Mike,
We all wish our MGA's were lighter than your TR3's, but tain't so. SVRA
minimum weight for an MGA is 1850 lbs (roadster). They weighed about 1950
in street trim.
Regards,
Mark Palmer
>From: Mike Jackson <grand_wazoo@flinet.com>
>Reply-To: Mike Jackson <grand_wazoo@flinet.com>
>To: MalcolmCox <malcox@sonic.net>
>CC: vintage-race@autox.team.net
>Subject: Re: BFG Comp T/A
>Date: Wed, 04 Oct 2000 16:13:20 -0400
>
>Laguna, boy, I'd love to drive that track someday. 3000 miles one way
>say's it aint likely. But heck, I've got Sebring and Daytona.
>
>Anyway, air pressures. Seems just a touch high for such a light car,
>but in the ball park. When I ran them, I used 28psi front and back on
>my TR3. I think an MGA is a good deal lighter so should be able to run
>with less pressure. Tire temp gauge is the ultimate tool to use to help
>establish pressures. Higher front pressures should help solve
>understeer but if it gets too high, it hurts more than helps because the
>tire crowns and provides less contact patch.
>
>There is also a point at which one has to conclude: "I cant go that fast
>in this corner on this day, on these tires" Luckily, most of our cars
>understeer off that track at that point. The other choice is back end
>first and then nothing much helps. Heck, you didnt even run out of
>track.
>
>We could talk about the driving technique however. An MGA probably
>doesnt have the hp to get substantial power oversteer, so flooring the
>poor beast in the corner was proably exactly the wrong thing to do. If
>you lift off the throttle just a bit, it will transfer a little weight
>off the rears, and to the fronts, helping them bite a bit more and
>encouraging the rears to slip around a little. That technique is called
>Trailing Throttle Oversteer (TTO). Ya dont lift a long way, just enough
>to feel the back end start to shuffle a bit. Then, when the little
>bugger is better aligned with the track, you go back on power and enjoy
>yourself. Done right, it's one of the great joys of racing, helping
>mother nature demonstrate the principles of physics using something in
>addition to brute force.
>
>let me know where you end up and what works.
>
>mike
>
>MalcolmCox wrote:
>
> > I just ran BFGoodrich Comp T/A at a HMSA club event at Laguna last
> > weekend. Very much enjoyed them.
> > However, for the first time, I noticed significant understeer at the
> > turn 2 hairpin.
> > Just kept turning the wheel and flooring the gas, along with scary
> > rumbling from the front end.
> > Fortunately, the track was just wide enough!
> >
> > I am using 30 psi front 28 psi rear, cold.
> > Perhaps I need to change tire pressures?
> > Anyone care to make recomendations on tire pressure for my MGA?
> > Malcolm
>
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