Where Do The Stickers Go?

[Eagle7]

Test day was not kind to this newbie's tires. Flatspotted two of them. I think it's going to be quite a while before I get me some Hoosiers.

Two shaved Kuhmos in pretty good shape are staying on the car. Two sticker Kuhmos are going on (the last tires I've got except for the dirt stockers). Should the stickers go on the front or the rear? (rear wheel drive)

I plan to have a half-day test/tune at the track Friday prior to Saturday's race (my first). I really need the seat time, so I don't want to waste the day with just one short heat-cycle session. Advice?

Thanks,

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Marty Doane
ITS RX7 #13
CenDiv WMR

[paulydee]

Well Marty,

One thing to consider is how the car handles. Does it have a tendancy to oversteer or understeer? Knowing that fact then you have to decided if you want the new tires doing the most work or the least work (i.e. a heavy or light heat cycle).

Then put the tire where you want them to be.


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Paul D'Angelo
73 ITS CENDIV
Indy Region
www.iridiumracing.com

[Joe Craven]

How bad did you flat spot them? If they aren't way too bad (cord showing etc.), then you might be able to put them on the rears and keep on racing. If the vibration isn't too bad, the biggest problem is in braking and the fronts do most of the braking.

Flat spotted tires tend to skid easily on the flat spots again. Rears rarely lock which is why you might be able to run them.

#37 ITB

[Eagle7]

Cords are showing on both the flatspots, so I don't think I should run them.

The car is pretty tail-happy, which I'm still learning to deal with (thus the flatspots ). However, it seems that the fronts still get worked harder than the rears.

My understanding is that sticker tires are likely to chunk and deteriorate fast because they're not shaved, and my thinking was to try to avoid that as much as possible. Would I then put them on the rear in order to not work them as hard?

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Marty Doane
ITS RX7 #13
CenDiv WMR

[dickita15]

if the track you are running is harder on one side than the other why not replace one side.
dick

[John Herman]

Marty, stick them on the rear to minimize the oversteer. The new tires will have a tendency to stick a bit better, so less oversteer. However, you may want to change your suspension settings slightly (if the problem was a handling issue) or adjust your brake bias (if it was a braking issue)to avoid a repeat occurrence. Happy motoring.
Addendum: I'm assuming your first race will be at Grattan this weekend. If you have the time, run the whole practice day. Don't worry about the heat cycle in the tires cutting your day short. Grattan is quite difficult to learn, and in the beginning you probably won't be able to put enough heat into them to worry about it. I'd recommend; take your time getting up to speed before the lunch break, evaluate you and the car at lunch, and then start pushing it after lunch. If you are going to only do half a day, show up at lunch, and they may give you a break on the test day fee. Additionally, I prefer to use up the tires before I store the car for the winter so I don't have an excuse to start next year on old hard tires.

[This message has been edited by John Herman (edited August 27, 2003).]

[Eagle7]

Thanks, John. I had just finished putting them on the rear, so I'm glad to see your advice. I'm planning to spend the afternoon at Grattan on Friday. Will I see you there this weekend - hope so.

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Marty Doane
ITS RX7 #13
CenDiv WMR

[badal]

The two corners that flatspoted before are the most likely to do it again. I would put your heat-cycled tires on those two corners.
I would also try to fix the lock-up problem before it costs you two more tires.

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"Bad" Al Bell
ITC #3 Datsun 510
DC Region MARRS Series