[DeTomaso] 335/35/17 versus 315/35/17 rear tires

[arkoch at earthlink.net]

Not all on topic, but I thought I would throw in some thoughts on my recent experience with tires for my Pantera.
 
When I went to the 17 inch wheels all around from the 15s mounted with P7s, I asked the “hot dogs” that were having their cars worked on in the shop I used when working on the latest upgrades to my car, about the tires they thought were the best for the street and would give the best performance. These guys were driving late 90s Supras that would put over 600 hp to the ground.  
 
They used either Toyo, Kumho, or Hoosier. The one guy that had the reputation as the best driver, and who ran 1:31 at Road Atlanta (a very fast time for a “street” car), recommended the tires he used, the Kumho Ecsta V700 tire.  
 
<http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Ecsta+V700>
 
He qualified his recommendation with the caveat that you give up tire mileage for performance, which is common knowledge to this forum.  He also said don’t plan to do a lot of driving in the rain.  It is bad for your health.  Since I was looking for what I felt was the optimum for my car and driving habits (performance with no rain driving), I wasn’t concerned about the low mileage and rain performance ratings. 
 
I was very surprised when I priced the Kumhos and compared them to my other choices.  They were the least expensive. I bought 245/40/ZR17s for the front and 335/35/ZR17s for the rear. The total cost for the tires, mounted and balanced, was $759 in 2005. 
 
The 335/35 - 245/40 combination provided a comfortable back to front slope of a little less than one inch rear ride height bias. 
 
I won’t go on about the tires other than to say they have performed extremely well – ride, handling, and mileage.  Granted I don’t hot dog around like MD and some of the other avid racers on this forum, but after 7,500 miles and 4 track events the tires still have tread on them.  As was mentioned in an earlier post, “going from street tires to competition tires is like a religious experience.”
 
Given it is advisable to replace a tire of this type every three years or so, I will replace them the first of next year with the same tires, with one exception.  Kumho only offers the 315s now.  It is of no concern to me given the front to back ride height bias and tire width are about the same.  
 
As with everything these days, the price has also gone up.  A new set will cost about $300 more, but still less expensive than the equivalents.
 
Dick Koch - Atlanta