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Hey guys, so I know many of us have been itching for larger tires to put on our 15x10s and 15x9s. Bobby (1viccistude) and I are starting a petition/community effort to convince manufacturers that making these tires will have a market.
Specifically we are aiming to get Hankook to make a 255/40R15 Ventus RS3. We have written up a template e-mail, but we ENCOURAGE you to write your own e-mail with any unique ideas of why this tire is good that may not be included in the template. Lastly, we would really appreciate it if you voice your support in the thread, which will easily allow us to keep rough estimates of people's interest.
Website:
http://www.hankooktireusa.com/techbord/Main.aspx?pageNum=3&subNum=4
Template:
Soo Il Lee, President & CEO
Hankook Tire America Corp.
1450 Valley Road
Wayne, NJ 07470
Dear Sir,
Hankook Tire is very obviously a market-driven company dedicated to its loyal consumers. And there is no doubt that the Hankook Ventus RS-3 has become a popular tire among car enthusiasts, performance oriented drivers, open track day participants, and autocross competitors. Particularly in the 225/45R15 sizing, few others can compare. It has become known among many as the best choice in performance street and occasional track day tires for smaller sporty cars.
As you may know, many wheel manufacturers are now producing 15x9 and 15x10 wheels for the booming performance aftermarket. These new wheels are feeding the ever increasing numbers of enthusiasts that are constantly improving their street cars and taking part in open road course track days on major raceways like Laguna Seca, Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen, or Sebring Raceway. But the tires currently available to the drivers in 235-255mm are track-only or DOT-legal slicks made by manufacturers like Hoosier and Continental and not true dual duty tires like the Hankook Ventus RS-3 (Hankook’s Ventus Z214 competition tire only comes in sizes up to 225/45/R15). This has created a quandary for people using 15x7 and 15x8 wheels who want to move up to the larger wheel and tire combinations, but do not want to leave the Ventus RS-3’s streetable use or longevity behind. Many sadly must use a smaller tire on a narrower wheel for the street and a pure race tire on a wider wheel on the track, leaving them with ill-fitting and less than optimal street wheel and tire combination. This also makes it necessary to bring the extra wheels and tires to the track to switch every track day, and then they must be switched back to drive home.
Many drivers have expressed on various car enthusiast forums, the desire for an aggressive, streetable, dual duty tire like the venerable Hankook Ventus RS-3 in a size that would complement the many 15x9 and 15x10 wheels readily available to them. Please consider making such a tire available to enthusiasts who wish to consume these tires regularly. What is particularly desired is a Ventus RS-3 tire in the 245/40 or 255/40 range of sizes to make full use of the 9 and 10 inch wide wheels. While there is a modest selection of R-compound tires available from other tire manufacturers in the 235-255mm range, there is still no maximum performance street compound tire available.
Having surveyed among drivers at open track days, autocross events and on several enthusiast forums, here is a partial list of cars that could benefit from a RS-3 of this size:
Acura Integra (1985-2002)
Chevrolet Camaro (1967-1992)
Chevrolet Corvette (1962-1982)
Dodge Neon/Neon ACR (1995-2005)
Ford Focus/Focus SVT (1998-present)
Ford Mustang (1964-2004)
Honda Civic (1984-2005)
Lotus 7, Super 7/Caterham/Birkin/Locost (1960-present)
Mazda 323/323GTX (1985-1989)
Mazda Miata (1990-2005)
Mazda Protégé (1989-1994)
Mazda RX7 (1979-1991)
Mini Cooper/CooperS (2001-present)
Nissan 200sx (1994-1998)
Nissan 240sx (1989-1998)
Nissan 240z/260z/280z/280zx/300zx (1969-1989)
Nissan Sentra/Sentra SE-R (1982-present)
Porsche 911/911s/911sc/911 Turbo (1965-1989)
Porsche 914 (1969-1976)
Porsche 924/924s/924 Turbo (1976-1982)
Porsche 944/944s/944 Turbo (1982-1991)
Toyota Celica (1971-2005)
Toyota Corolla (1983-1987) (Often called the AE86)
Toyota MR2/MR Spyder (1984-2007)
This is but a partial list generated by talk among drivers regarding their desires and needs. We are hopeful that Hankook will grace us with a Ventus RS-3 that fills this void in the marketplace. We will be forever grateful.
With humble regards,
XXXX
Specifically we are aiming to get Hankook to make a 255/40R15 Ventus RS3. We have written up a template e-mail, but we ENCOURAGE you to write your own e-mail with any unique ideas of why this tire is good that may not be included in the template. Lastly, we would really appreciate it if you voice your support in the thread, which will easily allow us to keep rough estimates of people's interest.
Website:
http://www.hankooktireusa.com/techbord/Main.aspx?pageNum=3&subNum=4
Template:
Soo Il Lee, President & CEO
Hankook Tire America Corp.
1450 Valley Road
Wayne, NJ 07470
Dear Sir,
Hankook Tire is very obviously a market-driven company dedicated to its loyal consumers. And there is no doubt that the Hankook Ventus RS-3 has become a popular tire among car enthusiasts, performance oriented drivers, open track day participants, and autocross competitors. Particularly in the 225/45R15 sizing, few others can compare. It has become known among many as the best choice in performance street and occasional track day tires for smaller sporty cars.
As you may know, many wheel manufacturers are now producing 15x9 and 15x10 wheels for the booming performance aftermarket. These new wheels are feeding the ever increasing numbers of enthusiasts that are constantly improving their street cars and taking part in open road course track days on major raceways like Laguna Seca, Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen, or Sebring Raceway. But the tires currently available to the drivers in 235-255mm are track-only or DOT-legal slicks made by manufacturers like Hoosier and Continental and not true dual duty tires like the Hankook Ventus RS-3 (Hankook’s Ventus Z214 competition tire only comes in sizes up to 225/45/R15). This has created a quandary for people using 15x7 and 15x8 wheels who want to move up to the larger wheel and tire combinations, but do not want to leave the Ventus RS-3’s streetable use or longevity behind. Many sadly must use a smaller tire on a narrower wheel for the street and a pure race tire on a wider wheel on the track, leaving them with ill-fitting and less than optimal street wheel and tire combination. This also makes it necessary to bring the extra wheels and tires to the track to switch every track day, and then they must be switched back to drive home.
Many drivers have expressed on various car enthusiast forums, the desire for an aggressive, streetable, dual duty tire like the venerable Hankook Ventus RS-3 in a size that would complement the many 15x9 and 15x10 wheels readily available to them. Please consider making such a tire available to enthusiasts who wish to consume these tires regularly. What is particularly desired is a Ventus RS-3 tire in the 245/40 or 255/40 range of sizes to make full use of the 9 and 10 inch wide wheels. While there is a modest selection of R-compound tires available from other tire manufacturers in the 235-255mm range, there is still no maximum performance street compound tire available.
Having surveyed among drivers at open track days, autocross events and on several enthusiast forums, here is a partial list of cars that could benefit from a RS-3 of this size:
Acura Integra (1985-2002)
Chevrolet Camaro (1967-1992)
Chevrolet Corvette (1962-1982)
Dodge Neon/Neon ACR (1995-2005)
Ford Focus/Focus SVT (1998-present)
Ford Mustang (1964-2004)
Honda Civic (1984-2005)
Lotus 7, Super 7/Caterham/Birkin/Locost (1960-present)
Mazda 323/323GTX (1985-1989)
Mazda Miata (1990-2005)
Mazda Protégé (1989-1994)
Mazda RX7 (1979-1991)
Mini Cooper/CooperS (2001-present)
Nissan 200sx (1994-1998)
Nissan 240sx (1989-1998)
Nissan 240z/260z/280z/280zx/300zx (1969-1989)
Nissan Sentra/Sentra SE-R (1982-present)
Porsche 911/911s/911sc/911 Turbo (1965-1989)
Porsche 914 (1969-1976)
Porsche 924/924s/924 Turbo (1976-1982)
Porsche 944/944s/944 Turbo (1982-1991)
Toyota Celica (1971-2005)
Toyota Corolla (1983-1987) (Often called the AE86)
Toyota MR2/MR Spyder (1984-2007)
This is but a partial list generated by talk among drivers regarding their desires and needs. We are hopeful that Hankook will grace us with a Ventus RS-3 that fills this void in the marketplace. We will be forever grateful.
With humble regards,
XXXX
