I'm about to put rubber on my new Z06 rims. Working on a budget and have (I think) narrowed it down to two choices: Toyo Proxes T1R's - 265/40 17 and 295/35 18, or Ultrac Sessanta's in 275/40 17 and 295/35 18. My 02 coupe is a daily driver and will autocross occasionally so I want some handling and decent stick. Of course I suspect just about anything will be an improvement on the runflats on my stock wheels. I would love some feedback. Also Canadians, have you bought on the internet and shipped to Canada? How did it go?

 

Toyos are acutally a good tire while the Vreds are a budget only tire, IMO.

 

I just bought Toyo's to retain stock sizes. So far, so good.

 

I put a set of Vred's on last week and they really run a LOT quieter than the runflats. I haven't even had a chance to really scuff 'em up yet as we still have winter hangin' in here. I'd get 'em again tho. Hard to beat the price !

 

I can't remark on the Ultracs, but I have had on the GYs, the Toyos and now the Kuhmo Ecsta MXs. I liked the GYs (stock on the Z) the least and they are the most expensive. The Kuhmos are great when you heat them up, before that, look out. My pick would be the Toyos.

That said, see how much less the Kuhmos would be than the Toyos and see if that makes enough of a difference. Both pretty darn good tires for the price. I think either of these would get you better performance on the track but have a little shorter life than the Ultracs. The Toyos will wear out first. The Kuhmos might be a hair better in the wet than the Toyos. A lot to consider.

Speed

 

I run T1Rs on my track car when I have to drive very far to a track and my buddy runs the Vreds. So far they seem to handle and wear about equally.

 

I strongly disagree. I know several people that are running Vrederstiens atWatkins Glen and VIR and they all say they kick a$$. I love mine they are quite, very responsive in the twisties and unbelievably stable in the rain.

 

Compared to what?

You know four people running the tires?..... Hardly a convincing sample, IMO.

 

And your opinion is based on what? Not a flame just a question.

 

I have vreds went from my stock f1 supercars. I love the vreds. Quiet, grip even from a dig is good, in the rain and corners perfect.

Very good tires

 

I have multiple car/tire experience with Toyo and the only experience with Vred is hundreds of threads about "the cheapest tire that will fit my car."

I'm glad you pointed out that it's my opinion, hence my "IMO" above.

 

I have the Vred's and I am very happy with their performance!

 

We tried the Toyo's and got rid of them after 20k. They had a harmonic issue at ~ 40mph, very loud. Went with F1-GS D3, so far so good. YMMV...

 

toyo t1r's. best tire ive had. i think they were 750 shipped for all 4 in Z sizes from treadepot.com

 

Here is a link to a thread with over 4 pages of CF members discussing this tire and yes I know a few of them

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...1673048&page=3

 

I still can't get over the design of the Vred's. If they don't want to invest on making a second tire mold so that the tires are situated correctly, I don't want them on my car. There is NO WAY that a properly designed, asymmetrical performance tire would function properly if mounted backwards on a rim. The same theory applies to these tires. The loading on the inside and outside of a tire is substantially different and I don't like that the "engineers" who made this tire didn't address that.

I currently run BFG G-Force KD's by the way. I don't believe in cheaping out on tires.

 

What is popular is not always right and what is right is not always popular.

That thread shows that there are a lot of cheap people out there and they will say or do what it takes to justify their cheapness.

See the post above. There is a reason good tires cost more. It's not simply "more markup."

 

Are you always so quick to judge people you don't know? Give me a brake you pompous _____.

Here is a quote from a European sports car magazine:

Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta Wins Powercar Summer Tyre Test

The German sports car magazine Powercar has crowned the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta the winner of a test involving eight high-performance summer tyres. According to Powercar, part of the popular German car magazine Auto Zeitung, the Ultrac Sessanta convinced the jury with its top-level results under both wet and dry conditions. On top the Vredestein tyre was also the most attractively priced tyre of the eight that were tested. As part of the test, Powercar examined the performance of eight high-performance summer tyres from renowned tyre manufacturers in the higher segment with the dimensions 245/30 R 20 Y.

During the test, the sports car magazine put the tyres through their paces on both dry and wet surfaces, with the focus placed on handling, braking performance, steering stability and comfort. The Ultrac Sessanta, introduced last year by Vredestein, achieved excellent scores in all areas and was crowned Test Winner by Powercar. According to Powercar, “the Vredestein tyre surprised and convinced, delivering top performance in all areas”.

This outstanding test result ties in perfectly with the podium places that the Vredestein Sportrac 3 already achieved during independent tyre tests carried out earlier. Last year Vredestein introduced the third generation of the Sportrac 3 product range, a tyre that is an excellent, dynamic alternative for drivers who focus more on high performance.

 

Thanks for all the input and the lively discussion; I must admit I too was troubled by the Vreds lack of mirror image asymmetric tires, not sure I follow the parametric design stuff, but people who use them clearly like them. I think I will end up going with the Toyos because should I need a replacement tire it will be easier to get locally and I can stick to a 265 up front which I suspect will make for a more responsive turn-in

I guess that choosing Toyos makes me a "treaditionalist" (anticipating the groans he apologizes in advance)

 

No need to apologize. Have fun with your Toyos