30 replies to this topic

[Eric Orton]

Since it's kind of related , how long can a new tire sit in ideal conditions before it's performance potential starts to degrade? Say I win a couple contingency tires early in the year but I'm already sitting on 2 new sets and may not get a chance to use the contingency tires for another year. Factor in the manufacturing date and they could be a year and a half old by then, any performance loss?

Also, let's say I don't win enough tires to complete the set come the end of the year. Is there any problem matching 2 old (by date) tires with 2 new tires that might have dates ~1 year apart? Is it better to just buy the remaining tires you need to complete the set at the end of the race season and let them sit and age together over the winter?

[Danny Steyn]

Since it's kind of related , how long can a new tire sit in ideal conditions before it's performance potential starts to degrade? Say I win a couple contingency tires early in the year but I'm already sitting on 2 new sets and may not get a chance to use the contingency tires for another year. Factor in the manufacturing date and they could be a year and a half old by then, any performance loss?

Also, let's say I don't win enough tires to complete the set come the end of the year. Is there any problem matching 2 old (by date) tires with 2 new tires that might have dates ~1 year apart? Is it better to just buy the remaining tires you need to complete the set at the end of the race season and let them sit and age together over the winter?

 

Soft fresh tires are fastest. The longer your tires sit, the more they harden. Sell your contingency tires if you are not going to use them immediately, and buy new ones when you need them.

[Jim Drago]

Soft fresh tires are fastest. The longer your tires sit, the more they harden. Sell your contingency tires if you are not going to use them immediately, and buy new ones when you need them.

Agreed.. winning the runoffs twice in a row and collecting contingency tires with good finishes the following years had me running older tires for awhile. It doesn't matter much less at the very front, but I feel like the older tire ( 1 year old) are always a session behind or about .3 a lap at most 90-100 second a lap tracks. I sold my remaining 3 sets of tires and bought new and have not lost a race in the last eight that I have ran and have been under the track record at four different tracks in two different cars.. 

[mbican]

Well I learned a little about tires last summer, ran the sm7's I got with the car for three track days at Pitt race, they were about a year and a half old, seemed pretty good,best time was 2:13, have not had the car professionally set up yet, that will happen this spring. Then at Mid Ohio went to carfest for all three days,out at first session had no grip, luckily I had a used set I got from John Berget that I brought along, put them on and it was like night and day. At the end I was running a 1:46,big improvement from when I started. Looking at tires there was plenty of rubber left but could feel that old ones were very hard compared to newer ones.

[Bench Racer]

Todd B., we've had a couple spendy guys comments.  How about from the other end of the world?

[av8tor]

Since it's kind of related , how long can a new tire sit in ideal conditions before it's performance potential starts to degrade? Say I win a couple contingency tires early in the year but I'm already sitting on 2 new sets and may not get a chance to use the contingency tires for another year. Factor in the manufacturing date and they could be a year and a half old by then, any performance loss?

Also, let's say I don't win enough tires to complete the set come the end of the year. Is there any problem matching 2 old (by date) tires with 2 new tires that might have dates ~1 year apart? Is it better to just buy the remaining tires you need to complete the set at the end of the race season and let them sit and age together over the winter?

sell them to me immediately for $.50 on the dollar.  They will just get hard and slow.

[Andy Mitchell]

This may be from way out in left field, but when I switched over to cars 5 or 6 years ago from bikes I just assumed I was going to be competent right out of the box and bought good tires accordingly. Turns out I sucked back then (and still do, although I''m getting better). It was like going back to the first track day I'd ever done, just about any tire that still held air would have been more than good enough for my first few forays out.

 

Unless you are entering the sport at a higher level than I was I'd say go with reasonably priced take-offs for a while and concentrate on learning to drive. Once you get within striking range of the fast guys you can start to worry about tires. They are absolutely the key reason that the fast guys are so fast, but you need a certain degree of skill/experience before it really becomes cost efficient to dive in head first and start blowing wads of cash on them.

 

YMMV, of course.    

[tburas56]

What use to be a phone call to Danny S asking how much for his 2 cycle take offs has become purchasing a set for the Turkey Trot and doing Test Day. What?

The competition is so good; the 2 laps it took for Cycled tires to come in, will lose the race.

 

IMHO you can purchase one set, qualify and run the two races with not much or any degradation in speed. Again IMHO, the 3rd cycle is the best the tire gets. The next weekend those are good for testing.

 

But if money is not the object, then buy multiple sets and be that guy.

[mbican]

Yeah I have some other things needed for me and car and more track days, with my budget I will get more take offs for this summer.

[luvin_the_rings]

We have scored two free sets of take-off Toyo-RR's from the tire shop at the race track last season.  We were just learning and going through HPDE/Super School.  Our tire expense was literally $0 for the entire season last year.  From our data, we found that the tires provide consistent, predictable grip all the way down to almost nothing.  The overall grip decreases, but very slowly and steadily.  

 

Take it from an expert,  go to the track tire shop right before the SM class goes to qualify each day.  (you'll be in school or HPDE, which runs at different times in the day) Go around the back and look for any used Toyo-RR's in your size.  The front runners will have scrapped their basically new race tires from the previous race for a set of stickers to qualify on.  Pick up those bad boys, pay the $5 mounting and balance fee and run them down to the cords.  We got to learn on the same tires we will be racing on this year, for basically free.  Don't get any better than that.  

 

Best place to find used tires is at the track where your class is running.  

 

Best secret I've learned in this sport yet. 

 

 

EDIT: It was not until the 5th or 6th weekend where we were concerned with performance.  It took us this long to just get the car working right and the suspension set up correctly.  During this time, especially with a new driver learning how to drive, there is lots of flat spotting, spinning and off-track excursions, all which WOULD have ruined a brand new set of RR's.  But we got them for free, so who cares?? not me... 

[Raw Knuckles]

Mbican, I'm in Strongsville and have reached the point where I'm buying new tires (SM-7) regularly.  If you're interested in takeoffs, I can help.