Info on slicks Options

[john rogers]

Nine14Cats asked for some thoughts on the different brands of slicks and here is what I have learned over the past few years. Goodyear seem to like a very mild alignment, nearly 0 camber front and maybe 1/2 degree in back. They wear very even, usually getting too hard before they actually out. They are best for road racing, driver's ed or time trials as it is hard to get them really hot for auto-x. I have always ran the softest compound of Goodyears and two sets will last 1 1/2 years or so since I don't slide much although with the six that might change. The Hoosiers we tried wanted neg 2 deg camber front and seemed to wear out in about half the time so we never tried them again. In a road race, usually you have to be careful for the first laps until the tires get up to temp, about 135 degrees or so. I run 23# pressure cold which will go up to 26 or 27 at a track like Willow Springs with long straights. As I remember, the price of 9x23x15 Goodyears has gone up only a few dollars over the last 4 or 5 years. I really like the Goodyears, as you can tell, but there are those who like other brands. Hope this helps.

[URY914]

Slicks seem very $$$ compaired to street/autox tires, but I quess it is a quantity issue. They don't sell many so the unit cost is high.

Paul

[john rogers]

Probably true as the cost of a 9x23x15 is around $185 or so plus mounting, balancing, etc. I get that done for free though so it helps some. They are bias ply tires and made in south america somewhere, I forget? Some of the vintage 2.0l cars in HSR West are using two or three sets of 225x15 Victoracers a year though.

[drew365]

John; where do you buy your slicks? Do your 9" slicks go on 9" wheels? I've never used slicks but may try them some time in the future.

[ChrisReale]

Hoosiers cost about $180 as well, so how do Goodyear slicks mean more money?

[VegasRacer]

While they are not true slicks, has anybody heard anything else about the new Kumho ECSTA V710's? Are they available yet?

[ChrisReale]

I have heard the new year will bring the V710. They are about as close to being a slick as you can get without not beig DOT. Not sure about the sidewall stiffness though...

[redshift]

More than Kumhos, he said... I think..

The Hoosiers we tried wanted neg 2 deg camber front and seemed to wear out in about half the time so we never tried them again.

After I get this car suspended from some alien technology, I want to try a set of street slicks.


M

[ChrisReale]

, I want to try a set of street slicks.


M

Maybe the Yokohama AO32R's? Good dry traction and decent wet for a racing compound

[TimT]

any info on the goodyears in 16 in? I heard they are unobtanium

[ChrisReale]

Tim, what tires do you like to use?

[TimT]

I use hoosiers in the dry, and Yokes in the wet

[ChrisReale]

I was just hanging out at tire rack and I came across these:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

[redshift]

I was just hanging out at tire rack....

Man, I need to hang with you! You are off the hook!

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

M

[ChrisReale]

Fo' chizzle my nizzle (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

I used to have a set of Kumho Ecsta V700's. Those tires are tanks, they weigh too much compared to hoosiers. Good for a daily driver/weekend autoxer/track tire. I drove on those in pouring rain before. I have Hoosier R3s03's at the moment and like them, but they don't make enough noise for a newbie like me.

[drew365]

I was also perusing Tire Rack and see they have the new Hoosier listed. R3S04 and A3S04. They are replacing the R3S03 but they have very few sizes listed and they seem a little more expensive if I remember my last order right. They are also .5 to 1.5# heavier than the old tire.

[nine14cats]

Hi John,

Thanks for posting the answers to my question about your experience with Goodyears. I am like JP in that I have been looking at different combinations for using slicks (23x9x15) in Hoosiers and Goodyears and thinking about using a Hoosier Dot-R for the road courses. As has been pointed out, the Goodyears work well with 0 to 1 degree negative camber and the Hoosier slicks like 0.5 to 1.5 degrees depending upon the car. The Dot-R's like even more camber.

By the end of last season I had settled on Goodyear Slicks (R210 compound, very soft) or Hoosier Slicks (R45 compound, soft) for Autox. For road courses I used Goodyear Slicks (R430 compound) or Hoosier Slicks (R45 compound at Laguna Seca, R60 Compound at Thunderhill and Buttonwillow). The Goodyears liked 23 to 24lbs hot at auto-x's and 25lbs at track events. The Hoosiers liked 25lbs at auto-x's and 26lbs at the track.

The Goodyears being slightly softer compounds for each application, would wear quicker, especially on tight courses. The sidewalls feel much stiffer than the Hoosier slicks. During auto-x's, my placings didn't seem to matter on the day. Last year I turned 2 TTOD's at local auto-x's and 1 was on Goodyears and 1 was on Hoosiers. During testing I would run one brand in the morning and one in the afternoon. At the next event I would switch the run order. I normally would get incrementally faster as the day progressed, but I don't think either brand offered an advantage for me or my driving style. I do prefer the turn in feel of the Goodyears at auto-x's. Tire wear for our dual driver car (my wife drives also) was 4 auto-x days for the Goodyears and 4.5 auto-x days for the Hoosiers. This equates to ~64 auto-x runs for the Goodyears and 72 auto-x runs for the Hoosiers.

On road courses I found the Goodyear R430 and Hoosier R45 and R60 compounds to wear pretty much equally. Thunderhill seemed to chew the softer compounds up a little more, but overall the wear was very equal. The Hooisers wear a little more evenly with the negative camber I have on my car, as the sidewalls on the Hoosiers are softer. But in my limited experience, my car seemed to be smoother with the Hoosiers as they seemed more linear in their slip angle grip. I don't know if this is because of the differences in sidewall constructions, but it is an observation. Again, my times were nearly identical on any track regardless of tire. But I liked the Hoosiers on the track a little better.

I also tested a set of 18 inch Dot-R's (Kumho V700's) and cooked the crap out of them (Thunderhill). It looks like they need more negative camber. I'm going to try 18 inch Hoosier Dot-R's next. They may not need as much negative camber as the Kumhos. I had the hair brained idea of using slicks at auto-x's and dot-r's at tracks...but it may not work with the camber differences that the tires like. I wanted the 18 inchers to play with gearing, but I love the slicks, and may just stick with them....

I'll report back after I trash a set of hoosier dot-r's.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Bill P.

[nine14cats]

oh...I get my tires at Roger Kraus Tires

Roger handles several brands of slicks, including Goodyear, Hoosier, Avon, and Dunlop.

He will take the time to talk about car setups and what his experience and customers experiences have been. He is a big fan of Goodyears and likes the stiff sidewalls and negative camber on the Goodyears as well. He says if you want to go as fast as possible, the fast cars do wear the insides first. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Bill P.

[Randal]

Just a heads up on Goodyear slicks.

I was able to pick up a pair just used for qualifying at RA, at about half price. The only catch was that they are the 260 compound.

What I discovered autoxing is that they don't work as well as the 210 compound by a big margin.

They would probably be good for a "final run" at time trial, i.e., two laps for the championship of the world. I'll find out next year.

If they work then Bill will probably want to borrow them, but that would dramatically change the look of his car and get everyone protesting his run, especially the 911 guys in his class.

And besides, black wheels just wouldn't look as good as "BRIGHT YELLOW."