I mounted Kenda tires for the track

Monkey Throttle · 02-19-2024, 01:26 PM

Gotta be honest, I don't hate them. And for the money, it's kind of hard to beat.

Let me prequalify:
- They are a rough ride on the street. Driving to and from the track there is definitely a shake.
- On the track, I'm not overly concerned with my lap times. I'm there to have fun, push the car through apex's and chase down my friends. Are there faster tires? I'm sure. But I'm looking for a tire that gets the job done and on a budget and how can you beat $800?
- I don't have much to compare it to because I feel like the only comparison that makes sense is driving a comp tire on the same track in similar conditions. - I did have R888R previously and didn't notice a huge difference.. But my track days were really spread out and one was on a F82 and the other was on the F80.

If tested another tire and it was a second or two faster a lap but twice the price, I'd probably still stick with the Kenda's. I'd rather have reasonable performance with longevity and price. The only caveat being, I feel like I got more days out of the R888R's but I really need to keep a better log.

Wondering how many sessions or days most of you are getting out of your tires? What's your expectation? Obviously track, weather and driving style dependent.

M3SQRD · 02-19-2024, 04:46 PM

Which tire? They have a couple UHP tires: the Versa & the Kaiser. What are the speed and load rating of the tires?

As long as you’re getting, or exceeding, the $/event expectations from the tires then I don’t see an issue with it. Safety would be my number one concern (tires and brakes are the top safety items). However, just keep checking the tires (this applies to any brand of tire) in between sessions looking for any strange issues with the tread (chunking, delamination, etc.) and/or sidewalls (bubbles, cracking, etc.) and if you slow down immediately on track at the first sign/sound of any sudden vibration/noise then you should be fine. I’d probably not run them down to the cords.

Number of days is going to vary widely. It’ll vary based on tire type, car setup with/without proper camber, staggered vs. square tire setups (i.e., how many tire rotations front-rear and/or side-side can you get), with/without aero, type of track (e.g., # and type of corners, # of left vs. right corners, uphill vs. downhill braking zones, etc.), proper vs. improper tire pressures, driving on them to/from the track, new vs. take off tires, car weight, etc. For 3-4 20 min sessions per day, three day event (excluding open lapping day for instructors/advanced group) starting with a brand new 200 TW tire that doesn’t heavily heat cycle out and are not driven on the street at full weight, I’d hope to get a min of ~6 events on demanding tracks, and a min of ~8 events on less demanding tracks. It’s possible to get fewer days, too

Monkey Throttle · 02-19-2024, 10:55 PM

Sorry, should have been more clear. I ran the Kenda Vezda UHP max KR20A in a 275 35 18.

In running a stock setup. Square corners. Tires were recommended to me by a tire shop owner who is around a lot of manufacturers and sometimes tracks. He met the Kenda guys at a race weekend and they were running competitively so he asked me if I wanted to give em a try.

I’m going to keep using them. Time for a new set. For 4 HPDE days out of them doing anywhere from 4-8 20 min sessions. Still have some life left but I’m gonna seat new ones as I usually do 2 day weekends and don’t want to drive in the margins.

02-19-2024, 01:26 PM	#1
Monkey Throttle Second Lieutenant 263 Rep 264 Posts Drives: F80 comp 6MT, 993 C2S Join Date: May 2021 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	I mounted Kenda tires for the track - $800 Gotta be honest, I don't hate them. And for the money, it's kind of hard to beat. Let me prequalify: - They are a rough ride on the street. Driving to and from the track there is definitely a shake. - On the track, I'm not overly concerned with my lap times. I'm there to have fun, push the car through apex's and chase down my friends. Are there faster tires? I'm sure. But I'm looking for a tire that gets the job done and on a budget and how can you beat $800? - I don't have much to compare it to because I feel like the only comparison that makes sense is driving a comp tire on the same track in similar conditions. - I did have R888R previously and didn't notice a huge difference.. But my track days were really spread out and one was on a F82 and the other was on the F80. If tested another tire and it was a second or two faster a lap but twice the price, I'd probably still stick with the Kenda's. I'd rather have reasonable performance with longevity and price. The only caveat being, I feel like I got more days out of the R888R's but I really need to keep a better log. Wondering how many sessions or days most of you are getting out of your tires? What's your expectation? Obviously track, weather and driving style dependent.
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02-19-2024, 04:46 PM	#2
M3SQRD Major General 2164 Rep 5,548 Posts Drives: E92 M3,G20 330ix,F22 240iX,F82 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mid-Atlantic iTrader: (11)	Which tire? They have a couple UHP tires: the Versa & the Kaiser. What are the speed and load rating of the tires? As long as you’re getting, or exceeding, the $/event expectations from the tires then I don’t see an issue with it. Safety would be my number one concern (tires and brakes are the top safety items). However, just keep checking the tires (this applies to any brand of tire) in between sessions looking for any strange issues with the tread (chunking, delamination, etc.) and/or sidewalls (bubbles, cracking, etc.) and if you slow down immediately on track at the first sign/sound of any sudden vibration/noise then you should be fine. I’d probably not run them down to the cords. Number of days is going to vary widely. It’ll vary based on tire type, car setup with/without proper camber, staggered vs. square tire setups (i.e., how many tire rotations front-rear and/or side-side can you get), with/without aero, type of track (e.g., # and type of corners, # of left vs. right corners, uphill vs. downhill braking zones, etc.), proper vs. improper tire pressures, driving on them to/from the track, new vs. take off tires, car weight, etc. For 3-4 20 min sessions per day, three day event (excluding open lapping day for instructors/advanced group) starting with a brand new 200 TW tire that doesn’t heavily heat cycle out and are not driven on the street at full weight, I’d hope to get a min of ~6 events on demanding tracks, and a min of ~8 events on less demanding tracks. It’s possible to get fewer days, too Last edited by M3SQRD; 03-04-2024 at 08:10 AM..
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02-19-2024, 10:55 PM	#3
Monkey Throttle Second Lieutenant 263 Rep 264 Posts Drives: F80 comp 6MT, 993 C2S Join Date: May 2021 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Sorry, should have been more clear. I ran the Kenda Vezda UHP max KR20A in a 275 35 18. In running a stock setup. Square corners. Tires were recommended to me by a tire shop owner who is around a lot of manufacturers and sometimes tracks. He met the Kenda guys at a race weekend and they were running competitively so he asked me if I wanted to give em a try. I’m going to keep using them. Time for a new set. For 4 HPDE days out of them doing anywhere from 4-8 20 min sessions. Still have some life left but I’m gonna seat new ones as I usually do 2 day weekends and don’t want to drive in the margins.
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