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Re: DOT Race Tires may become illegal

To: "Mark J. Andy" <marka@telerama.com>
Subject: Re: DOT Race Tires may become illegal
From: Kevin Stevens <Kevin_Stevens@pursued-with.net>
Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 19:07:39 -0700 (PDT)
On Tue, 28 May 2002, Mark J. Andy wrote:

> Howdy,
>
> On Tue, 28 May 2002, Kevin Stevens wrote:
> > > Other than availability in currently popular street sizes, how would
> > > allowing slicks be VERY bad?
> >
> > If I can't legally drive to the event on my racing tires, I'm not coming.
> > Ever.
>
> Um.  Ok.
>
> How do the other 99% of stock class competitors who _already_ don't come
> to the event on their R tires feel?
>
> Mark

Ok, more detail:

I drive Corvettes, Camaros, and Miatas.  There's probably a Viper or Elise
in my future.

The only one of those you can realistically fit four tires and changing
equipment in is the Camaro, and even that is a royal PITA.  Eliminating
DOT legal tires from Stock/SP classes means, realistically, that a trailer
is required for participation (for many cars), and a commitment to
changing wheels twice under whatever weather and time conditions pertain
at the event site (for ALL cars).

That is a significant participation hurdle above and beyond what exists
today.  It isn't a trivial change, as was presented, and I just want to
bring that to the front.  It was immediately obvious to me that it's more
of a burden than I would be interested in assuming:  I don't have
facilities to park a trailer, I'm not interested in dragging a trailer
around, and it isn't even feasible at a lot of local events to change
tires at the event (you have to be off/on the lot shortly before/after the
event opens/closes).

I'm willing to drive to/from events on Hoosiers and Kumhos on the street
because in my experience they are fully safe and effective except in heavy
standing water, in which case I park the car.  Zillions of cars ran around
without steel-belted radials for years and thought nothing of it.  I'm
willing to get a ticket from a LEO for having bald tires if it comes down
to that.

I'm *NOT* willing to get caught with tires with no DOT stamp on public
roads.  I don't even know the consequences and I already know I don't want
to go there.

So.  Just be aware of the outcome of some of these light-hearted
proposals, is all I'm saying.

KeS

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