27 replies to this topic

[Dave Metz]

Located a few sets of tires (mostly Hoosiers) online VERY cheap. First, anyone know where the date code is on Hoosiers and how to read them? Second, the tires only have a couple heat cycles on them. They have been stored in a garage for an unknown period - will know when the date codes are checked. How long would they typically be good? Regional level racing, of course...

[Jim Drago]

Located a few sets of tires (mostly Hoosiers) online VERY cheap. First, anyone know where the date code is on Hoosiers and how to read them? Second, the tires only have a couple heat cycles on them. They have been stored in a garage for an unknown period - will know when the date codes are checked. How long would they typically be good? Regional level racing, of course...

It is a bit of a crap shoot... Sometimes they are fine, some times they are rock hard and never come back. I would lean towards never coming back?

Jim

[Dave Metz]

It is a bit of a crap shoot... Sometimes they are fine, some times they are rock hard and never come back. I would lean towards never coming back?

Jim

I hope you are wrong. Drove to Nashville overnightTo get them. Just checked what I think is the date on one of them and it is 4 years old. Hope I didn't waste 17 hours driving and $200+ in gas. If I did, guess it is a lesson learned.

[TreadZone]

The date code is the last 4 digits of the DOT number. If the last 4 are 2106, it would be the 21st week of 2006. There is a DOT on both sides but one side is shorter and does not have the date.
Joe

[Danny Steyn]

I am with Drago on this one - back when I started racing a well known racing family very "kindly" sold me a set of old Hoosiers! I doubt that I have ever had less grip and that included rain and ice driving. For your sake I hope I am wrong.

[Dave Metz]

Thanks for the info. Guess I should have asked BEFORE I made the trip. Next time.

[svvs]

That being said, I have had good luck with Toyo take offs before. Purchased them from a race prep shop up here in the North east.....basically they were the leftovers from sets that had been flatspotted, crashed, etc. In a pinch they worked really well for me!

I would just say be careful, and know what you are getting in to. Depending on how much life they have left, you will be spending a lot of money in mounting and balancing. Might be fine for DE's/practice days, but from now on all my race tires are going to be ones I know the history of.

[Danny Steyn]

Yup - Old Toyos are often the hot ticket for certain tracks - sometimes really old Toyos are WAY better than fresh Toyos - very track dependent

[Mike Collins]

If the rubber is hard to the touch "clean" them with simple green, that may help them come back to life if they are not to far gone.

[Joe Benoit]

Dave,

I've run used and old RA1's and R888's. I'm usually too poor to buy new shaves. Some of the oldest are just fine for HPDE's and I run them till they cord. Never had an issue there. Racing, I try to use the best I can find and some used tires I find are still pretty good for a midpack guy like me.

Joe

[davecarama]

Dave,

I've run used and old RA1's and R888's. I'm usually too poor to buy new shaves. Some of the oldest are just fine for HPDE's and I run them till they cord. Never had an issue there. Racing, I try to use the best I can find and some used tires I find are still pretty good for a midpack guy like me.

Joe

If I recall correctly, Hoosier says they pull them off the shelf if they hit a year old... actually I have found that they discount them heavily and sell them on the cheaper side. I am not positive on that time span though, but I can find out if you need me to (shelf Life).

That doesn't mean they are useless though at that state. These guys chiming in are 100% correct, it all matters on how they were stored.
Here are the Do's and Don'ts direct from Hoosier:
What are the do's and don'ts when storing Hoosier race tires at the end of the racing season?

TIRE STORAGE
The useful life of a tire, whether mounted or dismounted, is directly affected by storage conditions. Tires should always be stored indoors in a dark, cool, dry room.

DO

1 Remove the tires from the vehicle.
2. Remove the air from the tires and store them on their side in a cool/dark/dry environment.
3. Place tires in a black plastic bag when stored during the "off-season".
4. Make sure the temperature range in the storage location is between 40-90 degrees Fahrenheit.

DON'T

1. Don't store tires in direct sunlight or near electric motors. (Electric motors emit small amounts of ozone.) Tires need to be protected from light, especially sunlight. Light causes ultraviolet damage by breaking down the rubber compounds. The storeroom should not contain electrical welding or any other equipment that could produce ozone.

2. Don't apply any chemical treatments to Hoosier tires. (It's not necessary and may actually damage the integrity of the tire by breaking down the rubber properties of the tire.) Tires must not be allowed to come in contact with oils, greases, solvents, or other petroleum products that cause rubber to soften or deteriorate.

3. Don't store tires in sub-freezing temperatures for any length of time. (The rubber can freeze and may crack as a result.)

[Ron Alan]

Dave, don't panic! We bought 5 year old 2 heat cycled hoosiers(3 sets!) from a well known racer. Ran those for HPDE and school...they goooed up just like new and where a great investment! Ran 05 RA1's this weekend until they corded...still worked fine. But I will say lap times came down 1 second when we put on some worn 2010 RA1's. But for none-race track time I think you'll be fine. Good luck!

Great info above Dave!

[Jim Drago]

Dave
Let us know at this point I'm curious:)

[Jim Drago]

By the way the car looks great, especially since the last time I saw it it was leaving here with only a cage in it. You did a nice job!
Jim

[dmathias]

5. Play soothing 'new age' music for your tires.

I get all my used tires at Nelson Ledges - they have a great selection.

[Dave Metz]

By the way the car looks great, especially since the last time I saw it it was leaving here with only a cage in it. You did a nice job!
Jim
E

Thanks. I'm real happy with how it turned out. Have had many people compliment the cage. Will let you know how the tires turn out. Not sure if I will get them on this weekend, but have a few events coming up.

[Dave Metz]

5. Play soothing 'new age' music for your tires.

I get all my used tires at Nelson Ledges - they have a great selection.

Tried that, but couldn't get a good time with two slicks, a snow tire and a retread. Plus the white paint didn't help. Maybe I shoulda looked through the pile a little longer!

[joeg5982]

Clean them and buy some HOT LAP or Formula V Traction treatment.

Will bring them back to life.

[Ron Alan]

Clean them and buy some HOT LAP or Formula V Traction treatment.

Will bring them back to life.

Can you explain what this is? I would guess its not legal for SM competition but would like to understand and be informed. Watched a top 3 car come off the track at Infineon once and its tires looked like they had been through a meat grinder...never seen this before or since. Often wondered how they got like this...maybe this would explain it??

[Tom Hampton]

http://pitstopusa.co...-pro-blend.html

Yeah, pretty SURE not legal for race.