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Tyre Life Of Semi Slicks

eightsixboy
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eightsixboy Mentor

eightsixboy

Posted
Posted

Hi all, I nee to buy some new boots for my r34 soon and cant decide if I should go normal road tyres or semi slicks. The only thing that turns m of the slicks is the thought of them only lasting 5-10,000kms. I would like to get around 15,000kms plus from a set of tyres.

I'm not planning on seeing any track time but still want good grip. My budget would be around 250-300 per tyre.

Cheers, Paul.

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some_cs_student Veteran

some_cs_student

Posted
Posted

KU36's are not race compound semi-slicks, they are street track tyres, so I would assume they wouldn't be as soft as semi-slicks are.

I believe the 595RSR is a similar story.

It also explains the price difference compared to true race compound semi-slicks :P

P.S. I'm planning to buy KU36's in the next month or two but haven't made the purchase yet, I will be avoiding wet weather driving with them. Some people say they aren't too bad but I'd be very cautious in the wet...

Scottydoo Community Regular

Scottydoo

Posted
Posted
as far as i no, semi slicks arnt the best thing to be driving round on the street with all the time, they ment to be really bad in the wet.

as far as i no...

P.S. I'm planning to buy KU36's in the next month or two but haven't made the purchase yet, I will be avoiding wet weather driving with them. Some people say they aren't too bad but I'd be very cautious in the wet...

I've got KU36's on my car and they grip better than I expected in the wet, I don't see a reason to avoid driving in the wet because of them. You need to be careful in the wet on any tyre really. Plus they have soooo much more grip compared to my old Federal 595-SS in the dry, they're even pretty good in the wet on power down (although I only have 200rwkw)

I havent had them on for very long though so am still waiting to see how long they last. I was told guys with big power Supra's have got up around 15,000km out of them though. If I can get that I'll be happy.

Bullet32 Veteran

Bullet32

Posted
Posted
The only thing that turns me off the semi slicks is the thought of them only lasting 5-10,000kms. I would like to get around 15,000kms plus from a set of tyres.

Cheers, Paul.

You will find that the 595RS-R's last a surprisingly long time considering that they only have a treadwear rating of 140.

I have had 225/45R17 and 255/40R17 595RS-R's on my R32 Gtst which has 265rwkw (and I dont drive slowly) for around 40,000kms and they will definitely last another 10,000kms at least... I do check my pressures every week and rotate (strip and fit them from side to side) every 10,000kms though.

writeoff Mentor

writeoff

Posted
Posted

I can't comment on the durability of the KU36s yet but they are not that bad to drive in the wet. I had been doing a spirited hills run when it started to rain and while I started slipping very slightly I was still able to continue at a decent pace. I have also driven in pouring rain with them and took the usual precautions that I take in that kind of weather regardless of the tyres I have ie increase the distance from the car in front, try to avoid heavy acceleration and heavy braking, turn lights on so other cars can see you better etc.

PS - I have a 335rwk GTR but usually drive around running 14psi so ~250rwkW.

eightsixboy Mentor

eightsixboy

Posted
  • Author
Posted
You will find that the 595RS-R's last a surprisingly long time considering that they only have a treadwear rating of 140.

I have had 225/45R17 and 255/40R17 595RS-R's on my R32 Gtst which has 265rwkw (and I dont drive slowly) for around 40,000kms and they will definitely last another 10,000kms at least... I do check my pressures every week and rotate (strip and fit them from side to side) every 10,000kms though.

Ok mad, I'd be happy if they lasted 20-30000kms. Still have to decide if should get the Kumho's or the Federals :(

Marcus89 Proficient

Marcus89

Posted
Posted
Ok mad, I'd be happy if they lasted 20-30000kms. Still have to decide if should get the Kumho's or the Federals :(

The kumho's are not quiet as good as the 595RS-R's although they are better than the 595SS's but that would explain the price structure SS<KU36<RSR

I think value for money wise the KU36's are the best option although it also depends on what you plan to do

eightsixboy Mentor

eightsixboy

Posted
  • Author
Posted
The kumho's are not quiet as good as the 595RS-R's although they are better than the 595SS's but that would explain the price structure SS<KU36<RSR

I think value for money wise the KU36's are the best option although it also depends on what you plan to do

The federals are on special at the moment, there pretty much the same price as the Kumho's so I dont really know which way to go.

I don't really wanna buy either of them if with 'normal' street driving I'm only gonna get 15,000kms out of them.

scotty nm35 Grand Master

scotty nm35

Posted
Posted

That's the price you have to pay for decent grip unfortunately, most high performance road tyres would have a similar lifespan.

Lucky you don't have a sports bike, I used to get 5k from a rear on my GSXR.

Buraz Proficient

Buraz

Posted
Posted

I'v got Toyo R1r on my GTR and they have awesome dry grip and very good in the wet, the amount of water they pick up of the road on a rainy day is unbelievable I can barely see anything behind me. They are well priced too should be within your price range but I wouldn't know about the wear only had them for about 5000k.

http://www.toyo.com.au/Proxes%20R1R%20Press%20Release.htm

http://www.toyo.com.au/Proxes%20R1R.htm

eightsixboy Mentor

eightsixboy

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Ok thanks.

Of course I realise theres a trade of between trye life and tyre grip, was hoping to find a tyre that is smack in the middle haha, half decent grip but without mass wear. Was also thinking about the new Goodyear eagle asym, apparently its meant to be really good?

Its a little harder to decide now, when i had my ae86 with 15's you could get really good tyres for cheap, 18's are a killer haha.

Harey Veteran

Harey

Posted
Posted

I have the KU36s and find them excellent, very grippy. I cannot comment on lifespan yet as i have only had them for 5,000km. I find them excellent in the wet, no complaints at all.

If you are interested more in tyre lifespan then maybe you shouldnt be looking at the closest road legal thing to a semi slick...

Nismo32 Community Regular

Nismo32

Posted
Posted

KU36's overheat quickly at the track and there performance decreases a lot (Along with wear increase). Need to let them cool every 2-3 laps.

I suppose you cant really compare street and track. My KU36 fronts have done 2 track days and about 5000Km's and are 30-40% worn i guess.

But at the sort of price they are....if they only last 15-20K i wouldnt be to fussed.

The federals (RS-R) are a better tyre no doubt. However they are no good in the wet (Standing water wet - damp is no problem). They dont seem to have a channel that runs the circumference of the tyre....so when there is a bit of water on the road they struggle a little.

As a street only tyre. The KU36 is very hard to go past given its cost. (Most of the high end road tyres....Bridgestone RE01Rs and what not are better again.....but there big money)

Cheers

some_cs_student Veteran

some_cs_student

Posted
Posted
The federals (RS-R) are a better tyre no doubt. However they are no good in the wet (Standing water wet - damp is no problem). They dont seem to have a channel that runs the circumference of the tyre....so when there is a bit of water on the road they struggle a little.

As a street only tyre. The KU36 is very hard to go past given its cost. (Most of the high end road tyres....Bridgestone RE01Rs and what not are better again.....but there big money)

If anyone else is looking Option1Garage has the Federal range on special, so the price difference between the KU36 and the 595RSR isn't so big anymore :D

hrd-hr30 Grand Master

hrd-hr30

Posted
Posted
How noisey are KU36s ?

it varies. the 245 & 275 x 18s I had on the Supra were very quiet, but the 215/45x17s on my Legnum were noisey as hell. The Leggie wore the fronts pretty hard on the inside edge too, so the noise was probably alignment related.

they did 15,000km and probably 8-10 track days on the Supra and the fronts were still going strong. Rears were down to TWI.

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