Question about Road Atlanta and RA1's

[Team SSR]

We went to Road Atlanta for the first time last weekend for the SARRC/ECR/Pro IT. We scuffed a set of Hoosiers the first practice session in preparation for the ECR race on Sunday morning. We ran a set of RA1's (we bought used) all day Saturday. That was 6 qualifying sessions and 1 SARRC race. Our best lap was 1:46.1. It rained for the ECR race, so we put on a set of (used) RA1's at ~4/32 tread. The track was still damp in spots for the Pro IT race, so we decided to save our brand new shiny Hoosiers for another day and put our well used RA1's back on. The driver thought the tires were giving up a little at the end of the race, but ran his fastest lap (1:45.5) on lap 17 of 20. The car had been a little loose and the outside radial grooves are starting to disappear from the rear tires. The two deeper center grooves still show plenty of rubber. Are these tires at the end of their useful life? I don't know how many previous heat cycles they had, but we put 7 on them this weekend. Also, any guesses as to how much the new Hoosiers would have helped our lap times?

[Joe-Racer]

I think all the IT7 guys could chime in here - but the consensus is the RA1s will perform fairly consistently. Even when they look pretty chewed. They get better (read: more responsive) when the blocks wear down. In the short time I've used them, I've found they last longer when shaved to 3/32s.

Pressures and temps are critical b/c RA1s will get greasy in a hurry.

[JLawton]

Also, any guesses as to how much the new Hoosiers would have helped our lap times?
[/b]

Since no one else has chimed in on this..........

I&#39;m guessing you would pick up 1-2 seconds.....maybe more <shrug>. Depends on how crappy your tires were. Also, take a look at the Hankooks. The feed back is they are close to the Hoosiers......at a whole lot less money!!

[Team SSR]

I checked on Hankooks earlier this year. There were none available from the track vendor (Appalachian Tire) in 225/45-15&#39;s. I prefer to buy from the suppliers that support the tracks where I race. Are there some available now? I did notice that very nearly everybody in impound that didn&#39;t have a spec tire rule had Hoosiers on.

Specific to Road Atlanta: Saturday was hot all day, It was cool and rained hard Sunday morning then eventually dried out and got hot. Would the track have more grip at the end of the weekend? We started with a loose car and didn&#39;t adjust. It eventually tightened up and was at it&#39;s best balance for the last race. Just wondering if it was tires or track...

[charrbq]

The balance in the car most likely came from the track getting more rubber laid down on it as the weekend progressed.
I&#39;ve found the Toyo&#39;s to be just about the best tire for a long enduro as they wear well and give consistant handling. Hoosiers will be much faster and will probably last a long race, but the cost adds up. How much is the trophy worth and how deep are your pockets?

[tom_sprecher]

I checked on Hankooks earlier this year. There were none available from the track vendor (Appalachian Tire) in 225/45-15&#39;s. I prefer to buy from the suppliers that support the tracks where I race. Are there some available now? [/b]

If you call them in advance and ask to reserve a set of tires for the weekend you will be there so will the tires.

[Mike Spencer]

I think all the IT7 guys could chime in here - but the consensus is the RA1s will perform fairly consistently. Even when they look pretty chewed. They get better (read: more responsive) when the blocks wear down. In the short time I&#39;ve used them, I&#39;ve found they last longer when shaved to 3/32s.

Pressures and temps are critical b/c RA1s will get greasy in a hurry.
[/b]

OK, I&#39;ll "chime". At least to the extent that I agree with Joe. In my experience RA-1s remain VERY consistent.

With regard to the pressures and temps being critical, I would probably use a word other than &#39;critical&#39;. I have heard widely different opinions on pressures in the paddock. The only universally agreed upon number seems to be a hot pressure over 40 is BAD!!!!!

[charrbq]

I run the same pressure in the 205/60R13 Toyos as I do in the 225/45R13 Hoosiers. They seem to work well and last at those numbers. I just used it as a starting point, and it worked out good.

[Team SSR]

We did back off on the air pressure for the last race. It ended up being about what we would have run in our Hoosiers. I didn&#39;t get to check the air pressure after the race because we had to go to impound :) but it should have been about 37-38 all 4 corners. Probably this is what our car needed for the track conditions. I guess that whole &#39;blind squirrel finding an acorn&#39; thing has some merit.

[cmaclean]

I ran RA1&#39;s in SM for a long time. They will produce consistent lap times until they cord. However, they will start to get very greasy after 5 or 6 laps. As they age this gets worse. You can qualify well on them but in a long race it starts to hurt. Once my Toyos started to unexpectedly let go in the corners (with no warning at all) that&#39;s when I would chuck them.

[Team SSR]

Thanks for the info.
You looked good at RA! Congrats on the ECR.

[Joe-Racer]

The only universally agreed upon number seems to be a hot pressure over 40 is BAD!!!!!
[/b]

Now there goes one of our secrets :P JK Mike&#39;s right - at 42 they&#39;re slicker than s**t