No problem about the pictures, I enjoy it. BTW I think I have some pics of both of the cars in this picture. Let me know if they want it up.

Chris

 

sean, how come the pics arent showing anymore

 

Sorry about that, I took care of it. Jenk12m what # were you?

Chris

 

Ok,

I called my instructor's tire guy...racer x 20+ years. PS2 will not offer enough "more" to be worth the investment over conti sport contact 2's. His words. He said he would not sell me the PS2's as that would not be right. Gotta respect that.


What tires that can be used on the road (DD, and I drive to events...)....do people recommend:


players I am looking at:

-255/315 Toyo R888 (what he wants me to use..). Is this the tire Tom tried out? This person told me that he had never seen cracks in a Toyo in all of his time, and he had guys using them all winter in Washington DC.
-large Michelin Cup tires...
-yoko neova's


My concerns are first rain safety and second wear and tear. Say I get 4-8k out of them..ok.. How about driving in rain? Real world road surfaces (rough roads....etc.).

Thanks guys.

 

I run cup sports for my makeshift rain tire as long as they have some tread on them. Towards the end they get slick, but its really not an issue as any real standing water would probably be a problem at high speeds with any kind of tire for us. I would go for the cup personally as I have used them on the street and track with great success. Yes, you will go through tires faster, but they are worth a good couple of seconds off of your time and are a blast to tool around in! If anyone has driven on the r888s long enough and in different conditions, please, say they are better...Im always looking for a new street tire!

 

Guys, the event was too much fun...

It was great meeting you all, JCB, Sean, Datax, Stu. Obviously it was great seeing Martin and his gang. Everyone was great...


...but you guys didn't hold a candle to the actual driving. I'm hooooooooked!!!

 

Quick recap.

Got there Friday, missed the first run session. The great bunch of guys went through the flags with me, got me a new instructor, got my car teched, and got me out on the track in a whirlwind.

Had a BLAST. Ran the following two sessions Friday with my instructor (Rod, couldn't have asked for a better instructor). Ran one more with him Sat. morning then I moved into solo.

See you all next year (and some before).

 

If my car were the DD and have to shop for tires for it, those tires you listed (R888s, MPSC, Neovas) would be the bottom end of the list. There's a reason why they are called R compounds and why 90% of the car makers don't choose as original tires.

 

I wish. I got passed by Matt at least twice, managed to hang on for a while before going into turn 1. Then he put on the dunlops and I had no chance. Got passed by VB in the home made Cup Car a couple of times too, and one time was the one where Gary Church was chasing him, you can see them pass me coming out of 17. When I almost bit the dust @ southbend I pointed the Z06 by, and he stole a pass when Matt, Tom and I were trying to film. Maybe another point by here and there, but Matt and VB were the only ones who just walked me down and passed.


But I will say that after the first session I was very surprised to have run a 2:10 but dissapointed I couldnt get past 2:07 . Next year it'll be fresh tires and very few point by's

 

ya, Ill be there next year too...but...Im thinking something that runs sub 2s...

 

I hear you loud and clear....and did agree. Then this tire guy said that for the R888 in particular, it is great as a DD save wear (5kish). Assuming one can handle that (got 8k on the pirelli's...., Conti's are supposed to be good to about 15k at most, 10k normally...), I'll be ok. He even said they are very good in the rain and he has a bunch of people on them in the DC area....

So, after 5 minutes of polite questions, I am semi-convinced that these new tires are good. R compound in a "street" tread is one way to look at it....

The cups seem to have too little tread, but promise better wear overall and better noise issues. The R888's are supposed to be noisy....but they handle heat cycling really well. The cracking issue aside....

I suspect given what he said to me that if they cracked, he'd replace them. Something to get in writing...


OK: Secondary question, say I take the advice of the many sages at the track and ignore the tire guy's advice for a second, and go PS2. Will getting the "fattest" tires, say 235/315's make a huge difference. I assume tire patch-wise it will, but sometimes it can be counter-intuitive in tires.... Right now, it is 225/295....on Conti CS2's.

I am open to many thoughts/feelings. DataX is right.....I know that. I suspect I'll just get the PS2's and get a lot better...then get a separate set of wheels that are DOT for track days ONLY and travel to and from....say in a year. It is just odd that this tire guy really feels the R888's would be superb for a single season dual purpose tire...5-10 weekends of DE at my level (probably 2 weekends for some of you.. )




JB

 

...My poor little under powered homemade cup car was struggling out there!

 

very funny...very funny...

 

Yeah right. Maybe Porsche should hire you, I wouldnt have known the difference if you hadnt told me. Still went by me like it came straight from stuttgart that way.


No offense meant by homemade btw, I wish I had the talent to build a car like that.

 

ya, no kidding, I thought it was a synergy car or another professional outfit...you could be in the biz right with em!