I lost the center channel and the edges were lumpy - which tells me I'm close to retiring them. I was told by other track folks that each HPDE day is almost like burning off 800-1200 miles of use per day (depending on driving style and how abusive that particular car is to tires - let me say that WRX's are not easy on tires). From my experience, to obtain maximum grip ... you need to put some heat into the tires before running them hard. These tires wear more evenly and seem to last longer (@max grip), when they are shaved (and you can heat cycle them yourself - for those who need to throw on a tire and race - those folks should get them heat cycled ahead of time).

I'm running 235x40x17 on my Rota 7.5" rims ... they fit perfectly. I've noticed that they run a little small, hence their ability to hit on a 7.5" rim. (For those with wagons and their fenders rolled - if you have any other brand of 225s, these should work without using the baseball bat). On track use (with my car's setup and driving style), they seem to like 38psi HOT. They get a little greasy @ 39psi.

I have not run on a set of the "new" Victoracers. I did drive around in the "older" formula and was impressed, but cannot say anything about their longevity, but I guess is now irrellevant since we can't get 'em anymore.

In any event, I still say you made a good choice.

Hope this helps,
Steve

Red Rocket · 05-30-2003, 05:33 PM

Hey, thanks for the positive comments. I just got the tires in today, and wow, are they big. I should have them mounted on Monday. I'm not 100% sure I'm going to install them on my wrx at this point, I may be getting an sti, so I don't really want to roll the fenders on the wrx if I'm going to sell it. I have some MRT adjustable lateral links coming though, which might let me eek out enough room to run them temporarally without fender rolling. We'll see next week I guess!

Kevin

05-21-2003, 01:14 PM	#1
Red Rocket Scooby Specialist Member#: 10507 Join Date: Sep 2001 Vehicle: '04 Ex STi Owner '97 4Runner	Kumho Victoracers vs. Toyo RA-1? Size: 255/40-17. I need to decide between these two tires some time in the near future. Primary use is autocrossing, but I'll probably get into doing track days towards the end of the year. These will be my first dot-r tire, but I run max performance tires on my car now and have run Azenis in the past. I'm leaning heavily towards the victoracer. It's cheaper, and doesn't need to be shaved for autocrossing. I also have the latest grassroots motorsports r-tire test, where the kumho is faster. On the other hand, the toyo's are more durable, in both tread wear and heat cycling. I'd like to be able to run these on the street occasionally, say, put them on for a day or two before an event, and drive to events on them. Is it a bad idea to drive to events on the victoracers? I've also heard multiple times that the victoracers tend to have a soft sidewall and are not too precise for an R-compound tire - are the RA-1's signifigantly stiffer? Thanks for your input! Kevin * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

05-26-2003, 02:34 PM	#7
Bailey Scooby Specialist Member#: 12572 Join Date: Nov 2001 Chapter/Region: NWIC Location: Portland Oregon Vehicle: 2004 STi 35R is enough	source for RA-1s Red rocked, You say you found RA-1s for 175. Thats a really good deal. I'd like to find them in 225, 45, 17. Could you please direct me to your source? The local toyo dealer wants over 900 installed. Thanks Bailey

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05-21-2003, 09:00 PM	#2
Turbo4me Scooby Specialist Member#: 2200 Join Date: Aug 2000 Chapter/Region: NWIC Location: Hillsboro, OR Vehicle: 2011 WRB WRX 08 Maz 3, 96 Landcruiser	How are those S-02's doing? Curt

05-22-2003, 01:07 PM	#3
Red Rocket Scooby Specialist Member#: 10507 Join Date: Sep 2001 Vehicle: '04 Ex STi Owner '97 4Runner	Good, thanks for the hookup! I'll keep them and use them as drag wheels and for at least the next autocross. Thanks, Kevin

05-22-2003, 01:11 PM	#4
Red Rocket Scooby Specialist Member#: 10507 Join Date: Sep 2001 Vehicle: '04 Ex STi Owner '97 4Runner	I still need help on this. Ordering tires on monday at the latest. Does anybody think the ra-1 actually gives up that much to the victoracer in autocrossing? Thanks, Kevin

05-23-2003, 11:32 AM	#5
Red Rocket Scooby Specialist Member#: 10507 Join Date: Sep 2001 Vehicle: '04 Ex STi Owner '97 4Runner	Bump... After a bit of searching around, it seems I can get the RA-1 for about $175 each, which is only about $25 more each than the kumho. I called toyo and they said that for auto-x shaving is optional - they won't do anything weird like the escta's do. I don't think heat should be a problem autocrossing. People report excellent wear on them unshaven, even with auto-xing and track days. They also have more progressive breakaway characteristics then the kumho, so they are easier to drive at the limit. A good thing if I want to run them on the street. So I'm starting to lean towards the toyo's. Kevin

05-24-2003, 09:47 AM	#6
Red Rocket Scooby Specialist Member#: 10507 Join Date: Sep 2001 Vehicle: '04 Ex STi Owner '97 4Runner	I got my wheels, can anybody give me some input on this so I can get the tires ordered? http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...hreadid=364032 Thanks, Kevin

05-26-2003, 05:22 PM	#8
Red Rocket Scooby Specialist Member#: 10507 Join Date: Sep 2001 Vehicle: '04 Ex STi Owner '97 4Runner	They don't make them in 225/45-17, hummm. I guess you would want 235/40-17. I just ordered the RA-1's from: http://www.ilpperformance.com/toyo.php Should be here by the end of the week. Kevin

05-27-2003, 11:04 AM	#10
spidey02wrx Scooby Newbie Member#: 17701 Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Queens, NYC	that's a good price for the Toyo's but they are more of a DE/Road Race tire than an auto-x tire as they tend to need a little more heating up to be happy. Get a codriver as a tire warmer. They wear like iron, great bang for the buck, I'm sure you'll be happy. Can you PM me the info on your wheels? something like price/source. Thanks.

05-30-2003, 01:02 PM	#14
CupertinoSteve Scooby Newbie Member#: 12566 Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Cupertino, CA Vehicle: 2002 Impreza WRX Silver - Vishnu Stage 2+	Hi RedRocket, I've gone through 2 sets of RA1's now and I've been pleased with their overall durability and extremely happy with their performance. They are my daily street driving tires (which I use to drive to all my track events - i'm too lazy to switch tires). My first set lasted about 7,000 miles with approximately 4.5 HPDE days run on them. They weren't corded yet, but I lost the center channel and the edges were lumpy - which tells me I'm close to retiring them. I was told by other track folks that each HPDE day is almost like burning off 800-1200 miles of use per day (depending on driving style and how abusive that particular car is to tires - let me say that WRX's are not easy on tires). From my experience, to obtain maximum grip ... you need to put some heat into the tires before running them hard. These tires wear more evenly and seem to last longer (@max grip), when they are shaved (and you can heat cycle them yourself - for those who need to throw on a tire and race - those folks should get them heat cycled ahead of time). I'm running 235x40x17 on my Rota 7.5" rims ... they fit perfectly. I've noticed that they run a little small, hence their ability to hit on a 7.5" rim. (For those with wagons and their fenders rolled - if you have any other brand of 225s, these should work without using the baseball bat). On track use (with my car's setup and driving style), they seem to like 38psi HOT. They get a little greasy @ 39psi. I have not run on a set of the "new" Victoracers. I did drive around in the "older" formula and was impressed, but cannot say anything about their longevity, but I guess is now irrellevant since we can't get 'em anymore. In any event, I still say you made a good choice. Hope this helps, Steve

05-30-2003, 05:33 PM	#15
Red Rocket Scooby Specialist Member#: 10507 Join Date: Sep 2001 Vehicle: '04 Ex STi Owner '97 4Runner	Hey, thanks for the positive comments. I just got the tires in today, and wow, are they big. I should have them mounted on Monday. I'm not 100% sure I'm going to install them on my wrx at this point, I may be getting an sti, so I don't really want to roll the fenders on the wrx if I'm going to sell it. I have some MRT adjustable lateral links coming though, which might let me eek out enough room to run them temporarally without fender rolling. We'll see next week I guess! Kevin