[WP64]

Tires, those 4 patches of rubber that connect us all to the road, so what tires do you run on the track? What do you like about them, what don't you like about them? Are they predictable, how long do they last?

Tire prep, tread shaving, track inflation, temperature readings and how they are used are up for discussion.

Give us the skinny on your set-up.

I'll go first.

Last spring-summer I ran the stock GT500 wheels with Goodyear F1's (255/45/18F - 285/40/18R) at two open track days. They're a good performance street tire, even better when consider that they're an OEM tire; on the track they were preditable when hot and had good traction. I ran them at 38psi hot on the track and my speed never exceeded 130mph in the longest straights.

In October I switched over to a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires (265/35/19F - 295/30/19R) on CCW 505A wheels. The whole suspension had changed since my first two track days so it would be hard to compare the PS2's to the F1's, so I won't go there. The PS2's have very good traction, predictable and with a stiffer sidewall mostly due to their height. I ran them at 39psi hot on the track and my speed never exceeded 140mph in the longest straights.

When my car comes back from Griggs I will be switching over to Toyo R-888's (305/35/18 front and rear) and CCW C14 wheels. I've had several people recommend these tires to me including Griggs and CCW for DOT track tires. The following link talks about the Toyo R-888's and R-1, as well as Hankook and Hooser Tires, this shop services Infenion Raceway in Northern California, they know their track tires.

"WHAT TIRE SHOULD I BUY?"


Here's some other tire tech links that may be of use to the racing forum.

Air Pressure/Load Adjustment for High Speed Driving

Reading Tire Temperatures

Shaving Tires for Competition

Track Tire Tech 101

More Track Tire Tech 101 from BFG


Be safe, drive fast, brake late, turn hard and have fun,

Jay

This post has been edited by WP64: 17 August 2008 - 08:07 AM

[roger-SAI]

Hi Jay,

I do know that the "Tire Rack F Stock SOLO National Champion" for 07 is running an 07 Shelby GT with Hoosier R's. He is also running the same set up this year and is cranking out wins. They anticipate that he will be a repeat winner for 08. I have to look up exactly what size and specs but it sounds like a good set up for the GT.

Roger

This post has been edited by rosssvt: 10 August 2008 - 06:17 AM

[Super Snake]

rosssvt, on Aug 10 2008, 09:16 AM, said:

Hi Jay,

I do know that the "Tire Rack F Stock SOLO National Champion" for 07 is running an 07 Shelby GT with Hoosier R's. He is also running the same set up this year and is cranking out wins. They anticipate that he will be a repeat winner for 08. I have to look up exactly what size and specs but it sounds like a good set up for the GT.

Roger

There is a Shelby GT in F stock here in WPB running the Hoosier R's and he does real well. I'm looking at the BFGoodrich g-Force R1's, they are a bit cheaper and they have good reviews. I would like to put 285X30ZR18's at all 4 corners. Anyone out there doing that?
My challenge for autocross is my GT500 is placed in A Stock, I'm not very competitive with the Honda S2000's. Is anyone else running autocross with a GT500? What class are you guys in? I am at the point where I need soome sticky tires to improve my times. My driving skills are there now I need traction.

This post has been edited by Super Snake: 10 August 2008 - 06:29 AM

[WP64]

rosssvt, on Aug 10 2008, 07:16 AM, said:

Hi Jay,

I do know that the "Tire Rack F Stock SOLO National Champion" for 07 is running an 07 Shelby GT with Hoosier R's. He is also running the same set up this year and is cranking out wins. They anticipate that he will be a repeat winner for 08. I have to look up exactly what size and specs but it sounds like a good set up for the GT.

Roger

Hey Roger,

As a strictly 'Track' tire the R6's are a excellent tire I've been told, but I've also been told (w/o personal experience) that they are not a good street/track tire. Again, both Griggs and CCW advised me that if I was 'driving to the track' on my track tires, the R6's were not a good choice because they're thin and susceptible to road hazzard blow out such as pot holes; Griggs uses Hoosier tires on their AIX cars and R6's on their GR40TT '06 Mustang shop car so I wouldn't suspect any brand bias in their opinion about the R6's on the street. The R6's do get great reviews when compared to Toyo, Hankook and Michelin, etc. and once I go to a dedicated set of track wheels/tires I will try the R6's.

Hit The "Reviews' tab at the top of the header in the following link for customer reviews of the Hoosier R6's

Tire Rack Hoosier R6

This post has been edited by WP64: 10 August 2008 - 07:30 AM

[Revan Racing]

WP64, on Aug 10 2008, 03:39 AM, said:

Tires, those 4 patches of rubber that connect us all to the road, so what tires do you run on the track? What do you like about them, what don't you like about them? Are they predictable, how long do they last?

Tire prep, tread shaving, track inflation, temperature readings and how they are used are up for discussion.

Give us the skinny on your set-up.

I'll go first.

Last spring-summer I ran the stock GT500 wheels with Goodyear F1's (255/45/18F - 285/40/18R) at two open track days. They're a good performance street tire, even better when consider that they're an OEM tire; on the track they were preditable when hot and had good traction. I ran them at 38psi on the track and my speed never exceeded 130mph in the longest straights.

In October I switched over to a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires (265/35/19F - 295/30/19R) on CCW 505A wheels. The whole suspension had changed since my first two track days so it would be hard to compare the PS2's to the F1's, so I won't go there. The PS2's have very good traction, predictable and with a stiffer sidewall mostly due to their height. I ran them at 39psi on the track and my speed never exceeded 140mph in the longest straights.

When my car comes back from Griggs I will be switching over to Toyo R-888's (305/35/18 front and rear) and CCW C14 wheels. I've had several people recommend these tires to me including Griggs and CCW for DOT track tires. The following link talks about the Toyo R-888's and R-1, as well as Hankook and Hooser Tires, this shop services Infenion Raceway in Northern California, they know their track tires.

"WHAT TIRE SHOULD I BUY?"


Here's some other tire tech links that may be of use to the racing forum.

Air Pressure/Load Adjustment for High Speed Driving

Reading Tire Temperatures

Shaving Tires for Competition

Track Tire Tech 101

More Track Tire Tech 101 from BFG


Be safe, drive fast, brake late, turn hard and have fun,

Jay

I currently run the Toyo R-888's on all four corners. 275/35/18. I am going to a little higher sidewall in the rear as well as some additional width but to have this size tire all the way around on all four corners is awesome. The tire performs well at all of the tracks I've used them on. I will say this much. They are sticky after you get them warmed up and you don't need nearly the initially amount of air pressure you have indicated you are running. I have found that they work very well starting out at 30 lbs. After 10 minutes a quick run through the hot pit and air pressure is up to about 32-34 lbs which is optimal and the car sticks very well. 35 lbs + it feels like you are trying to steer the USS Nimitz between two canoes. The contact patch simply reduces at higher air pressures and the car will start to slide on you. Once you have the Griggs in with the toyo's if you start to notice some understeed and/or oversteer definitely go into the hot pit and play with the pressures. It will make a huge difference and the R888's are Night and Day different than the F-1 Supercar Tires.

[SPRSNK]

I'm going to P275/35ZR-18 Hoosier R6 and P255/40ZR-18 Hoosier R6 for my track/race tires. Have them sitting in the garage and mounted on the new wheels just waiting for me. I looked at them a bit ago and they seemed to be pleading with me to take them to the track.

[svttim]

I have used Hoosier R6's Nitto NT1's, and Avons. The Hoosiers we sticky and performed well but, I will say, once they are gone, they are gone! Hoosiers tech support is superb. The nittos we great, stuck well and seeme to last well except I corded one. I have a used set of Toyo's I will be trying next week as well as a used set of Koni Challange tires. Has anyone tried Goodyear R compound tires? Shelby Goodyear has a good price on them.

[WP64]

svttim, on Aug 10 2008, 10:17 AM, said:

I have used Hoosier R6's Nitto NT1's, and Avons. The Hoosiers we sticky and performed well but, I will say, once they are gone, they are gone! Hoosiers tech support is superb. The nittos we great, stuck well and seeme to last well except I corded one. I have a used set of Toyo's I will be trying next week as well as a used set of Koni Challange tires. Has anyone tried Goodyear R compound tires? Shelby Goodyear has a good price on them.

Road America next week for you, right? That will be fun We expect video

Do you have a link for the Goodyear R compound tires?

[WP64]

WP64, on Aug 10 2008, 11:13 AM, said:

Road America next week for you, right? That will be fun We expect video

Do you have a link for the Goodyear R compound tires?

Is this it Tim? Which Goodyear R tires specifically, the one's going on the KR?

Shelby-Goodyear Racing Tires

This post has been edited by WP64: 10 August 2008 - 11:04 AM

[svttim]

Yup, RA and Im sure Ill have video. I dont have the new motor and that will hurt a bit on the long track.

Heres the link

http://www.carrollsh...om.cfm#f1_gs_cs

[Revan Racing]

svttim, on Aug 10 2008, 03:45 PM, said:

Yup, RA and Im sure Ill have video. I dont have the new motor and that will hurt a bit on the long track.

Heres the link

http://www.carrollsh...om.cfm#f1_gs_cs

Which car do you track with? My focus with my 07 GT500 is cooling cooling cooling. The car is just losing way to much horsepower as it gets hot and the computer pulls timing. Working on a new radiator set up as well as heat exchanger and oil cooler. I'm wishing I had a naturally aspirated car because these supercharged cars seem to be so difficult to get the heat undercontrol.

Thoughts?

[svttim]

dactyl, on Aug 10 2008, 03:38 PM, said:

Which car do you track with? My focus with my 07 GT500 is cooling cooling cooling. The car is just losing way to much horsepower as it gets hot and the computer pulls timing. Working on a new radiator set up as well as heat exchanger and oil cooler. I'm wishing I had a naturally aspirated car because these supercharged cars seem to be so difficult to get the heat undercontrol.

Thoughts?

From what I have experienced, all the guys that have supercharged cars have the same issue to some extent. I dont race the GT500, I have a 97 Bonderant Cobra I thrash. I am building a 4 valve stroker to try. I do have a good friend that I can ask, he has raced his GT500 several times

[Revan Racing]

svttim, on Aug 10 2008, 06:12 PM, said:

From what I have experienced, all the guys that have supercharged cars have the same issue to some extent. I dont race the GT500, I have a 97 Bonderant Cobra I thrash. I am building a 4 valve stroker to try. I do have a good friend that I can ask, he has raced his GT500 several times

Its just like anything. We're trying to take factory cruisers to the track and it requires some mods. I think the radiator, heat exchanger, oil cooler are the biggest items to get the temps down. Especially after you put a bigger blower on. The GT500 is a lot of fun for the first 10 minutes and then the heat kicks in. In the Winter time in Florida though, no problems, Summer, sucks.

[gceresa]

Very interesting topics for me. I run 305 goodyear F1's on all corners for the street and have done a couple of track days on them but found them very slippery on the track. I tried several tire pressures hot and couldn't find the right combination. I recently went to 305 Toyo R888's on light weight race wheels...wow, what a difference. The correct tire pressure is a mystery to me. I have been told to increase pressure by some and told to redure to 30 pounds hot by others. What is true? Any feedback as to what pressure to set cold, and again hot would be helpful. Does the track surface, ambient temp, length time on track, etc. have any impact on tire presures. Wher do I go to get schooled on tires and pressures?

[WP64]

gceresa, on Aug 11 2008, 08:04 AM, said:

Very interesting topics for me. I run 305 goodyear F1's on all corners for the street and have done a couple of track days on them but found them very slippery on the track. I tried several tire pressures hot and couldn't find the right combination. I recently went to 305 Toyo R888's on light weight race wheels...wow, what a difference. The correct tire pressure is a mystery to me. I have been told to increase pressure by some and told to redure to 30 pounds hot by others. What is true? Any feedback as to what pressure to set cold, and again hot would be helpful. Does the track surface, ambient temp, length time on track, etc. have any impact on tire presures. Wher do I go to get schooled on tires and pressures?

Hey Glen, the links I provided above on track tire tech will give you a good understanding on how to read tire temps and adjust pressure.

Jay

[gceresa]

Jay-

Well, I've been running 30 psi "hot" on the tracks so far and I seem to be wearing the outside edges of the R888's. The recommended pressure by the links you provided would be nearly 42 psi. The guys at Griggs are adamant about running 30 psi. I think I need to get a tire pyrometer and check it myself. The R888's are really fun though, what a different car with that suspension and these tires. Z06's, Porsches, other mustangs are just in the mirror... disappearing. First time on the track with the new pulley, tune and CAI. WOW. You will have a blast with the "new" car when they get done. See you out there.

Glen

[svttim]

gceresa, on Aug 11 2008, 05:31 PM, said:

Jay-

Well, I've been running 30 psi "hot" on the tracks so far and I seem to be wearing the outside edges of the R888's. The recommended pressure by the links you provided would be nearly 42 psi. The guys at Griggs are adamant about running 30 psi. I think I need to get a tire pyrometer and check it myself. The R888's are really fun though, what a different car with that suspension and these tires. Z06's, Porsches, other mustangs are just in the mirror... disappearing. First time on the track with the new pulley, tune and CAI. WOW. You will have a blast with the "new" car when they get done. See you out there.

Glen

30 starting seems a like a good start cold. But, if the outsides of the tire is wearing increase the pressures . Tire temps will tell the story though. Remember, those links were talking about street tires. I have been told, start at 30 or 32 and see what you hot pressures are. They should be around 40-42 hot.

[WP64]

gceresa, on Aug 11 2008, 03:31 PM, said:

Jay-

Well, I've been running 30 psi "hot" on the tracks so far and I seem to be wearing the outside edges of the R888's. The recommended pressure by the links you provided would be nearly 42 psi. The guys at Griggs are adamant about running 30 psi. I think I need to get a tire pyrometer and check it myself. The R888's are really fun though, what a different car with that suspension and these tires. Z06's, Porsches, other mustangs are just in the mirror... disappearing. First time on the track with the new pulley, tune and CAI. WOW. You will have a blast with the "new" car when they get done. See you out there.

Glen

Yes, I see your car is not at Griggs anymore. I had a small hand in your pulley swap, I lent them my Metco pulley puller and showed them how to set it up last Tuesday, it came off clean w/o dents which is a 50/50 deal sometimes; some stock pullies just don't want to come off and can get dented by the puller, your's did not though.

The track was open today and there was a GT500 with white Super Snake stripes over the top running the course with a bunch of C6 Corvettes, a Z06, a Viper and a Miata; the GT500 had stock suspension so it ran good in the straights but slow and loud in the turns; nice to hear that supercharger as it passed the stands.

Summit has pyrometers from $25 to $60, Summit Infrared Digital Thermometers/Pyrometers Their Summit branded one for $49.99 is made by Taylor, I have the same one but with the Taylor brand name on it. Now you just have to find someone to take the temps. while you're in the drivers seat

This post has been edited by WP64: 11 August 2008 - 05:57 PM

[sprint200]

svttim,

I've been running the used Koni Challenge Hoosiers on my GT500. However, I have no other OT experience so I'll be very interested in your feedback. My guess is that they aren't the stickiest gumballs around, but I've gotten some pretty good mileage out of them. I've been starting them at 29psi cold and usually see 36 to 37psi after the cool down lap. Any more pressure, and the car understeers pretty bad.

I've been thinking about trying the Nitto NT01's, but for the price I just can't justify anything but the scuffed Hoosiers.

gcesera,

I think 30psi hot is pretty darn low. That would make me nervous...........

This post has been edited by sprint200: 16 August 2008 - 08:58 PM

[gceresa]

sprint200, on Aug 16 2008, 09:57 PM, said:

svttim,

I've been running the used Koni Challenge Hoosiers on my GT500. However, I have no other OT experience so I'll be very interested in your feedback. My guess is that they aren't the stickiest gumballs around, but I've gotten some pretty good mileage out of them. I've been starting them at 29psi cold and usually see 36 to 37psi after the cool down lap. Any more pressure, and the car understeers pretty bad.

I've been thinking about trying the Nitto NT01's, but for the price I just can't justify anything but the scuffed Hoosiers.

gcesera,

I think 30psi hot is pretty darn low. That would make me nervous...........

That's why I'm looking or input. The guy who told me to use 30 psi hot is a multiple time winner of AIX races and has been a racer his whole life and runs Hoosiers on most of his cars and Toyo RA 1's on his street cars. He is adamant that 30 is the number for these cars. The car dusted porsches, corvette Z06's all day...., went where I pointed it...yahoo.
Any other thoughts? The thing I've noticed is everyone has a theory about tire pressure and it seems a little like "black art" to me. (get the pun) Musw thave something to do with how rigid the side wall is and the compond and manufacturing technique of the maker. Does anyone know of a definitive dissertation on tire pressure for heavy cars?
Glen