187 replies to this topic

[Zauskycop]

Naw...you buy the first set heat cycled and use practice sessions or a qualifier to cycle the rest so you always have a spare set of tires....hopefully

[dmathias]

Call the whaaaambulance and then order some wheels. You'll live I think.

Yeah, what wrong with you crybabies - just make some more money, fer christsake.

[Jim Drago]

I have to carry more Toyos than I will have to on Hoosiers... Especially to a new track.

Let's see, two sets of new 2/32-3/32 just in case the track likes new rubber
two sets of 2/32 3-4 session cylcled tires and one set of baldies for qualifying
and rains.. Now the post tsunami tires cording in a few sessions on rougher tracks.. I bring another set just in case


I always scrub a set of the Ra1's now and sit them for the next race weekend now, so this wont be much different for me.


I think with change there is always resistance, this will be a relatively easy transition and we will end up on a better tire that will bring the fields closer together, save us some money in the long run and those things are both good to grow our class. The only negative is crossover to NASA, but if I was doing NASA, I would be buying tires anyway. Mid-Ohio likes old tires, so I will be set for next year as we will have a bunch of tires left after the Runoff

[Motor City Hamilton]

I have found my properly cycled tires last 3-4x longer in tread wear over non cycled tires. The cycled tires also stay fast through the entire life of the tire. Non cycled tires will see 4-5 fast heat cycles and then become very greasy and wear very fast. I also feel that the 24 hr cure time is not enough, We typically scub tires at the start of a race weekend and dont use them again until the following race weekend. 6 properly cured SM6's lasted the entire 13hr at VIR last year on our ITA winning miata, I ran 4 of those tires this year 2 more races and they were still fast.

I have not had the same experience with the SM6. I am speaking as a regional, budget guy here, so you National win at all expense guys put away your flame torches. I am running 15 fast sessions on my SM6 with the final session within half a second a lap as the first sessions. Then, after they've had 15 fast runs I am using them for about another 10 as practice day tires. After that, I give them to a local club guy who's running another six or so sessions on an open track day car until they cord. I couldn't do that with the toyos as the fastest sessions on Toyos were the last six times you ran them. Nothing left to practice on.

As for heat cycling, I am still not convinced that it makes much difference on a car that weighs what the Miata does. Same experience when I ran them on the Honda Civic in ITC. I have done the test day cycle, let them set for one week before using for racing. I have also done the Friday test day first session break in and use for qualifying on Saturday morning. And, I have also been in a bind at the track, got a puncture and had to buy new stickers and use them right away. I cannot report much difference in performance. Maybe I'm losing performance past my 15 fast sessions so I'm not noticing it? I'm not a slow guy in the Great Lakes Region either. I push the car for everything it's got everytime I hit the track.

My opinion, the SM6 is THE BEST tire on the market for the regional budget racer. Great decision BOD and SCCA! The majority voted for this and you guys acted. Well done.

[Keith Andrews]

I always scrub a set of the Ra1's now and sit them for the next race weekend now, so this wont be much different for me.

I don't "scrub" them (RA1's 4/32) I put one heat cycle on them and found they last much longer. So on my last race of a weekend I run stickers and then put them away until my next event. Usually that is at least two weeks. It seems to work. No additional gyrations required.

[Weekend Warrior]

This whole Hoosier deal is a conspiracy led by Drago in an effort to boost forum traffic. Now we get 6 months (at least) of posts on tire pressures (high, low or staggered); whether fresh tires are faster than 4 cycle tires; apocryphal stories of the fast guys ordering shaved Hoosiers; and at least half of us pining loudly for the old days. Most of the info will be wrong (till we all figure it out), some of it will be right (but we won't be able to differentiate) and quite a lot will be deliberate misinformation (from the figure it out yourself camp).

Cnj

Don't forget about how this will benefit only the 99+ drivers...
(file this under the "Most of the info will be wrong" category..)

[Alberto]

Sweet, now I can include in my budget a day away from work, diesel to trailer the car to the track, entry fees, consumables and a big tire order purchase plus mounting/unmounting so I can cycle all of my tires! I can do a few sets of Carbotechs while I'm at it... can't wait.

LOL. Exactly what I was thinking.

[dmathias]

F'n finance it!

[Jim Boemler]

Denny for Congress!

Oh, we already did that...

[Jim Drago]

F'n finance it!

Its the American way!

[Rob Burgoon]

How does that expression go Eric? "Racing is not a sport for poor people"?

[Richter Racing]

How does that expression go Eric? "Racing is not a sport for poor people"?

It was a story a fellow racer told me about how he was racing his V at Willow Springs many years ago and this guy ran into him a few times causing a bit of damage to his car. When he went over and talked to him about it after the race, the other driver simply stated, with a slow southern twang,"Jim, this here ain't a sport for poor people, maybe you should get one of them basketballs"

My friend Jim tells me that story every time I complain about how much racing costs.

[dmathias]

Just substitute racing for stereos. (not safe for work)

[FTodaro]

I am in the minority as I do not want to run Hoosiers. I did run on set in our regional SCCA events and I got 1.5 weekends out of them and they were toast. Now I have not run on the New RA-1 the one that people say is different. I have 3 sets of old RA-1 that about perfect, almost bald, grippie and long lasting.

In my last SCCA weekend I qualified on Hoosiers and raced on Toyo's and I had faster times in the race with the Toyo. It also seamed to me that after about 15 mins the Hoosier guys were coming back to me.

Now Can't say what the deal is with the new RA-1 but the hoosier on a heavy 99 is not going to last long. Plus I do a full Nasa Schedule so here we go again with set up changes between clubs.

I agree that life was easy two years ago when the clubs had the same wt, tire and plate.

[ner88]

I agree that life was easy two years ago when the clubs had the same wt, tire and plate.

NO, life was easier before they allowed the 99's.

[AJ Roderick]

I am in the minority as I do not want to run Hoosiers. I did run on set in our regional SCCA events and I got 1.5 weekends out of them and they were toast. Now I have not run on the New RA-1 the one that people say is different. I have 3 sets of old RA-1 that about perfect, almost bald, grippie and long lasting.

In my last SCCA weekend I qualified on Hoosiers and raced on Toyo's and I had faster times in the race with the Toyo. It also seamed to me that after about 15 mins the Hoosier guys were coming back to me.

Now Can't say what the deal is with the new RA-1 but the hoosier on a heavy 99 is not going to last long. Plus I do a full Nasa Schedule so here we go again with set up changes between clubs.

I agree that life was easy two years ago when the clubs had the same wt, tire and plate.

Frank, you gotta remember Mid-Ohio is such a different track for tires.

[Jim Drago]

Frank, you gotta remember Mid-Ohio is such a different track for tires.

+1000 It is a one off track for tires and setup IMO

[Sphinx]

++1 .

Don't get me wrong, nothing against Hoosier tires. Based on the response, appears it would save a mid-pack guy like me some $$$ on my tire bill, but it will make it too costly run SCCA and NASA and that is sad.

Can someone help me understand the "it's cheaper argument"? $148+15 shaving = 163/toyo. At $166/Hoosier, the difference is hardly worth mentioning. If they are supposed to last longer, maybe that's where the savings are. Though I've never run on Hoosiers, I'd always thought that Hoosiers and "lasting long" don't go together in the same sentence.

[William Keeling]

Does anyone know of a place selling them at the $166 price?

[Caveman-kwebb99]

Frank, you gotta remember Mid-Ohio is such a different track for tires.

Frank I sold some 8 cycle hoosiers to another very good Mid Ohio racer, who has since driven those same tires to some podium appearances. Good tire management is key with the hoosier as well as the ra1 at Mid Oh. I believe you will get 15 or so good cycles out of the hoosiers at Mid Ohio. If you buy a 3/32 toyo you will get far more cycles IMO but the first 15 cycles will not be very competitve at cetain tracks. It is all about what result you are after, Do you want to run upfront or do you want to make your tires last all year. Those two goals are dyametricly opposed using any tire make.

Ra1's are obviously faster when bald at certain tracks, so you would want to shave them to 1/32 to start, if you did that they would certainly not last any longer than a hoosier. If you run hoosiers they are fast from cycle 1 without shaving. It is yet to be proven if a shaved hoosier would increase speed, but I do think there are people who will test it.