Nankang CR-S Tire V2 - 245/40ZR17 91W

Nankang CR-S is an Extreme Performance summer tire with 200TW specifically designed for Club Racers participating in Autocross, TimeAttack, HPDE & Circuit Racing.

CR-S's asymmetric tread design is engineered specifically to increase rigidity to provide extreme levels of grip while providing direct steering response.

The aramid reinforced sidewall provides precise and responsive handling while providing consistent performance.

We have been developing this tire for the last 3 years with extensive testing with a clear goal to make this tire a step up from the already successful AR-1 tyre. The CR-S is designed to be a faster tyre than AR-1 but also a more consistent tire as well. Furthermore, it is also designed to be even more road user friendly with better driving comfort, lower noise & better in wet conditions than the AR-1. It’s a big challenge to make the car faster on track and at same time also better in overall road use but after lots of trial and error, we are finally ready to launch it in 2024.

Nankang CR-S – User Advice & Scrubbing In:

For most purposes, racing tires will benefit from an appropriate ‘scrubbing in’ procedure. This provides the best combination of performance and longevity under race conditions.

There are several difficulties that arise when using racing tires if they are not scrubbed in prior to use. The most common is “Cold Graining”, where the layer of the tread compound in contact with the track, fails in shear with the layer below. The result is a very visible low frequency, high amplitude rippling effect. This is more common with new tyres particularly when used in wet, damp or greasy conditions.

Nankang Motorsport recommends that a standard scrubbing in procedure be used whenever possible (conditions and regulations allowing). This consists of subjecting the tires through one gentle heat cycle, gradually loading them up whilst avoiding drifting the car. Set cold air pressure at an adequate psi to handle the weight of the car. On track, gradually increase speed subsequently for a minimum three to four laps, with the first lap at 50%-60% of normal usage, gradually increasing but not to exceed 85% capacity with a cool down lap by the end of the session. This will result in a much-improved tire life and on track performance for future sessions.

If possible, scrub in at least one new set of tires during free practice and put these aside for the race. In this way you will know that they have been balanced correctly, and have no slow punctures etc. Getting this done early is important as the qualifying session may become wet or be red flagged, which could force the use of new tires in a race.

It should be noted that there is always going to be a slight performance peak from new tires, but it will only be possible to take advantage of this if the car is balanced on its tires. A correctly scrubbed in set of tires will always give more consistent performance over its lifetime than a set that has been used hard from new, even if it hasn’t grained.

Temperature Operating Range: 70°C – 100°C Tread Temperature Delta (Inside to Outside shoulder): Max 20°C Measuring tyre tread temperatures can be a useful tool for optimising the handling balance of a vehicle. Nankang recommend measuring the temperature at three points across the width of the tire contact patch (inside, middle and outer). The quoted values for temperature operating range are when using a needle style pyrometer and recording temperature at the base of the tread. The inside shoulder temperature should be hotter than the outside shoulder. Surface temperature readings will be approx. 30°C lower but can be used as a guide.