Suggestions for Rain Tires

[Newbie]

Hi All,

What are your suggestions for type and size of rain tires for a '87 ITS RX-7?

I'm told that if I get really good ones, It will never rain during a race weekend!

[ddewhurst]

After watching some very good drivers pound their IT cars off the walls at IRP a few years ago I figured there ain't rain tires good enough to allow me to race for position in the rain.

Have Fun
David

ps: I don't have a desire to be a bodyman.

[Speed Raycer]

Originally posted by Newbie:
I'm told that if I get really good ones, It will never rain during a race weekend!

That's gotta be true. When I bought my car about 2 seasons ago, it came with a set of brand new Hoosier Dirt Stockers . They've basically sat all mounted up and have never hit the pavement.



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Scott Rhea
It's not what you build...
it's how you build it

Izzy's Custom Cages

[C. Ludwig]

You need ice studs to run IRP in the rain. The dragstrip turns to something between snot on glass and oil soaked ice.

Dirt stockers are THE tire for standing water at the moment but I'm curious what the new full tread Hoosier rains will do. I use full tread Toyo RA1s and have good success in intermediate to full wet conditions with them.

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Chris Ludwig
08 ITS RX7 CenDiv

[bcarter]

I like the Toyo's as well in the rain. We don't have a choice, as they are our "spec" tire, but they work really well, and seem to give us an advantage over a lot of higher powered cars.

That's not to say I haven't gone agricultural in the wet....

[RX767]

What ever you do, do not buy used rain tires from another driver unless it is somebody you know and trust.
Last season, I responded to an ad on this site for Hoosier Dirt Stockers that were supposed to have be used only once or twice, and the claim was that a Hoosier rep at VIR said that they were in great shape. The tires I received were dangerously dry rotted on the sidewalls and between the rows of tread. When I confirmed my assessment of these tires with our local Hoosier rep, he stated that I had bought four expensive containers for yard plants. In the worst case, one these tires could have failed on a wet track and sent me into a nearby car on my way to the tire wall. I did send the tires back to this person, and he only returned part of my money. In the end it cost me between $100 and $150 to get ripped off.

On a more positive note, I bought a set of new full tread Toyos from Phil's Tire Service to serve as rain tires. http://www.philstireservice.com/
He went out of his way to make sure I had these tires prior to a race weekend. I plan on ordering a set of race tires from him in the next couple of weeks. I did not need rain tires last season, but I keep them covered and I treated them with Formula V Traction Treatment prior to winter storage.
I think the best way is to buy new and take care of them.

Bill Emery
Glen Region
ITA#23

[BMW RACER]

What's nice about the full tread Toyo is if you get it wrong (like I did this weekend) and put rains on and the track dries out you are still O.K. I was about three seconds a lap slower than with shaved Toyos but at the end of the race the tires still looked halfway decent. Now they are intermediates.

[Newbie]

Thanks All,

I went and got new RA-1's so I should be good to go. Thanks for your input.

[Rob May]

Buy the new Hoosier rain tire. It is the best rain tire out there now.

[gran racing]

I just used my Toyo RA-1s on Monday; and it was pouring. I was actually shocked at how well they did (although I did spin once ).

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Dave Gran
NER ITB #13
'87 Honda Prelude si