2 year old track tires, use or not?

[maj75]

I just got a set of Kosei rims. They came with 2 mounted Kumho Ecsta XS 244/40/17 tires. They had 3 track days on them and then were stored in the garage for 2 years. They were aired up and off the car.

Should they be OK for HPDE track duty or do I need to replace them? I intend to buy 2 of the same tires, should I get 4 instead?

[Mattzilla]

are they made for track use only? i would say keep them but then again i do not have much knowledge on track tires compared to regular tires haha. My opinion is to say keep them but you do not have to listen to me if you do not want to. It's just my opnion

[slocar]

I just got a set of Kosei rims. They came with 2 mounted Kumho Ecsta XS 244/40/17 tires. They had 3 track days on them and then were stored in the garage for 2 years. They were aired up and off the car.

Should they be OK for HPDE track duty or do I need to replace them? I intend to buy 2 of the same tires, should I get 4 instead?
I'd run em.

Obviously not the same thing, but I've had the same winter wheel/tire setup for about 5 years now. They sit unused for 10 months at a time and do just fine when I need them. Being stored in a garage, away from the elements slows down the deterioration of the rubber a lot, plus they didn't get flatspotted stored etc.

I'm curious to hear other opinions, but I personally wouldn't think twice about running them.

[Pik Masta]

The XS are not track tires. They are street legal tires in the extreme high performance category which is one step down from semi slicks

[maj75]

They are track tires when I drive them on the track ;)

[MatthewH]

The XS are not track tires. They are street legal tires in the extreme high performance category which is one step down from semi slicks

They basically are only very good as track tires--dry track tires at that. They should be excellent as a HPDE tire. Certainly not the fastest, but good grip and wear.

The 245/40R17 XSes might wear badly on the 8.5" wide Koseis. The XSes have really floppy sidewalls and really benefit from more rim width. I've been using a free used set as autocross tires for several years, and I like them a lot, but they came with a really wacky wear pattern from being abused on some skinny rims by the previous owner. They have been wearing great for me. It is possible to overheat them, but probably not at a HPDE. They do suck at the rear end for putting down power--I wouldn't recommend them at a drag strip.

I'd say get a matching pair. Maybe even try the 225/45R17 size in back (yeah, reverse of the stock stagger.)

[maj75]

Seriously, tire spam?