1999all_motoR_teg

Our Time Attack team has been purchacing and running lightly used BFG R1's on our DC2 racecar and have decided to grab a brand new set of Hoosier R6's. Now I've read that Day 1(sticker) Hoosiers are incredibly fast and was wondering about heat cycling. We would be running the BFG R1's for practice then switching to the Hoosiers for the actual Time Attack. Should I heat cycle the tires at a test day before the event or would it be okay to heat cycle them during the time attack then pull them off the car and let them sit for a week till the next race? Just not sure if it's a waste to heat cycle them before hand and if it'll mean they won't be as fast for the first time they're competed on.

Thanks for any insight in advance.

granracing

If you don't properly heat cycle them, they definately will wear down quicker. I imagine it would be possible to do this if it's a short time trial. (I often heat cycle mine during qualifying which would be similar to what you're doing.)

rice_classic

I run the SM6 (it's the 205/50/15 R6 for $30 less) and I'm not fan. Are they blazingly fast, yes, are they worth the money... I don't think so.

I do Conference racing so I don't get to participate in any contingency so $$ spent per heat cycle matters to me, yet I still need something that's very competitive.

My Hoosiers:
1: 1st day break-in, did several slow laps then gradually increased pace without any sliding or locking of brakes. Brought the tires up temp without running 10/10ths.
2: Let sit for minimum 24 hours
3: Always kept out of sunlight (Sunlight heat cycles the tires)
4: Ran them at 40-42 psi hot (they are fastest here and last the longest), but you have to resist "sliding" them. Slip angle good, outright slide very bad.
5: They lost about 1/2 a second to a full second after 14 heat cycles.


I am no considering new Hankook C51's or Goodyear Eeagle RS DOT's. I've heard good things about both being as fast or faster than R6's but lasting much longer. I currently have the Hankooks and still need to do some more "setup" with them but I've never ran the Eagle RS's.

granracing

That doesn't sound bad to me.

Good luck sourcing the kooks going forward. They're a pretty nice tire but supply issues have always been an issue.

rice_classic

Doesn't sound good to me but oh well. 1 single entered weekend is 4 sessions, so if I double enter that 8 sessions. So in 2 weekends they're no longer competitive. IMHO, if the tire can't stay competitive for more than 2 weekends they don't deserve my money.... So what I'm learning is that most tire companies don't deserve my money.

granracing

Well this is different. Are you referring to competitive vs other guys running Hoosiers or something like Toyos? I'd venture to guess that decent Hoosiers are better than good Toyos (or similar).

It's hard to compete against someone whose willing to outspend you. Unfortunately that's a part of racing.

rice_classic

I'm in a championship battle with a guy who can afford to show up with new Hoosiers at every weekend. I'm a "budget" racer so I'm just happy I'm still in the hunt with nothing but 1 set of used Hankooks and 1 set of new Hoosiers so far this year (I'm 9 races in but the car has done 14 races due to renting and double classing).

I'm going to scrub in a brand new set of Goodyear's next weekend at Portland.


Just so we haven't completely thread jacked the OP's thread:
1: After you scrub-in a new set of Hoos, minimum set time is 24 hours... The longer the better, so yes, if you can let them sit for a week after their initial heat cycle the better.
2: Hoosiers like a bit more pressure. I got my absolute best times and most consistency for the duration of a race with them at 40-42 psi hot. (err on the higher side). If you start them too low and run them too low while HOT, they will fall off fast and reduce the total number of heat cycles. This is my experience and the experience of several other fast guys I compete with.

SCoupe 5sp

In your camp on that.

Then perhaps the Toyo RA1 are a good middle ground. They are an exception to heat cycle sensitivity if properly cared for (particularly on our lightened track only cars). Granted they are not offering the same grip as the disposable tires.

I am still on a learning curve, yet managed a very race competitive personal best at Thunderhill Raceway on tires that were new back in Feb. By competitive I mean would have been 2cd in the TTC group I'd qualify for and would have been competitive with HC2 times if I actually had those skills.

Though I'd like to try the Hoosiers somewhere along the way.

granracing

2 weekends versus number of heat cycles...tough comparison. A qualifying session and a race; now that weekend number goes right on up. In the end it's about balancing how fast you want to go along with budgets.

Hell, someone can easily take it a step further especially for time trials and use the autocross Hoosier compounds.

essex

How fast do you guys run at the big track at Mosport and the big Shannonville track?

WRXRacer111

My experience on a 2595# ITA Integra...
size: 225/45/15 on 15x7" wheels.

Hoosier R6 (whatever version was available in '07)- Cold on lap 1, slightly on lap 2, fully on lap 3, peak on lap 4, fall off noticably after that

Hankook C51- Cold lap 1-2, fronts warm on lap 3 (if you can hang on and not die until lap 4...), rears warm on lap 4, peak around lap 8 then fall off slightly after that. Minor shock+tire psi change needed for my car to make them work.

Goodyear Eagle RS- Cold lap 1-2, warm on lap 3, fully "up" by lap 4...

I never really got comfortable with the G tire. The steering and braking feel is very numb compared to the other 2. When they start to slide, it takes a much larger correction to recover grip. On some tracks this will cause you to scrub a lot of speed, and there are certain tracks I would feel significantly disadvantaged running them because of this. The peak grip is very similar, perhaps slightly more than the others.

IMO- best to worst
braking grip- R6, C51=Eagle
trailbraking grip- R6, Eagle, C51 (C51 prefers to be straightline braked)
peak mid-corner grip- Eagle=C51, R6
tire scrub off corner-C51, R6, Eagle
rolling resistance- C51=R6, Eagle

ScottBell

iTrader: (1)

3: Read and follow the 3 pages or so of car and feeding instructions on the Hoosier site.

rice_classic

And make sure you read it ALL, especially if your racing a FWD car.


Most people read the recommended pressure chart without scrolling down further and reading the FWD part:

We've found that if you're in the mid 30's hot then your tire won't last worth crap. We also found that over 44 psi hot they would tend to "skate" a bit too much and would require the racer to practice more "control" than was beneficial to racing at peak speeds without sliding the tires. 41-43 Hot on a car like the CRX was the sweet spot for speed, and longevity, not only in heat cycles but during the race. My competitor set and reset the track record in the same race both in the last 2 laps of the race.

solo-x

+elvenbrazillions

These are my observations as well.