New Tires - need advice

#1

I will be picking up new RA-1’s shaved to 4/32" at the next VIR event Oct 7. I am running DE-3 and have never run on r-comp tires. They are mounted on the d-force wheels from Phil’s package.

What kind of break in prep can I do running in DE’s? Anything special about warming up the tires? I just need some “first time” r-comp advice. The car has the spec e30 suspension with sway bars but no camber plates. Still has about neg 2degrees of front camber. Also running Hawk HT-10 pads.

My wife is running DE1 and we will switch out to the “street rubber” currently on the car when she drives if time permits. If we end up driving back to back and can’t switch out the tires, is there anything else i need to know? She likely won’t be driving as hard as me but who knows when she feels more comfortable she will get agressive.

Thanks

#2

Since it’s only a DE, I would recommend taking the first session easy on them. Then after that goes balls to the wall. Have fun!

#3

my experience with the new batches of RA-1 is that they don’t come up to grip till after a few heat cycles…

#4

Other folks with more VIR experience might chime in, but I have never known VIR to be that hard on tires. Watch to make sure you are getting even wear, rotate the tires as necessary. You might find inside edges wearing more due to your camber settings, but I doubt it will cause a whole lot of trouble. If anything, get the tires flipped on the rims for the next time.

If the ambient temperature is <60, you will want to get some heat in the tires carefully so you don’t risk a spin-flatspot move. Assuming you go out to a yellow track, a few weaves back and forth will knock the paddock kitty litter off your tires. Then focus on hard acceleration and deceleration (watch your mirrors before you nail the brakes) to get heat in the carcasses.

Good luck!

#5

Sounds good. Thanks to all. Do i ever want to rotate these tires front to back or left to right or just switch them on the rim and keep the same configuration on the next track weekend?

#6

Your car’s set up and your driving style will have a big effect on tire wear patterns. It used to be that my front tires wore more than my rear so I’d swap front to rear. But then I tightened my rear bar a little and F/R wear became more consistant so I started swapping diagonally Right Front to Left Rear.

Swapping tires around on rims is another issue that defies a clear rule of thumb. My rear tires wear more evenly then my front tires. After a couple events I look at the wear patterns and sometimes it seems useful to flip the tire on the rim and sometimes not. As sets of tires come and go and you experiment with your car’s set up the variables will work out for you differently than they work out for others.

#7

To save a lot of work both of you should run on streets or the R tires. It will wear you out swapping so many times a day most likely.

At the end of the day pull all 4 off. Look them over and then put them back on to even the wear the next day. Since you have two drivers you can make the call if you do a mid day rotation or not. After you rotate remember to balance the tire pressures.

Focus more on learning driving and less on tires out of the gate and have the most fun you can. Noting will piss you wife off more than having her help swap tires after each run group, unless that’s art of you grand plan.

My wife started to drive my car in DEs after we married until she put my 911 into the wall at Summit. Tricky car to drive on a wet tack, it happens. I am not sure if it was that or our first child that kept her off the track after that.

#8

Thanks for all the advice. Any thoughts on tire pressures to start off with? Do i use the paint on the sidewall trick and see if the sidewall rolls over?

#9

Will depend somewhat on your driving style, but you can safely start at 30 all around if it is above 60. Get someone to meet you on pit wall to get hot pressures. Will want 35 - 38 usually. The left front gets the hottest at VIR for me. Bleed them down to the same pressure. Not sure you need the paint. It should be apparent if you are wearing the edge.
Ed