[DaveC113]

Looks like we now have more tire options, including 345/30/18 P1s, which are designed for 12" wide rims. At 26.2" diameter should give enough front fender clearance if running stiff springs.

I'm considering trying a 345 square setup. Currently running 295/35/18 which are only .1" smaller in diameter but a little stretched on 18x12s. Thoughts?

[MatthewAMEL]

Interesting. Only know a few guys in the Orlando region that ran them 'unofficially' last season. They were 'meh' on them compared to the RE-71RS.


On a side note, you can get 18"s to clear the front caliper?

[Christian1LE]

I haven't seen anyone fast post times on those tires, wouldn't buy it till I see some proper comparisons.

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by MatthewAMEL

Interesting. Only know a few guys in the Orlando region that ran them 'unofficially' last season. They were 'meh' on them compared to the RE-71RS.


On a side note, you can get 18"s to clear the front caliper?

Yes, the Apex wheels clear no problem. The EC7RS in 18x12 are 40% off right now too.

I got 10% off and free shipping from Phil's for Black Friday so I got a set of 345/30/18s.

If you've seen the latest Tire Rack tests the REs and A052s were basically the same, and both have a short competitive lifespan. So we'll see. I may also try the Vitours out back with 295/35/18 RE71RS up front as the diameters work out, the 345s are a couple tenths larger diameter.

[VR Baron]

A freind out here who is very fast with a sle tried the vitour. Wasn’t impressed and he is faster on re71rs in 305/30/19s. However two vette friends like them and are very fast with them. People pick up a lot of time. So maybe better on lighter cars vs heavy ones. And they seem to last.

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by VR Baron

A freind out here who is very fast with a sle tried the vitour. Wasn’t impressed and he is faster on re71rs in 305/30/19s. However two vette friends like them and are very fast with them. People pick up a lot of time. So maybe better on lighter cars vs heavy ones. And they seem to last.

Yeah, I'm hoping the 345s will work on our heavier cars.

I've been keeping up with the Vitour group facebook posts. I know some are from sponsored users, but overall it seems like the Vitours are in the same league as the others and may offer a longer competitive lifespan.

[apexit53]

I didnt run the BFG back in the day cause of some rumored games they were playing with sponsored drivers getting back door sets.

I wont run the Vitour cause of the yahoo behind them and the shadiness of his past endeavors. When you're banned from the SCCA cause of cheating, kinda says everything.

But thats just me! I was at a few events where this tire showed up and it wasn't impressive time wise.

[VR Baron]

Originally Posted by DaveC113

Yeah, I'm hoping the 345s will work on our heavier cars.

I've been keeping up with the Vitour group facebook posts. I know some are from sponsored users, but overall it seems like the Vitours are in the same league as the others and may offer a longer competitive lifespan.

One with the vette has the 345s. He hated them the first event and was going to take them off. But the second event they started to work. Was faster by a second when he got used to them. Part of the time could be new vs older tires.
I rode with him. The car was fast and responsive. But modded as it is it always was fast.
Side note, he and his wife also run a zle, and just put on the new 305/30/19 Hoosiers. He says they grip and turn in great. During competition runs he beat me by .75 seconds. During fun runs, when I finally really got the nerve up and pushed the old tires harder in a curve to a straight in a long finish (67 mph through the lights) I beat him by .7 on 140 run re71 285/35/19s.
So great tires, but no better then the other top tires out there it seems

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by VR Baron

One with the vette has the 345s. He hated them the first event and was going to take them off. But the second event they started to work. Was faster by a second when he got used to them. Part of the time could be new vs older tires.
I rode with him. The car was fast and responsive. But modded as it is it always was fast.
Side note, he and his wife also run a zle, and just put on the new 305/30/19 Hoosiers. He says they grip and turn in great. During competition runs he beat me by .75 seconds. During fun runs, when I finally really got the nerve up and pushed the old tires harder in a curve to a straight in a long finish (67 mph through the lights) I beat him by .7 on 140 run re71 285/35/19s.
So great tires, but no better then the other top tires out there it seems

All I expect is about equal, as RE vs A052 are, but I do hope for a longer life. You may have a more forgiving surface to get 140 runs, My REs were at or near the wear bars and fell off hard after about 75 runs.

I didn't get my last set of REs heat cycled and they were horrible first use. Took until the 3rd autox until they worked as intended and they were inconsistent for quite a while too. The previous set I got heat cycled and they were good 1st use and more consistent. I got the P1s heat cycled so hopefully that will help.

Originally Posted by apexit53

I didnt run the BFG back in the day cause of some rumored games they were playing with sponsored drivers getting back door sets.


I wont run the Vitour cause of the yahoo behind them and the shadiness of his past endeavors. When you're banned from the SCCA cause of cheating, kinda says everything.

But thats just me! I was at a few events where this tire showed up and it wasn't impressive time wise.

I heard about that, but imo all 200tw tires are total BS and the entire concept, limiting the cost of competition, is a total joke. A joke at our expense. If Vitour can provide tires that last longer than the other choices I'm prepared to forgive, I don't think holding a grudge is good, but otoh I can see your pov too. Companies are more than one person. Every car company out there has had ethical lapses. People still buy VW after dieselgate. Vitour looks just as legit as the other brands and has invested in offering enough sizes and availability to give us another choice of tire, one that may last longer. If that's the case than maybe it's an overall good thing. They certainly offer larger sizes than Bridgestone.

[VR Baron]

[QUOTE=DaveC113;11455182]All I expect is about equal, as RE vs A052 are, but I do hope for a longer life. You may have a more forgiving surface to get 140 runs, My REs were at or near the wear bars and fell off hard after about 75 runs.

I didn't get my last set of REs heat cycled and they were horrible first use. Took until the 3rd autox until they worked as intended and they were inconsistent for quite a while too. The previous set I got heat cycled and they were good 1st use and more consistent. I got the P1s heat cycled so hopefully that will help.

Dave

Yeah we have nice surfaces. Angels stadium and the rest are not abrasive. I have 150 runs on the tires now and still only halfway to the bars. New tires for sure for next year. Are they slower? Sure, but compared to other guys that are faster on 305s , and even newer tires, not much at all. Just my lousy driving and being still a bit too fast into corners. Of course with the hotchkiss front bar I have no rear EDiff or oversteer issues and can power out of turns.Last event I was surprised at how much they still gripped and didn’t slide.

[apexit53]

Originally Posted by DaveC113

All I expect is about equal, as RE vs A052 are, but I do hope for a longer life. You may have a more forgiving surface to get 140 runs, My REs were at or near the wear bars and fell off hard after about 75 runs.

I didn't get my last set of REs heat cycled and they were horrible first use. Took until the 3rd autox until they worked as intended and they were inconsistent for quite a while too. The previous set I got heat cycled and they were good 1st use and more consistent. I got the P1s heat cycled so hopefully that will help.



I heard about that, but imo all 200tw tires are total BS and the entire concept, limiting the cost of competition, is a total joke. A joke at our expense. If Vitour can provide tires that last longer than the other choices I'm prepared to forgive, I don't think holding a grudge is good, but otoh I can see your pov too. Companies are more than one person. Every car company out there has had ethical lapses. People still buy VW after dieselgate. Vitour looks just as legit as the other brands and has invested in offering enough sizes and availability to give us another choice of tire, one that may last longer. If that's the case than maybe it's an overall good thing. They certainly offer larger sizes than Bridgestone.

I have no issue with the tire or the price. I get the 200tw scam lol. Its more just the individual behind it and how they also handled and behaved when their tire wasn't legal last year.

[Scargoes]

after 3 autocross events and 1 track day I'm still trying to find out why the Vitours don't want to turn on my car. Fwiw, same lot-same day, I was just over 1 second quicker on RE71RS that on the Vitours and that is with the gearing disadvantage of running 305/19 RS and 315/30/18 Vitours. And on the track day, Buttonwillow 13CW, I went out on the Vitours and got 2:06s for the first 3 laps then started going slower. I pulled off on the 8th lap when I ran a 2:12. Swapped over to the RE71RS and pulled 5 2:03s in a row. I realize it was hot that day (104F ambient) but I really did expect the Vitours to do better. And at $2200 for the set(with tax - not including mounting), I should have just bought Hoosier A7s.

[joelster]

I haven't seen a single test in which the guy using the tires wasn't sponsored or helped out on price. You can't really trust feedback from a source like that.

I will say that I've seen some excellent longevity out of the tire, but IMO that is a moot point if the tire is 3-4 tenths (or more) off pace. I don't care if a tire can go 30+ events, if I know I'm going to get my ass kicked in all 30 events if a fast guy on Yoks/RE's shows up. Some guys don't care about having the ultimate tire, but for me personally I like to show up on prepared equipment, knowing that if I lose, it's because I was outdriven. Imagine showing up to Nationals on BFG Rivals and losing your class by 1 tenth. You'd think about that for the rest of your life. I know, I know, that's an extreme example, but the point is the same.

You either make a tire that is just as good or better than what is currently out there, or you make a decent tire, that is too cheap to pass up, like a $200 dollar 325/30/19. There's really no in-between market.

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by Scargoes

after 3 autocross events and 1 track day I'm still trying to find out why the Vitours don't want to turn on my car. Fwiw, same lot-same day, I was just over 1 second quicker on RE71RS that on the Vitours and that is with the gearing disadvantage of running 305/19 RS and 315/30/18 Vitours. And on the track day, Buttonwillow 13CW, I went out on the Vitours and got 2:06s for the first 3 laps then started going slower. I pulled off on the 8th lap when I ran a 2:12. Swapped over to the RE71RS and pulled 5 2:03s in a row. I realize it was hot that day (104F ambient) but I really did expect the Vitours to do better. And at $2200 for the set(with tax - not including mounting), I should have just bought Hoosier A7s.

Wow, that's by far the worst report I've heard!

Originally Posted by joelster

I haven't seen a single test in which the guy using the tires wasn't sponsored or helped out on price. You can't really trust feedback from a source like that.

I will say that I've seen some excellent longevity out of the tire, but IMO that is a moot point if the tire is 3-4 tenths (or more) off pace. I don't care if a tire can go 30+ events, if I know I'm going to get my ass kicked in all 30 events if a fast guy on Yoks/RE's shows up. Some guys don't care about having the ultimate tire, but for me personally I like to show up on prepared equipment, knowing that if I lose, it's because I was outdriven. Imagine showing up to Nationals on BFG Rivals and losing your class by 1 tenth. You'd think about that for the rest of your life. I know, I know, that's an extreme example, but the point is the same.

You either make a tire that is just as good or better than what is currently out there, or you make a decent tire, that is too cheap to pass up, like a $200 dollar 325/30/19. There's really no in-between market.

The Grassroots Motorsports test seems legit?

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/ar...-p1-tire-test/

I do think that lighter cars seem to do best, but I'm hoping a 345 will have enough rubber to keep it from overheating.

Cost ended up at $450 each and free shipping. I think the 295/35/18 REs I used recently went up and are now a bit under $450/tire. Yoks in 315 are over $500 each.