From Kumho PR:
FONTANA, CA?The Kumho Tire Challenge will be at the IKEA store in Schaumburg, IL, from October 14-17. The event teaches consumers how tires can make a difference in the way a car performs by giving them the opportunity to drive MINI Coopers equipped with different wheels and tires.
The event will be staged in the parking lot of the IKEA store (located at 1800 E. McConnor Parkway). Participants will drive the cars through an autocross course on the lot.
The Kumho Tire Challenge is a national tour that was launched by KUMHO Tire USA in July of 2003 as a means to educate tire dealers and consumers about how different tires affect the performance and handling of a car.
??Unfortunately, most people don?t give much thought to their tires,? said Rick Brennan, high performance brand manager for KUMHO Tire USA. ?They know they?re round, they?re black, they?re rubber and you have to put air in them.?But when you give someone a bit of information and then put him behind the wheel of a car and turn him loose on an autocross course, he?ll quickly learn that tires play a huge role in how a car performs,? noted Brennan. ?After going through this exercise, most people are amazed to learn that there can be such a difference between tires, and they?re also usually surprised to learn just how well the tires perform.?
Kumho uses three MINI Coopers for the Kumho Tire Challenge. The cars are equipped with automatic transmissions and a variety of aftermarket performance products, and each car is equipped with a different Kumho tire. ?We use MINI Coopers for our Challenge program because the MINI is one of the best-handling cars in the world, which makes it the perfect vehicle to showcase the performance of our tires,? added Brennan. ?And the MINI is a people magnet. The cars attract attention wherever they go.?
The Kumho Tire Challenge at IKEA will run rain or shine and will be open on a first-come-first-serve basis to the general public on the following dates and times:
- Tuesday, October 14, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 15, 11 .m. to 7 p.m.
- Thursday, October 16, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Friday, October 17, Noon to 7 p.m.
Will CMMC have a part in this?
No – it's purely a Kumho event. That being said this was sent to me by someone at MINIUSA so I'm sure they'd love to have us come out.
All 3 with automatic transmission? Sorry, I cannot go and support that.
The farthest I have driven a CVT so far is up a set of drive-on ramps.
I am curious to try one out.
Sounds like I would have lots of fun…cept you have automatic trans….wont be there for that!
I had a friend do it today in the rain..
They had an instructor take him out once as a passenger, then he got drives in three Coopers with different tires.. All season worked best in the wet.
Sounds like a blast.. I'm going friday.
I just went today. It was a blast driving the Mini's through the coarse. They all have BMP/SuperSprint set-ups and really felt great. Met someone from MINI corporate as well, learned of a new software updgrade.
Those whp poo-pooed the CVT's really missed out on a great time and good information.
I made sure the CVT was in Sport mode in each of the three cars. The “improved airbox and exhaust provided more than enough power to find the limits of each type of tire. What a blast!
This was a really fun event!
I waited around for a second go-around in the 4 cars, and was rewarded with a hot lap by one of the instructors which was pretty incredible.
Huge thanks to Kumho, Ikea, and Peter Witt for doing this.. next time it is in the area lets try to arrange for a Chicago MINI Motoring Club exclusive screening..