This does make sense. Thanks for the clarification. I think I may upgrade to the kit you mentioned the next time around for some additional security. I also run the cup monoballs so I have a bit of extra space as well. I think I will run the -3+ front this time around using just shims and then install the kit next week after the NOLA race.

Thanks!

-Sayajin

 

Pwdrhound (or anyone else with knowledge) Have you heard anything about running the Continental Slicks on a 997.1 TT? I followed your recommendations and purchased a set of R6's that I ran last weekend in NOLA and plan to run again in Memphis, however as I was speaking to a friend, he sourced a set of Continental Slicks for dirt cheap. I had never read anything about people using them so I wanted to come on here and ask. From me talking to the distributor, he says most Porsche guys run 245/40/18 F and 305/650/18 R. However I don't know if these guys are running the AWD system and have to worry about diameters and such. Anyone have any input? While I was quite happy with the R6's for this price if the Continentals are comparable, Ill try them out. Thanks!


-Sayajin

 

Whatever tires you run, if you're AWD, make sure your rears are about 0.75" taller than the fronts.

 

So I have just gone through my first set of R6s on my new wheels. They fit on perfectly with almost no scrubbing (I did create a shield for my driver side radiator hose as it was slightly touching it.) I ran the R6s in NOLA as well as at MIR and was significantly faster. I can definitely see why guys love these tires and it immediately made it clear to me that you can NOT be as competitive as possible on street tires. (Depending on your region and class of course)

With that said, I did notice uneven tire wear on the tires and I wanted to post pictures here for some input. If these were not slicks, I would immediately say there was too much camber and that is the reason for the uneven wear. Looking at the tires, one side of the tire is obviously worn more than the other with what appears to be a good bit more rubber remaining in the middle. However the outside edge as not worn down as you would have with an inflation issue, so dont believe that is the issue. On street tires, I wold say that is because of too much negative camber. However I dont know if that is normal on slicks as I have limited experience with them. Every thread I have ever read says you NEED 3+ negative camber, but I at least wanted to get thoughts. I did not have this problem on the rear tires, as they appear to have even tread wear and even a little life left in them. I have attached pictures of both front tires for comparison and you will notice that the uneven wear pattern is the same on both front tires.

I am running the quoted specs above (thanks pwdrhound) and have attached pics. Can you guys give me your thoughts and opinions? Thanks!



-Sayajin

 

No, that kind of wear on the inside of the front tires is not normal. Mine wear perfectly even across. This would indicate either your front toe badly out of whack (not likely) or your driving style. In other words, you may not be cornering hard enough. How hard are you trail braking? My guess is that most of your braking is done in a straight line and you're not really loading up the fronts much. You really need be punish the front tires a lot more so they are doing more work. Ignoring the inside wear of the fronts, are the rears generally showing more wear than the fronts or not? My tires, for example, wear 1:1 front and rear as I generally cord all 4 pretty much at the same time and that is on a RWD platform. Have you taken temp readings across the tread of the tires? What hot tire pressures are you running? I am assuming your car has the stock rubber bushings still in the suspension. That will always cause increased tire wear because it allows your suspension to easily come out of alignment and "move" around especially when combines with very sticky tires. Monoballs and solid thrust arm bushings will help greatly in locking things down.

 

Thanks for the input! Thinking about it, you are probably correct that I have been doing most of my braking in a straight line and not a huge amount of trail braking. I am @ VIR this weekend so I will test out that theory.

In regards to the wear, I will check when I get back home to look at my old tires, however if I was trying to recall, I would say the backs probably have a bit more meat. They definitely have a more even tread wear.

As far as suspension, there is almost nothing stock on my car. Full Tarett and GT3 build. Control Arms, Bushings, Drop Links, Sway Bars, Toe Links, thrust arms, Monoballs, ect. I shoot for 33F/34R Hot on my R6s.


It may just be that you are correct and I'm not cornering as hard as I can. I have minimal experience with slicks and I suppose I could be underestimating their stickiness. As mentioned above, I'm at VIR for 3 days this weekend as well as I have races the rest of the weekends this month, so I will attempt to adapt my driving style accordingly. Anything specifically different about driving with slicks other than "corner harder and trail brake more" that I should know about?

Thanks!


-Sayajin

 

My first question for you is how many heat cycles did these tires see?

After answering that (if 8-9 or below) my first guess would be your toe-in / toe-out is not set-up correctly. Next thing to look at would be your rake settings. As Powderhound mentioned, you might just not be driving aggressively enough through the turns, lifting too much or coasting, instead of powering through, and out.

While trying to dial-in my set-up I have actually burned through a set of tires in one day....its a painful learning curve.

How competitive were you with your peers on street tires? Leading the pack or wondering why your times were not what you expected?

 

PS: Don't forget, when running R6's your braking points are much later which also necessitates trail braking to continue and carry more speed through the turns.

 

Those tires got about 12-15 heat cycles. Essentially 2 full track weekends, with 4 sessions per day. I realize that is close to the end of their life, so that wasnt the big thing. What got me was the uneven wear pattern.

As far as my competitiveness on street tires, I was leading the pack. Which is why it took me so long to switch to slicks as I did not think they were a major benefit. It wasnt until a joint NASA event at Barber with South East, Central, Mid South, Nola, and Florida that I realized that I could not be as competitive as guys on the National level without switching to slicks.

As reference, this is my first time out at VIR and I ran a 2:04 the first session of Saturday. I hope to lower this time by a bit. Also I am paying more attention to my trail braking after pwdhounds comment, and it appears I do it more often that I thought I did, however I dont know if it was that way in the past or I am doing it more DUE to his recommendation.

I dont think my toe is crazy out of line, however I suppose it is possible my alignment shop messed it up my first track weekend and corrected it on the second (I gave them new specs the 2nd and asked for a copy of the final report). Or it could be I simply was not driving hard enough as I have yet to dial in my settings on Slicks.

-Sayajin

 

If you are happy with the way your car is handling and are satisfied with your R6 times (realizing you can still improve upon those times with your skill/talent) I would leave things as they are. You should be VERY happy with 12-15 heat cycles. I use to see 12-14, as my times improved I am down to 8-9. Currently we are trying to fine tune things both on the driver's side and set-up so I can see 10 cycles.

Best of luck out there!