http://www.kumhousa.com/pages/ev700special.htm
The following is a message from Rick Brennan, the High Performance Brand
Manager for Kumho Tire USA. in response to messages that have been appearing
on Internet message boards and in chat rooms claiming Kumho used the "wrong"
compound on its new D.O.T. race tire, the ECSTA V700.
April 25, 2002
Kumho has been a supporter and a participant in grassroots motorsports
activities for nearly ten years. Our participation has included a D.O.T. Race
Tire product offering as well as sponsorship and support programs designed to
help individual racers enjoy the sport they love.
For the past several years Kumho has participated in SCCA and other club-level
motorsports events with the Victoracer V700. This product helped us develop
successful relationships with grassroots racers. At Kumho we constantly
evaluate tire performance and work to improve all of our products. The ECSTA
V700, our new D.O.T. race tire released in early 2002, is an example of this
effort.
The ECSTA V700 incorporates new technology, from a new casing profile designed
to provide quicker steering response and handling, to a new lighter
construction. The initial tire specification set for the new ECSTA V700
included the tread compound that is used on the Victoracer. Initial testing
showed the new tire has advantages over the Victoracer even when using the
same compound. The mass production specification for the ECSTA V700 was set
using this tread specification.
Further investigation tire tests revealed that a new tread compound increased
the grip of the new ECSTA V700. At Kumho, we constantly evaluate our tire
specifications to look for new ideas that make our tires better. This
evolution of the ECSTA V700's tread compound is an example of this effort to
continually offer the best possible products to our customers. Although the
tread compound of the mass production ECSTA V700 will change in the future,
the current specification sold in the U.S. uses the original specification
that was set based on initial product testing.
It is important to remember that although we will change specification of the
ECSTA V700, the current compound used on the tire has won several SCCA
national championships as well as numerous races around the country in SCCA,
Club Racing, and other grassroots racing events over the last two years. This
current compound used on the new ECSTA V700 has also won in 2002 in SCCA SOLO
II, National, and Regional Level Club Racing.
When the specification changes to a new compound for the Ecsta V700, it will
be done on a rolling change basis. This means we will change on a size by size
basis for production. All sizes cannot be produced at the same time due to
limitations on production equipment. We expect by mid-summer of 2002, all
ECSTA V700s will be produced with the new compound.
At Kumho we strive to offer the best possible products at an affordable price.
This same philosophy extends to our line of racing products as well. This
means we will constantly evaluate tire specifications and incorporate new
ideas into our product lines. Our racing activities are extremely important to
Kumho. Racing provides a channel for us to communicate our abilities and our
passion for motorsports, and to capture the trust of the racing community. We
will continue to strive for this trust by building tires that provide
outstanding performance and exceptional value.
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