Mac -
i REALLY don't want to provide any useful advice since i will be competing against you this year, but i will try anyway. i haven't checked recently, but as of i think a year ago the hoosier midwest guys would do 1 free tire per win. i better get some coffee, this may take a while.
i have run a LOT of people's old takeoff tires in the last three years, so i have some experience with how well tires wear and keep their speed. tires i've used include Hankook Z211, Toyo RA-1, Kumho Victoracer, Kumho V700, and Hoosier RS304/5.
the Z211's sucked in retrospect. at the time i loved them cause they wore like iron and didn't really drop off throughout the race. but they heat-cycled out quickly and were not fast at all (but of course i wasn't either). the good thing was everyone hated them and i picked up a couple sets for beer.
toyo RA-1. i don't have much time on these, but i'm sure you can find more info and opinions than you want from more credible sources than me from SM guys. and you have already driven on them lots.
Kumho Victoracer. i think this is the best "compromise" tire i have ever used. i ran pretty much an entire season (8 races maybe?) on a single set that were used for i'm not sure how long in the past, but it was at least a couple sessions. for my skill and car prep level, i think i ran good times on them for 90% of the season. they didn't blister, you had to really abuse them to get them to overheat, and they wore well. at the last race of the season though i thought they were going away, i think i coulda still turned good times with them, but it would've taken more sliding of the car, and been less consistent. Especially in long carousels like T3 at MAM, which you will grow to hate next year. in my opinion, if SM had to have a spec tire, this should've been it.
Kumho V700. i only ran 1 qual and 1 race on these last year, and it was at topeka in july when it was literally 110 degrees. i didn't think they handled temperature well, and when i checked them after the race i had blisters the size of dinner plates on my RR tire, as HPT is primarily a left hand track. i've still got a set mounted up in the basement, and i plan to try them again when it's cooler. actually, i tried them in another qual session in october and didn't think they had any grip at all, i chalked it up to sitting for a few months and needing to scrub off the hard top layer, as they got better and better throughout the session.
Hoosiers. i ran a set of these at the last race last year that had probably 10 heat cycles on them including a 2hr enduro. they really weren't bad, took a couple laps to come in (my trip through the mud may have something to do with it), but laps about 3-8 they were pretty solid. i was fairly impressed with them given the wear they had.
Kumho V710. i have a sticker set in bags in the basement, and this what i plan to run the majority of next season.
in summary, the best compromise tire i have found is the Victoracer. i better get back to working on the car if i'm going to try and keep up with you next year Mac.
