In a message dated 7/26/00 1:22:40 PM, brian@uunet.ca writes:
<< But we should be limiting the tires, I've finally come to agree,
to sizes and tread types more in line with what was available in the
day. Dunlop makes tires to suit virtually every car, but they often don't
perform as well as other options, and they often wear quickly if you buy
the soft compound. but they do stress the suspension less than a lot of
more modern choices. >>
I agree and believe there are many good reasons to limit the tires. For
one thing it is more period authentic. While some may argue that Hoosiers
are representative of the period, I have to disagree. As an example, the
1970 set-up notes from a friend's Mini indicated 40 psi tire pressure! (&
yes, he did know what he was doing - he was the D-sedan national champ that
year.) Hoosiers are not the same as what was used 30 years ago. I ran the
Hoosiers (A70-13 TD's) for several years on my car (Honda S800). They're
inexpensive, long lasting and stick like glue. They stick so good that I
occasionally put the car up on two wheels when I made an aggessive turn-in
for medium speed left-hand corners. I really did not like that feeling.
I tried the Dunlops this year (4.50M-13). The performance was fine but
they cost twice as much as the Hoosier and didn't last half as long. Right
now, I'm using up an old set of Yokohama A001R's. After that I plan to go
the inexpensive alernative - Continental. They make an H-rated radial in the
175-70 X 13 size. It costs about $45 per tire plus shaving. In terms of
size, tread width and grip, they are period authentic and wonderfully
inexpensive. Most of the small-bore cars have taken advantage of this option
in VDCA events and the tires have received very good reviews.
A lot of racers do not want to give up using the Hoosiers. I can't blame
them since they offer the most grip for the money. But they are stickier
than tires of 30-40 years ago and not really period authentic. Personally, I
am having more fun with the skinnier tires letting the car slide a little
more. I haven't been back to the same tracks in order to make a direct
comparison, but I don't think my lap times have suffered for it.
Doug Meis
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