Full Version: American Racer Tires
Can't really spring for a set of Avons right now so I am going to give these a shot. Its a bias slick in 10x23.5x15 with a fancy new AX compound and construction. These guys are trying to break into the AX and roadrace market since Goodyear went away. Unfortunately they don't offer many different sizes so I am stuck with going with a square setup. There is a local guy running them in an XP miata and he is very fast with them. He also runs Avons and said the American Racers are comparable. I will be running these on my 15x8s and 15x10s so the fronts will be a little bit pinched but I think it will work. Best part is shipped they were under $700. I'll let y'all know how they work out.
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 26 2014, 06:39 AM) 
Can't really spring for a set of Avons right now so I am going to give these a shot. Its a bias slick in 10x23.5x15 with a fancy new AX compound and construction. These guys are trying to break into the AX and roadrace market since Goodyear went away. Unfortunately they don't offer many different sizes so I am stuck with going with a square setup. There is a local guy running them in an XP miata and he is very fast with them. He also runs Avons and said the American Racers are comparable. I will be running these on my 15x8s and 15x10s so the fronts will be a little bit pinched but I think it will work. Best part is shipped they were under $700. I'll let y'all know how they work out.
Just ran against Nick this weekend-Seemed like a nice guy- let us know what you think about the new tire. J
They make a lot of spec tires for different series. I've always heard they are much slower than other tires, but maybe they have something new.
QUOTE(jjackson @ Mar 26 2014, 11:03 AM)
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 26 2014, 06:39 AM)
Can't really spring for a set of Avons right now so I am going to give these a shot. Its a bias slick in 10x23.5x15 with a fancy new AX compound and construction. These guys are trying to break into the AX and roadrace market since Goodyear went away. Unfortunately they don't offer many different sizes so I am stuck with going with a square setup. There is a local guy running them in an XP miata and he is very fast with them. He also runs Avons and said the American Racers are comparable. I will be running these on my 15x8s and 15x10s so the fronts will be a little bit pinched but I think it will work. Best part is shipped they were under $700. I'll let y'all know how they work out.
Just ran against Nick this weekend-Seemed like a nice guy- let us know what you think about the new tire. J
Yup he's a really nice guy. Very friendly and willing to talk about his setup. Was he running the American Racers or the Avons?
QUOTE(Matt Romanowski @ Mar 26 2014, 11:08 AM)
They make a lot of spec tires for different series. I've always heard they are much slower than other tires, but maybe they have something new.
Yes, they have a new compound called SC2100 if I remember correctly. I'm skeptical but we will see.
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 26 2014, 10:29 AM)
QUOTE(jjackson @ Mar 26 2014, 11:03 AM)
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 26 2014, 06:39 AM)
Can't really spring for a set of Avons right now so I am going to give these a shot. Its a bias slick in 10x23.5x15 with a fancy new AX compound and construction. These guys are trying to break into the AX and roadrace market since Goodyear went away. Unfortunately they don't offer many different sizes so I am stuck with going with a square setup. There is a local guy running them in an XP miata and he is very fast with them. He also runs Avons and said the American Racers are comparable. I will be running these on my 15x8s and 15x10s so the fronts will be a little bit pinched but I think it will work. Best part is shipped they were under $700. I'll let y'all know how they work out.
Just ran against Nick this weekend-Seemed like a nice guy- let us know what you think about the new tire. J
Yup he's a really nice guy. Very friendly and willing to talk about his setup. Was he running the American Racers or the Avons?
QUOTE(Matt Romanowski @ Mar 26 2014, 11:08 AM)
They make a lot of spec tires for different series. I've always heard they are much slower than other tires, but maybe they have something new.
Yes, they have a new compound called SC2100 if I remember correctly. I'm skeptical but we will see.
He was running the american racers-said he liked them.
QUOTE(jjackson @ Mar 26 2014, 11:46 AM)
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 26 2014, 10:29 AM)
QUOTE(jjackson @ Mar 26 2014, 11:03 AM)
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 26 2014, 06:39 AM)
Can't really spring for a set of Avons right now so I am going to give these a shot. Its a bias slick in 10x23.5x15 with a fancy new AX compound and construction. These guys are trying to break into the AX and roadrace market since Goodyear went away. Unfortunately they don't offer many different sizes so I am stuck with going with a square setup. There is a local guy running them in an XP miata and he is very fast with them. He also runs Avons and said the American Racers are comparable. I will be running these on my 15x8s and 15x10s so the fronts will be a little bit pinched but I think it will work. Best part is shipped they were under $700. I'll let y'all know how they work out.
Just ran against Nick this weekend-Seemed like a nice guy- let us know what you think about the new tire. J
Yup he's a really nice guy. Very friendly and willing to talk about his setup. Was he running the American Racers or the Avons?
QUOTE(Matt Romanowski @ Mar 26 2014, 11:08 AM)
They make a lot of spec tires for different series. I've always heard they are much slower than other tires, but maybe they have something new.
Yes, they have a new compound called SC2100 if I remember correctly. I'm skeptical but we will see.
He was running the american racers-said he liked them.
Was he fast? Comparatively?
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 26 2014, 05:39 AM)
Can't really spring for a set of Avons right now so I am going to give these a shot. Its a bias slick in 10x23.5x15 with a fancy new AX compound and construction. These guys are trying to break into the AX and roadrace market since Goodyear went away. Unfortunately they don't offer many different sizes so I am stuck with going with a square setup. There is a local guy running them in an XP miata and he is very fast with them. He also runs Avons and said the American Racers are comparable. I will be running these on my 15x8s and 15x10s so the fronts will be a little bit pinched but I think it will work. Best part is shipped they were under $700. I'll let y'all know how they work out.
Wow, the price is right and shipping being included is very attractive.
Did you contact them to ask about their plan for different sizes?
I talked to Joe Henry at Day Motorsports in Texas, they are the distributor for the south. He said they will be coming out with some more sizes hopefully by the summer but couldn't tell me more than that. He was more of a salesman than a tire guru but had a couple of notes on the tires. He could not tell me what alignment settings or air pressure to begin with. He also couldn't tell me what the optimum tire temp for these would be. Problem is when I attempted to email American Racer directly they would forward my emails to Joe. I haven't run bias slicks before so I'll probably start with a degree of negative camber in the front, maybe 1/2 out back. I was running the A6s hot at 22 front and 21 rear. Probably try to shoot for that and see how it does.
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 26 2014, 10:39 AM)
I talked to Joe Henry at Day Motorsports in Texas, they are the distributor for the south. He said they will be coming out with some more sizes hopefully by the summer but couldn't tell me more than that. He was more of a salesman than a tire guru but had a couple of notes on the tires. He could not tell me what alignment settings or air pressure to begin with. He also couldn't tell me what the optimum tire temp for these would be. Problem is when I attempted to email American Racer directly they would forward my emails to Joe. I haven't run bias slicks before so I'll probably start with a degree of negative camber in the front, maybe 1/2 out back. I was running the A6s hot at 22 front and 21 rear. Probably try to shoot for that and see how it does.
Keep us posted
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 26 2014, 11:39 AM)
I talked to Joe Henry at Day Motorsports in Texas, they are the distributor for the south. He said they will be coming out with some more sizes hopefully by the summer but couldn't tell me more than that. He was more of a salesman than a tire guru but had a couple of notes on the tires. He could not tell me what alignment settings or air pressure to begin with. He also couldn't tell me what the optimum tire temp for these would be. Problem is when I attempted to email American Racer directly they would forward my emails to Joe. I haven't run bias slicks before so I'll probably start with a degree of negative camber in the front, maybe 1/2 out back. I was running the A6s hot at 22 front and 21 rear. Probably try to shoot for that and see how it does.
A few of us have lots of experience with bias ply slicks having run them for years. When you get ready for alignment I'll suggest a couple people for you to call. But in any event bias ply slicks like to be run straight up with very little camber and tow in. This applies to both Goodyear and Avons. As you run them and watch temperatures you'll see exactly what you need to do to get the tires hooked up.
Tell us about their soft compounds.
QUOTE(Randal @ Mar 26 2014, 03:39 PM)
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 26 2014, 11:39 AM)
I talked to Joe Henry at Day Motorsports in Texas, they are the distributor for the south. He said they will be coming out with some more sizes hopefully by the summer but couldn't tell me more than that. He was more of a salesman than a tire guru but had a couple of notes on the tires. He could not tell me what alignment settings or air pressure to begin with. He also couldn't tell me what the optimum tire temp for these would be. Problem is when I attempted to email American Racer directly they would forward my emails to Joe. I haven't run bias slicks before so I'll probably start with a degree of negative camber in the front, maybe 1/2 out back. I was running the A6s hot at 22 front and 21 rear. Probably try to shoot for that and see how it does.
A few of us have lots of experience with bias ply slicks having run them for years. When you get ready for alignment I'll suggest a couple people for you to call. But in any event bias ply slicks like to be run straight up with very little camber and tow in. This applies to both Goodyear and Avons. As you run them and watch temperatures you'll see exactly what you need to do to get the tires hooked up.
Tell us about their soft compounds.
Will do. I only toe in the rear. The front is toed out.
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 26 2014, 02:22 PM)
QUOTE(Randal @ Mar 26 2014, 03:39 PM)
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 26 2014, 11:39 AM)
I talked to Joe Henry at Day Motorsports in Texas, they are the distributor for the south. He said they will be coming out with some more sizes hopefully by the summer but couldn't tell me more than that. He was more of a salesman than a tire guru but had a couple of notes on the tires. He could not tell me what alignment settings or air pressure to begin with. He also couldn't tell me what the optimum tire temp for these would be. Problem is when I attempted to email American Racer directly they would forward my emails to Joe. I haven't run bias slicks before so I'll probably start with a degree of negative camber in the front, maybe 1/2 out back. I was running the A6s hot at 22 front and 21 rear. Probably try to shoot for that and see how it does.
A few of us have lots of experience with bias ply slicks having run them for years. When you get ready for alignment I'll suggest a couple people for you to call. But in any event bias ply slicks like to be run straight up with very little camber and tow in. This applies to both Goodyear and Avons. As you run them and watch temperatures you'll see exactly what you need to do to get the tires hooked up.
Tell us about their soft compounds.
Will do. I only toe in the rear. The front is toed out.
Ah, that trick, especially with somewhat extreme settings, has been used by a few SCCA National Champs we know.
After they were mounted they are a touch narrower than the 275 A6s. The fronts are squeezed onto my 8s but they look good.
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QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 29 2014, 11:22 AM)
Aren't those bias ply?
Suggestion: You might consider a duck tail on your rear trunk, even for Autoxing.
You can see the air movement with both here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRo-C0JpVOs...eature=youtu.be
Lots of air being forced under the car, so lots of downforce on the front and the splitter pushed down at the back.
Yes they are bias ply. That's the minimum amount of camber I could run in the front. On the rear I need to come up with some longer bolts for the shim stack. I'm going to run it with these settings next Sunday and take some temps. If there is too much camber I'll have to get creative.
I'm going to be working on a splitter and a wing here pretty soon.
I'm going to be working on a splitter and a wing here pretty soon.
I ran them yesterday in the rain. There was very little standing water so I went with the slicks instead of my 888s. First impressions were pretty good although my driving sucked. Turn in is less crisp than with the A6s but it was an easy adjustment. They feel different under braking and I was having a hard time finding the threshold, granted the tire is a bit taller and it was wet out. I didn't find the limit through the slaloms but they would understeer just a bit mid corner before the back end would start to slide. Tire temps never got above 72 degrees with the rain. I started at 20 psi front cold and 19 psi rear cold and gained maybe 1 psi all around. I have another event this coming weekend so hopefully I can provide a better review.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX2Urw2U5iQ
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX2Urw2U5iQ
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QUOTE(Woody @ Apr 7 2014, 07:49 AM)
I ran them yesterday in the rain. There was very little standing water so I went with the slicks instead of my 888s. First impressions were pretty good although my driving sucked. Turn in is less crisp than with the A6s but it was an easy adjustment. They feel different under braking and I was having a hard time finding the threshold, granted the tire is a bit taller and it was wet out. I didn't find the limit through the slaloms but they would understeer just a bit mid corner before the back end would start to slide. Tire temps never got above 72 degrees with the rain. I started at 20 psi front cold and 19 psi rear cold and gained maybe 1 psi all around. I have another event this coming weekend so hopefully I can provide a better review.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX2Urw2U5iQ
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72 degrees? That is freezing for a slick; reminds me of the Medford Spring Enduro last year.
You'll have some real fun when you find the temperature where the mechanical grip turns to sticky.
How did you fit 275s on 8s? Those usually need at least a 9 and can go on a 10" wheel.
QUOTE(Matt Romanowski @ Apr 7 2014, 01:13 PM)
How did you fit 275s on 8s? Those usually need at least a 9 and can go on a 10" wheel.
I was running 225s up front on 8s and 275s on 10s out back. Now I'm running the slicks square on those same 8s and 10s. I was not square with the A6s.
I'm surprised you could fit a 275 on an 8" rim. That is not an optimal rim width for that tire.
I wasn't. I was running a 225 on the 8s.
I wouldn't try mounting a 275 A6 on an 8" wheel. With the 10" bias tire it doesn't seem to mind one bit.
You should talk to the tire engineer and see what he says. You can shoe horn wide tires on narrow rims, but it rounds out the contact patch and you will actually lose grip. Bias plys will mount on narrower rims because of the flexibility in the carcass, but it's not always good.
I'm looking forward to hearing what the results will be with warm/dry weather testing.
72 degree's ambiant or tire temp?
we have had a lot of TTOD in temps like that... the tires can still work if you have the right tire temp built up.
we have had a lot of TTOD in temps like that... the tires can still work if you have the right tire temp built up.
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 29 2014, 01:19 PM)
A little off topic but...
Woody, what type of fastener are you using on your fiberglass fender flares? I'm doing an autocross build and that would simply things greatly. Thanks!
QUOTE(brant @ Apr 8 2014, 07:23 AM)
72 degree's ambiant or tire temp?
we have had a lot of TTOD in temps like that... the tires can still work if you have the right tire temp built up.
72 and wet? Daunting
QUOTE(Matt Romanowski @ Apr 8 2014, 08:54 AM)
You should talk to the tire engineer and see what he says. You can shoe horn wide tires on narrow rims, but it rounds out the contact patch and you will actually lose grip. Bias plys will mount on narrower rims because of the flexibility in the carcass, but it's not always good.
I would think this would be visible taking tire temps, no? The car is set up for staggered tires. My intent was to lose a little bit of tire width up front by squeezing the tires on the rims so I could kinda sorta maintain that stagger as I like the way the car feels. Yes, its probably not the right answer but I cannot swing for a set of Avons right now.
QUOTE(brant @ Apr 8 2014, 09:23 AM)
72 degree's ambiant or tire temp?
we have had a lot of TTOD in temps like that... the tires can still work if you have the right tire temp built up.
Tire temps immediatly after a run. Ambient may have been a little colder.
QUOTE(Han Solo @ Apr 8 2014, 09:25 AM)
QUOTE(Woody @ Mar 29 2014, 01:19 PM)
A little off topic but...
Woody, what type of fastener are you using on your fiberglass fender flares? I'm doing an autocross build and that would simply things greatly. Thanks!
I am just using big headed 3/16 aluminum rivets with a fender washer on the backside.
QUOTE(koozy @ Apr 8 2014, 09:29 AM)
QUOTE(brant @ Apr 8 2014, 07:23 AM)
72 degree's ambiant or tire temp?
we have had a lot of TTOD in temps like that... the tires can still work if you have the right tire temp built up.
72 and wet? Daunting
I have a few FTDs in the wet. These tires in my opinion felt better than the A6s in similar conditions.
My car wilts in the rain
Well we had great weather yesterday and I got 5 good runs in. On a 35 second course the car is at least a half second faster than it ever was on the A6s, maybe a full second. The need for a TB diff is exagerated with this setup so I ended up going full stiff on the front bar. It helped but just masked the problem. Turn in was great, Haven't found the limit while in the slaloms and it seems very predictable mid corner. It was about 85 degrees ambient and I saw 110 on the tires which was close to what the other guys were seeing.
My two best runs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exodqAGWBXQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1o1TbTK-dU
My two best runs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exodqAGWBXQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1o1TbTK-dU
Very interesting. What pressures were you running?
QUOTE(koozy @ Apr 8 2014, 06:45 PM)
My car wilts in the rain
Ha. Mine melts
Open top car on slicks and rain - bad mix ...
QUOTE(koozy @ Apr 14 2014, 09:40 AM)
Very interesting. What pressures were you running?
Ended up at 21 hot all around. Still have a bit of tuning to do. Temps were even across the tires, within 5 degrees.
Ah, low pressures. They must have a robust sidewall. Very nice results. Can't wait to see how they hold up. What alignment specs are you running?
QUOTE(koozy @ Apr 14 2014, 12:31 PM)
Ah, low pressures. They must have a robust sidewall. Very nice results. Can't wait to see how they hold up. What alignment specs are you running?
-1 degree front, -.75 degrees in the back. Slight toe in rear, toe out front.
An aside...
These seem to be the preffered tire for some of the local Formula Ford guys becasue of price, availability, and grip... I think I'll order a set once I have my car back together.
These seem to be the preffered tire for some of the local Formula Ford guys becasue of price, availability, and grip... I think I'll order a set once I have my car back together.
Dang! Looking tough out there!
QUOTE(Seabird @ Apr 19 2014, 09:53 AM)
Dang! Looking tough out there!
Thanks bud.
Looks to me like a few to many lbs of pressure....
QUOTE(r_towle @ Apr 24 2014, 09:22 PM)
Looks to me like a few to many lbs of pressure....
You think so? Enlighten me. I am new to bias tires. Temps were spot on.
See how the back tire is flexing in the corner and the front is not.
I would suggest that you might want to have the fronts able to flex the same amount.
I am specifically looking at the sidewall of the tire in the pictures above.
I would suggest that you might want to have the fronts able to flex the same amount.
I am specifically looking at the sidewall of the tire in the pictures above.
I'll let a pound or so out but I think what you are seeing is that I am running 10s front and rear but using 8 inch rims up front and 10" rims out back so the front tires are pinched just a bit.
I see that wheel width difference, and if your runs a great, leave it alone.
I just remember how well these cars push....
The pic with one tire off the ground, I would think the remaining tire would be flexing more under a turn like that, thus increasing the patch.
Again, if it's working, cool...leave it.
I remember whenever I changed anything on my car, I wasted at least a run or two learning the car again....
I got to the point where it was "run it as it stands" and just push what I had to learn how to drive that car on that day....with those tires...
Not much help, sorry
I just remember how well these cars push....
The pic with one tire off the ground, I would think the remaining tire would be flexing more under a turn like that, thus increasing the patch.
Again, if it's working, cool...leave it.
I remember whenever I changed anything on my car, I wasted at least a run or two learning the car again....
I got to the point where it was "run it as it stands" and just push what I had to learn how to drive that car on that day....with those tires...
Not much help, sorry
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