yellow01

I think it has been posted before, but I figured I'd post my review anyway. I was on the fence looking for tires for the track only. I had seen alot of talk about alot of different options and finally decided on V710s.

Purchased from tirerack.com, heat cycled, roughly $1000. $65 for mount and balance of all four at a local Discount tire.

I had been told by a non-forum vendor to expect them to blister in 3 sessions in the heat (same vendor selling me RA1s for $1300+). Well, they DID NOT blister, 7 sessions, 95* and sunny out (read DAMN hot) and no issues.

I went from MXs to these. I was very happy with the MXs for the price and what they are and will continue to run them on the street and as a rain tire. At TWS I went from 2:14 to a best of 2:01 with the v710s. I know there was more to be had, I made some errors I know about and think there's definitely more mph in a few turns. I had to change my drive quite a bit from the MXs because speeds were different, shift points, braking points etc. all changed.

I put 7 sessions on them. My fastest session was the last one. I think most of this was me starting to trust them since this was my first time out. I didn't notice any falloff in grip, but again, I was probably not using all of them in the beginning anyway.

I started out Saturday at 31psi, hitting 40 at the end of the session. Backed off through the weekend and settled on 29.5/30 ish cold. -2.4* camber in the front and I used all but the last 1/4" of the friction surface. Looking at the wear-holes, they seem to have worn pretty evenly across.

I did notice toward the end of the sessions as I got faster they did get a bit greasy. It was really neat for me because I hadn't quite felt that before. It also made me start thinking about preserving them a bit in some turns in order to be faster in upcoming turns (i.e. not heating them up needlessly in some corners). And this did pay off... you could tell the difference.

I was EXTREMELY happy with how predictable they were. I was very used to the audio signal that the street tires give at the edge and was concerned these would cut loose with no warning. I was wrong. These are quiet but they start sidestepping an inch or so if you overdo things, but they do so very predictably. Because I was essentially relearning things, I had a few corners that I got in too hot and had some push. Just a little gas really rotated the car and when it got back on track they just grabbed on and started tracking again. It was really amazing and quite pleasing to have that level of control.

Now a friendly warning. My car is lowered A BIT, not slammed, and I had 3 fingers clearance between the tire and fender with the correct rake set. Even with Z06 springs and bars my fenders did rub in some corners. It wasn't bad and I didn't hurt the tires but it did put a shallow groove in the tread. I actually raised it a bit there at the track (loosing some camber in the process) to avoid issue. I put a few pics below to give you an idea of what 3.5 fingers of clearance turns into with this much grip. In the last shot you can see the little plastic spoiler thingy in front getting sanded down... I had shavings hanging from them when I came off

For anyone on the fence about moving to track tires, I highly recommend the v710s. I don't know how long they'll last, I'll post that when I find out, but they're going to be a hard habit to break.

Wicked Weasel

thanks for the write-up. More and more people seem to like the V710s. I am ordering a set today to be put on my car..

yellow01

You will not be disappointed.

wtknght1

Now you know why I (we) have talked so highly of them. Your starting pressures are a bit high, but as long as you keep the hot pressure below 40, you are OK.

Now put some Carbotech brakes on there!!!

yellow01

Yeah, I know you recommended a bit lower, but I'm not near your level, so started there. I backed down quite a bit.

I was also unsure if this was a good tire for a DE-er because I'm not really looking for 10ths like you are, but really a tire that grips and will last. Looks like this tire will fit the bill

I'm running Wilwood H with cooling and like it.

ScaryFast

Who the hell told you they blister? Was it just a ploy because the guy had the Toyos, or was this someone you knew?

I've never heard of that. I've been running them for a few years, my buddies run them, and 1/2 the forum runs them. I've never heard of blistering.

They get greasy, but not as bad as the Hoosiers. They last fairly well, I have no complaints. I'm not as smooth as Chris so I'm harder on tires

Regardless of skill level your pressures are too high. Start in the mid-20's.

I'm trying the Goodyear GS-CS (or is it GS-SC?) this season if I can ever get my car out of the shop. I'm curious to see lap times on my local tracks. Of course, changing from a stock 350 to a 383 may also influence lap times.

yellow01

I'd rather not say publicly. It WAS NOT a forum vendor. My opinion is because yes, he wanted to sell Toyos. Just my gut feel. I did not know the person previous to trying to find tires.

RedHotBolt

I have the stock alignment and I don't know what to do. I used to get 12-16 sessions out of a set of VRL scuffs. I put on a set on Sat. afternoon and after five sessions the right rear is corded!!! Maybe my alignment has changed or will a bad alignment be worse the faster I get? I was starting about 26 psi cold and thought that was causing the cording so I went to 32 psi cold to try to get the tire on the middle of the contact patch.

I used to pay $50.00 each (plus mounting and balancing) but now they went up to $80-120 per tire! If I new I would not cord them in a few sessions I would get a set of these V710's. I have to be carefull as my C6 is my everyday driver.


Jerry

yellow01

Jerry,

While I don't have much experience with the 710s yet, one thing that's obvious is that they have a very rounded sidewall for camber challenged users (not that you are one but that's why it's like that) vs. the squared sidewall of many other tires.

This may mitigate your concern significantly.

Just an idea.

yakisoba

Enjoyed running with you fellas. I was the blue Z06, in the third pit area. Hope to see you again soon.
--Yak

C6400hp

Jerry, You might try the Toyo RA1/ Nitto NT01. I love them and so far I have 6 track days, 4 autocrosses and about 3000 street miles on them and they are great. I think they will last me an entire year of track days and autocrosses, maybe longer. My alignment is slightly aggressive -1.5 camber front -1.0 rear and my car is a daily driver as well. I have no uneven wear on my street tires. I am not sure if they are as sticky as the V710 or what you are used to but, I think Yellow01 can confirm that they are plenty fast. They are extremely consistent don't fall off at all during a session and get faster through their life as the tread wears off they become a grooved slick for the remaining tire life. Without more than -2 camber with the RA1 the outside shoulder of the tire will wear faster but you just flip them on the rim and run them inside out for the other half of the tires life and this is what Toyo recommends. They say just do not drive them in the rain if they are flipped.

xsiveone

What sizes were you using? I assume on stock Z06 wheels?

yakisoba

I think I see a thermometer in my future. Not sure I want one of the $200 dollar pyrometers, but a $40 laser thermometer would work, I think, if what you are after is differential temps edge to edge on a tire. That would tell you what pressure to run, for sure.
--Yak
PS: I started the weekend at 26 r/28f and ended around 37 hot all round on used Hoosier A6s.

yellow01

yes, stock z06 wheels, 275/40 and 315/35.

wtknght1

They are decent, but I'm 99% sure you can get Carbotechs for cheaper and I know they stop better. I'll even send you a used set to try. If you like them, send me something ($$) for them. If not, you lose nothing. Let me know. wtknght1@aol.com

That offer pretty much goes for anybody else too for that matter.

xsiveone

Thanks! Any rubbing? Do the rears stick out any?

yellow01

I rubbed the outer fender because the car was too low. A few cranks on the spring bolts and fixed the problem.

No internal rubbing and rears don't stick out (maybe a few mm) but nothing noticable and for track only I don't care so much anyway.

Olitho

If you guys are tweaking the ride height of the car you should really get the car corner-balanced again if you want it to drive the best on the track.

Corner balancing the car is the process of adjusting the spring pre-loads so as to have an equal diagonal weight distribution on all four wheels.

If you don't do this, you likely have some handling aberations.

A good race shop, and some alignment shops, can do this for about $200, plus or minus a bit....

NewC6Toy

Ok, I'll bite... what is involved in corner balancing a car with leaf springs? I know about corner balancing a car with coil over suspension. I have access to scales and have corner balanced other cars, but never my vette. I'm a bad boy and have searched yet but, is there a FAQ or thread that tells you how to do it?

yellow01

Yes you are right. i also lost camber in the process... I was in a bind. it was too low, and I didn't want to lose a tire and go home after two sessions so out came the might 10mm...

Now that I'm back I've got to do it all over again at the new height (I'm actually going to go up even more).

Good recommendation though.