I've been doing some checking on the tire problem separately... here's
what I think I know.
I managed to get ahold of the Hoosier race guy a couple weeks ago. He
told me that he doesn't think there have been any changes to the Vintage
TD compound. I gave him the codes off one old tire and one new tire and
he is going to do some research and see if he can find where anything
changed. I haven't heard back from him yet.
He also told me that Hoosier is planning to bring out 2 different sized
15 inch treaded radials, hopefully by this December, although they
apparently planned to do it last year and didn't make it. He said one
is 185/65/15 and the other is 205/60/15. He didn't have any details
other than the first one came out of the mold the day I talked to him.
He expects them to cost about the same as the Vintage TDs but might last
longer.
I still think we should be allowed to use the lower sidewall tires like
the Toyo RA1, which has been selected as the SCCA Spec Miata tire for
the next couple of years so we know it'll be around for while. Having
the 50 profile as an option would increase our options exponentially.
At least one group has agreed to allow them on a test basis but to my
knowledge that doesn't include SVRA which is the group most seem to
follow.
A different group responded to our complaints about very limited tire
options by suggesting that we run on shaved street tires. Several of us
are considering doing a test of ultra high performance (V rated) street
tires but I'm getting very mixed reaction from the tire manufacturers
and distributors. Some say it should be fine, especially if we shave
them down to about 4/32 of tread to reduce heat, others say it would be
moronic to even try street tires under race conditions. I'd like to
hear from the experienced racers as to whether we should even think
about racing on ultra high performance street tires. Don
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-fot@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-fot@autox.team.net] On
Behalf Of Jack W. Drews
Sent: Monday, October 17, 2005 2:02 PM
To: fot@autox.team.net
Subject: I'm the guilty party on tire discussion
I started all this by needling Tony about being sideways too much.
Then I had the problem myself and it startled me because I'm not
going any faster than I used to.
Then I started the web discussion about tires with this message below
dated 8/22/05. I don't think it accomplished much other than giving
us something interesting to talk about, which actually does have some
value. Somebody posted a message within the last couple of weeks
pertaining to a conversation they had with Hoosier but I can't find
the message. Hoosier won't return my calls. Not surprising.
Henry's experience at Mid Ohio is exactly what I'm talking about.
Granted, the faster you go, the faster the tires wear. But I took a
brand new set to Grattan, broke them in per Hoosier directions, and
they were completely worn out after two weekends, running the same
lap times that I've always run. I'd like to tell everybody that I'm
faster than I used to be, but that simply isn't so. I have a record
of my fast lap times from every vintage race I've run and except for
that bonzaii run at Road America this September, they look pretty
much the same for several years.
Here's the original message:
To: fot@autox.team.net
From: "Jack W. Drews" <vinttr4@geneseo.net>
Subject: Hoosier tire wear survey
Cc:
For about eight years, I was getting four race weekends out of my
Hoosier tires, 5.5. x 15 Vintage TD's, on my TR4.
Starting last year, I have been getting two race weekends or less.
That's a heck of a jump in tire wear. Last weekend, on a brand new
set of Hoosiers, i wore one tire down to where it is no longer
useable (and I wasn't that fast, either!)
I am running the same suspension pieces, am running the same lap
times, etc etc.
Question: Has anyone else experienced this kind of tire life reduction?
uncle jack
uncle jack
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