Winston
New Reader
4/14/09 10:55 a.m.
The rules say that the tires used in the autocross portion of the Challenge must be D.O.T. legal. Is the Hoosier A6/R6 legal?
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hoosier&tireModel=R6
One one hand, Tire Rack/Hoosier says that they are marked according to D.O.T. rules, yet on the other hand it states that they are not intended for highway use.
Ruling?
From seeing them being used on alot of cars... Legal (per rules... not sure personally, legal in my reading though). I'd be willing to bet that most top runners are running someone's cast off hoosiers and other autox R compounds. I mean the rules do say DOT legal... and the tires are DOT legal. Not for highway use is just because it will eat/destroy and be an UTTER waste of the tires. You could probably kill them in a good long highway drive... then be running on cords... then blowing up :p
I know I've managed to get a set and some for my build car. Find the autox guys that have killed theirs and are dumping their old stuff for this season. It really is the best way to find them.
mw
Reader
4/14/09 12:19 p.m.
Yes. The A6's will be much better than the R6's.
Per Schroeder
Technical Editor/Advertising Director
4/14/09 12:20 p.m.
Yes, as long as your budget is dinged accordingly to their purchase price.
turbo Civiata + cheap/good suspension + good tires = teh win.
Winston
New Reader
4/14/09 1:12 p.m.
My budget will be dinged, but not by much (buying used for super-cheap). Unfortunately, they are the R6 variety, not the A6 variety. Still, $100 is tough to beat for six R-comp tires.
mw
Reader
4/14/09 1:50 p.m.
It's a good deal, but unless your car is really heavy, you will not get them to heat up in an autox run. I would personally hold out for some a6's, v710's, or something else that is softer. Since they only have to last through 10 runs max, you should be able to find a set for $100.
Definitely try to find people that are throwing them away. They will usually have enough life left for the little use seen at the event.
If they have real life in them though... 100 is :)
Definitely try to find people that are throwing them away.
Word. We've already scored our $2009 tires FO FUHREEEEE.
Winston
New Reader
4/14/09 2:24 p.m.
Hmmm... good advice by all. MW, you have a good point about car weight and these tires... my car is not heavy at all; in fact, it is extremely light. I did have some concern about tire heating, but figured that the R6's would still be stickier than, say, some Azenis RT-615's. Maybe not. I think that I'll take the advice given here and keep looking for something cheaper and/or stickier. My car will need to clean up at the autocross (and concourse) in order to place well, because it sure ain't a drag car...
All "R" tires will be better than street tires.
Heck, a certain italian car got FTD on Kuhmo Victorracers. Good think they were sponsoring the event, too. A buddy gave me a set of A5's later, but we didn't bother changing them- probably should have.
Eric
alfadriver wrote:
All "R" tires will be better than street tires.
I don't know if I'd go that far. Fresh good street tires will beat old hard race tires. When my car saw it's first event it was an undrivable mess on the worn out A6's I was using. I put some Toyo R1R's on and picked up a second.
but figured that the R6's would still be stickier than, say, some Azenis RT-615's.
Not necessarily. I'd take a fresh set of Azenis over a crusty set of R6's.
Ok, they can't be old, and crusty, or over heated (blue), or worn to the cord tires.
But all in all, reasonably worn R's will be better than streets. And for the challange, some of the surface re-conditioners will do wonders.
E-