Experience with Hankook Z214 Tires?

[Kgolf31]

Does anyone have experience with Hankook Z214 Tires?

I'm looking to get these for autocrossing. It's between these and RS3s. I'm not going to any other brand because I have a hook-up and can get both for cheap.

Of course I want these more than the RS3s because they are R-Comps. I'll be mounting them on my car a couple miles away and be driving on them to the event.

I'll be running 245, 275 (IIRC they can fit under stock suspension w/out rubbing?).

Any experience with these tires and insight would be greatly appreciated. How much life am I expecting out of R-Comps (Run Wise).

Do you think I can get 2 years out of them before replacement?

Same question applied to RS3s, how much life can I get out of them with just autocrossing.

(R-Comp noob here)

[wassup61]

You can expect 80 runs before the grip level starts to fall off. If you drive on them to the event, expect to lose a tire per season (they are not puncture resistant at all), and you will heat cycle them out within 40 runs.

If you are new to autocross, do not start on an r comp tire, you will learn to drive poorly, as the stick covers your vehicle dynamics mistakes.

RS3 is on epic backorder, but is a much better street tire that you can drive on, they wear relatively well, and are more forgiving than an R comp (they let go progressively).

I have autocrossed on everything under the sun:
Z1 Star Spec
RE11
RS3
PS2
PS1
PS A/S
BFG KDW
BFG GeForce SS
kuhmo V710
Hoosier A6
Hoosier R6
Z214 C71
and BFG R1

Of these, the best balance really is the RS3, the z214 is around 10 dollars per run worth of tire btw.

[Kgolf31]

I've been autocrossing for 2.5 years. I've stepped from All-Seasons when I started to Toyo Proxes T1Rs.

These R-Comps are the right price, and since I am running AS, I want to be competitive.

Where I'm getting these tires, I don't need to worry about backorder.

[idlook2]

I'm running the Z214 c51's now. I bought the c51's for track and autox use on my e30. For autox, they are the best tires I've tired. I ran on used hoosiers before the hankooks and wasn't all that impressed but it's hard to judge any used r-comp tire. I'm hoping to last 1.5-2 seasons (9-12 autox's and 7-10 track days) and I probably will but as many have said you will heat cycle r-comps before all the meat is gone.

wassup61, do you still go to windy city bmw autox's?

[cgroppi]

I have a friend that runs them on a DSP R32. He likes them alright, but has not compared them to V710s or A6s. It is still the case that pretty much all nationals winners on r-comps are using A6s. There's likely a reason for that

If you run once a month or more, you'll get one year absolute max out of them. They'll start to fall off from heat cycling before you cord them. If you drive them to events, they'll heat cycle out faster. It's why I have a tire trailer.

245/275 will fit just fine. You might need a 5mm spacer in the rear. I run 285 A6s square on stock wheels and suspension, and they fit with the spacer in the back.

In fact, I would consider getting one 275 to test and try mounting it on the front. If it fits, 275 square is definitely the way to go. If not, 245 square might actually work better than the staggered setup.

[arggg45]

Originally Posted by cgroppi

I have a friend that runs them on a DSP R32. He likes them alright, but has not compared them to V710s or A6s. It is still the case that pretty much all nationals winners on r-comps are using A6s. There's likely a reason for that

If you run once a month or more, you'll get one year absolute max out of them. They'll start to fall off from heat cycling before you cord them. If you drive them to events, they'll heat cycle out faster. It's why I have a tire trailer.

245/275 will fit just fine. You might need a 5mm spacer in the rear. I run 285 A6s square on stock wheels and suspension, and they fit with the spacer in the back.

In fact, I would consider getting one 275 to test and try mounting it on the front. If it fits, 275 square is definitely the way to go. If not, 245 square might actually work better than the staggered setup.

Can you post details of your tire trailer. How you mounted the hitch, etc?

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by arggg45

Can you post details of your tire trailer. How you mounted the hitch, etc?

+1

I'm running AS, so trying to max out to favor a square set-up is key

[cgroppi]

Originally Posted by arggg45

Can you post details of your tire trailer. How you mounted the hitch, etc?

I got a custom made hitch by B&M Bumper and Hitch here in Phoenix. It's mounted to the center of the rear bumper bodywork under the bumper cover, and the bolts at the rear jack point where the tension rods are attached. It fits inside the tunnel formed by the aluminum heat insulation just under the center of the bumper. I had them mount the receiver so it is just behind the plastic mesh at the bottom of the bumper. They cut a hole in the mesh to access the receiver. The plastic cover that forms the bottom of the tunnel between the mufflers is still there, but I cut a hole in it so I can access the receiver hitch pin and attach the safety chains to the hitch. Other than the small hole in the mesh for the receiver it's completely invisible. When I tell people I have a hitch, it takes them a while to find it.

The wiring harness is wired into the rear passenger tail light. The harness usually just sits in the trunk. I drape it out and close the lid on it when using the trailer.

The trailer is everybody's favorite Harbor Freight model with the 12" tire option. I bought it from another autocrosser with the toolbox already mounted. I made the rear platform for the tires, since 4x 285s won't fit the normal side by side way. It's a plywood deck with standoffs made from all-thread, nuts and washers. I removed the trailer fenders since the deck acts as fenders anyway. The deck has some galvanized steel pipes mounted on it to use as posts to hold the tires. The wheels have no center caps, so they fit over the pipes. I then hold them down with ratchet straps. It works great. Fully loaded, the trailer weighs about 300 lbs, and the tongue weight is only about 25 lbs.

Here's a picture:

[arggg45]

Originally Posted by cgroppi

I got a custom made hitch by B&M Bumper and Hitch here in Phoenix. It's mounted to the center of the rear bumper bodywork under the bumper cover, and the bolts at the rear jack point where the tension rods are attached. It fits inside the tunnel formed by the aluminum heat insulation just under the center of the bumper. I had them mount the receiver so it is just behind the plastic mesh at the bottom of the bumper. They cut a hole in the mesh to access the receiver. The plastic cover that forms the bottom of the tunnel between the mufflers is still there, but I cut a hole in it so I can access the receiver hitch pin and attach the safety chains to the hitch. Other than the small hole in the mesh for the receiver it's completely invisible. When I tell people I have a hitch, it takes them a while to find it.

The wiring harness is wired into the rear passenger tail light. The harness usually just sits in the trunk. I drape it out and close the lid on it when using the trailer.

The trailer is everybody's favorite Harbor Freight model with the 12" tire option. I bought it from another autocrosser with the toolbox already mounted. I made the rear platform for the tires, since 4x 285s won't fit the normal side by side way. It's a plywood deck with standoffs made from all-thread, nuts and washers. I removed the trailer fenders since the deck acts as fenders anyway. The deck has some galvanized steel pipes mounted on it to use as posts to hold the tires. The wheels have no center caps, so they fit over the pipes. I then hold them down with ratchet straps. It works great. Fully loaded, the trailer weighs about 300 lbs, and the tongue weight is only about 25 lbs.

Here's a picture:

If you could post a few pictures of how the hitch is mounted under the car, it would be greatly appreciated. I've been trying to figure out how to get a trailer attached to this thing for ages.

[cgroppi]

Originally Posted by arggg45

If you could post a few pictures of how the hitch is mounted under the car, it would be greatly appreciated. I've been trying to figure out how to get a trailer attached to this thing for ages.

I will try. It's not easy to take pictures because the hitch is hidden so well, even from the underside.

B&M kept the car for a full week to design, fabricate and install the hitch.

[cgroppi]

Originally Posted by cgroppi

I will try. It's not easy to take pictures because the hitch is hidden so well, even from the underside.

B&M kept the car for a full week to design, fabricate and install the hitch.

I put a post in the track forum about the hitch with lots of pictures. I started a new thread so it would be easy for people to search for.

[Shipkiller]

Thanks. I have been looking for a way to put a hitch on my car without making it look screwed up.