Ken Block’s Tire Of Choice
Ken Block’s Tire Of Choice
Drifting, cornering, flying all that magnificent stunts Ken Block did in Gymkhana series, made people around the world speechless. Smell of burning tire and clouds of smoke became his trademark. Have you ever wondered which tires makes all those stunts possible? Ken changed several cars, but do you know how many tire producers?
Gymkhana 7 – LA burn up
Most brutal, adrenaline intensive, and most expensive shooting so far from Ken Block and his crew, Gymkhana 7 video go viral in matter of hours. No more Ford Fiesta, Ken and his team introduced this custom 1965 Ford Mustang, All-Wheel-Drive known as the “Hoonicorn”, powered by a Roush-Yates V8, 845 Hp NASCAR engine.
Although this is not first time Ken go wild in LA. Second Gymkhana was shot at LA docks with Ken’s custom Subaru Impreza 2009 WRX STI where he burned four set of tires. Just this time, he moved from docks, to LA downtown in a grand style.
HOONICORN SPECs:
– MOTOR: Roush Yates 410 cubic inch Ford V8, 845 hp
– TRANSMISSION: 6-speed Sadev SC90-24 AWD transmission with a hydraulic handbrake system
– SUSPENSION: Custom ASD Motorsports-designed geometry and components
– BODY: 1965 widebody Ford Mustang designed by Ken Block, Hoonigan and RTR, ASD Motorsports full tubular chassis, ASD Motorsports custom roll-cage, door bars and front/rear suspension mounts, RTR carbon fiber body panel
– WHEELS: fifteen52 three-piece R40, 18- x10.5-inch
At The Docks
Pirelli P Zero TROFEO R – Custom Ken Block Compound
From Gymkhana 3 to present day, P Zero tires took a place in Ken’s regular infomercial activity. Downtown LA, he burned 20 sets of tires. With custom compound (tires smoking more) and Ken’s name stamped on it, these beauties left a mark on streets of LA, literally.
Closer inspection reveals true power of P ZERO Trofeo R. It is a high performance race tire designed for high speeds, tight grip, fast cornering and constant trajectories. Materials used in innovative production process should provide “an even distribution of tension between the elements limiting centrifugal forces at high speeds: crucial for constant footprint area and distribution of the contact pressures in conditions of stress”, says manual.
P Zero Trofeo comes in two versions: Trofeo and Trofeo R (R stands for RACE). Race version express more durability, slightly better dry handling and slightly less wet handling. Although both meet high performance standards, R type are meant exclusively for race tracks.
Say no more, but Pirelli’s P Zero Trofeo R are Ken’s ultimate weapon of choice. Rare example of successful marketing/sponsorship combination. Excellent tire with skillful driver and Gymkhana series continues to impress more every time. Waiting for Gymkhana 8…
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