First set of tires

[shwah]

I have a set of 14" Toyos with plenty of life on VW snowflakes that I would sell.

[tbelicke]

RA1's? How much? I am local.

[shwah]

How about $200 with the wheels they are on?

Used them for 8 races. I estimate they have 1/2 or more life left. They were shaved when new, and should wear well.

fvgngn (at) sbcglobal (dot) net

setup notes - I need to check but I recall running 2.5-3.5 negative camber in the front, depending on the track layout.

[tbelicke]

Did you ever run an MK1?

[shwah]

No.

[joeg]

A Kumho is a much better choice than a Toyo--cheaper too.

You may also want to check out the Hankooks; maybe even cheaper.

Whatever you do, take decent tires to your driver's school; always plan for the worse and hope for the best.

After all is said and done, however, just remind yourself that there simply is nothing faster than a new Hoosier!

[Greg Amy]

A Kumho is a much better choice than a Toyo--cheaper too...just remind yourself that there simply is nothing faster than a new Hoosier!

We've pretty much decided to at least start on Toyos this year, and we're definitely not new to the game... Why?

- Cheaper. Toyo RA-1s are on closeout, and my 225/50-15s are $155 each, shaved. Hoosiers are $220 each. That's a diff of over $200 per set.
- Last longer. Just a WAG, but Toyos will probably last 2-3 times what the Hoosiers will. That's cuts our tire bill in half again.
- Competition. I'm getting word that our local competition will be light this year.
- Competitiveness/"out there to have fun". I'm not convinced the car we're (re)building is going to be long-term competitive. So, we're running with the attitude this year of "we're out there to have fun".
- Lack of contingency. Last year several tire manufacturers offered contingency sponsorship; "word" is that's pretty much gone across the board.

Don't know if you've noticed (the media been fairly silent on it ), but the economy ain't too good right now, and a little frugality is in order. Given the choice between fewer races with faster tires that go away sooner, or more races with slower tires that last longer, I think the choice is obvious. I suspect if we choose to make the haul to the "big events" like IT Fest and ARRC we'll switch to the purple glue, but for the most part we'll choose to save some coin and enjoy the ride...

Besides, more track/seat time results in better lap times, far more so than less time and sticky tires...and, if we do well on Toyos we look like heroes...

GA

[Chris P]

I have a set of 14" Toyos with plenty of life on VW snowflakes that I would sell.

Do you still have these and if so, would you consider shipping? Like the original poster, I'm a road race newb and just got an ITB prepped MK 2 Golf for Christmas. I got lots of spares parts but no wheels and the RA1s on it are showing signs of dry rot.

Thanks
Chris

[shwah]

The RA-1s are spoken for now. I do have a set of 14x6 wheels with no tires that need a home. They are the 5 spoke Imolas from the 97 Jetta GT. Shoot me a zip and I will see how nutty shipping will be.