What are the practical differences between the various tire models?

Maybe you can enlighten me on that.

Of course, all the official cars have already been updated to tire mode v7, but there are still some older mod cars I really like, that are still on v4, v5 or v6. What I think I can see is that the tires temp app is not really reliable for anything thats not v7, but other than that, what are the practical differences? Can a car on v6 for example still compete with one on v7?

 

Nice question I would like to know the same, cause I'd like to use mazda 787b, and who knows when will it actually be in kunos content..

 

The difference between tyre versions is a difference in how grip, temp, etc is calculated. With every new version, it takes new factors into consideration for how the tyre responds. The latest versions have better calculations for how the amount of weight on the tyre affects grip, and others changed how the tyres heated and cooled, just to name a couple of changes. With each new tyre model, they should, theoretically at least, be more accurate than the previous.

 

Thanks for your input @FlandreNien.
So are the older tire models now calculated wildly incorrectly or are they missing crucial features that would make them uncompetitive in a rave against same class on v7?

 

They aren't wildly incorrect, they just lack the detail of the newer models. It's like taking a car model from Gran Turismo 2, and comparing it to one from Gran Turismo 6. They are both recognizable as the same car, just one looks more accurate and is more detailed than the other.
As far as actual performance is concerned. It will depend on the tyre. Some tyres will rely on something that was added in a later version to gain grip, while others become less reliable from it. Basically don't take a car on v2 tyres to be an accurate representation of what it would actually feel like, but as more of an approximation, and each newer version adds more to the level of accuracy.