The set of Hoosier R3S04s I bought back in July are still going strong.

So far they have...

Qualify at Barber - 3rd
Race at Barber - 3rd (under old track record)
Qualify for ARRC Sprint - 5th
2nd Qualify for ARRC Sprint - 4th
ARRC Sprint - 3rd
Qualify for ARRC Enduro - Pole
ARRC 3 hour Enduro - Win
Practice at Karl's school
Race 1 at Karl's school
Race 2 at Karl's school

Thats 10 heat cycles and over 6.5 hours on them. And they've still got good meat left . I plan to use them for the Road Atlanta test day next month and maybe even for race practice that weekend if they are still somehow surviving.

If they've fallen off at all it isn't by much. Karl was running competitive lap times at CMP in that last race and he was still making small mistakes and being cautious.
Color me impressed.

 

My Autocross 04s..

32 runs and corded.

Which is kind of a difference from the 03s.. They went 16 runs fast, 8 runs so-so, and then would have no grip till they would cord around 38 runs.

At least the new ones grip till they cord.

Jon K
http://www.seat-time.com

 

Scott how light is that civic?
Some friends of mine are trying to convince me I need the hoosiers. I keep telling them I cant afford them, but if I can get three good weekends out of a set....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by smokin rubber &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Scott how light is that civic?
Some friends of mine are trying to convince me I need the hoosiers. I keep telling them I cant afford them, but if I can get three good weekends out of a set....</TD></TR></TABLE>


Get the Hoosiers...

 

2175 to 2190 typically. Depending upon which wheels are on the car and how much gas is in it.

It looks like I'm going to get 3 or 4 weekends out of a set, including enduros.
So 3 sprint race weekends for you should be fairly easily doable.

The most important note here is that the new compound DOES NOT appear to be falling off after 6 to 8 heat cycles. As Hoosier promised, this tire seems to be pretty much as fast as brand new all the way to the cords.
We ran the ARRC 3 hour enduro with the same tire on the left front the entire race (which wasn't the plan, it just happened that way) and not only did we not cord it, I'm still using it. It started that race having already run 6 sessions.
Thats pretty damned impressive for a tire this sticky. Most all of the IT records in my division have fallen since this tire started widespread use. Some of those records have fallen HARD.

However, if budget is more important than competitiveness to an individual, Kumho or Toyo is still the way to go. Kumhos are still significantly cheaper and Toyos are slightly cheaper (after shaving) but continue to wear better than the whole bunch.
But the Hoosier 04 is both fast, likely the fastest of all the R compounds, and wears pretty damned well considering its grip. It also comes in all the sizes we want (still haven't personally seen a 225/45/15 Toyo).

I also have been pretty happy with the Hoosier contingency program with SCCA. As a result of ECR wins and the ARRC I bagged a total of 7 free tires in 2004.
Me = when it comes to free tires.

 

It should be noted that even in 28 deg. weather, these 04 Hoosiers had plenty of stick to them. I spent a lot of time on 03 Hoosiers in my GS-R, and am mighty impressed with the 04s.

 

What kind of pressures and toe/camber setting are you guys using? My temps are pretty close but I am getting a lot of inside wear up front with -3 degrees camber and 1/8 toe out at 38psi.

 

2.5 negative and a whole lot less toe out than you're running.

If you had given me those numbers without mentioning that you have an inside wear problem, I would have said "Don't you have an inside wear problem?"

 

Definitely cut down on the camber and toe out. You'll get less wear and better braking performance. I won't give numbers since they depend on what works for you and your driving. Your goal is to have even temps (and wear) across your tires, so run the camber and toe that gets you that, along with the balance you desire.

 

I'm glad to hear your experience with them. This upcoming year I'll be making the move from Toyos to Hoosiers and was a bit concerned with tire wear. Unfortunately my car is very hard on the front tires.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by granracing &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Unfortunately my car is very hard on the front tires. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Loosen it up.
That will solve that problem. Of course, it creates another problem if you plant it in a wall, but it solves the front tire wear problem.

 

Scott what size are you running? and... well... if there 14's can I buy these when your done with them.. asumming there not corded

 

13s.
And it looks like I'll be running them to the cords.

 

Thanks, I've been wondering what tires to run on this year... still have to sell the autocross tires, and was considering Toyos strickly for the longevity issue. I think you may have convinced me otherwise.

Granted ITA might be a little harder on the tires, but I'm a wuss so that balances out things a bit.