Hi, newbie here. I just bought an SR3 for my son and I to do track days. Car came with Hoosiers that I will replace. But with what?
We are not looking for speed, rather consistency and durability. I used to race sedans and the Hoosiers back then would go about 12 heat cycles and then make the car feel like something was broken. Then I ran Spec Miata back when they had these fantastic Toyo RA1s that loved sliding and performed the same until the cords showed.
Is there a Radical tire that behaves like those Toyos? I'm open to street tires too. If not, among the Hoosier/Hankook/Dunlop/Michelin, I would appreciate any recommendations.
Thanks!
Larry
The only tire I have experience with is the Hankook. I've run both sets of mine north of 1500 miles and 80 heat cycles with no issues. They are both corded out and still felt very drive-able all the way to the end. There is some decrease in performance, but if you are just out enjoying track days you will still be faster than every street car on track.
@gwt561324 Thank you. If I may ask, what part of the country do you live in?
Kansas City. I go to Hallet, Heartland, Autobahn, Eagles Canyon, and High Plains typically.
Opinions on tires can be very open ended, one person interpretation of tire life vs another can have big variable. With that said though, the Hankooks for these cars are absolutely incredible for customers like you. The tire life has been fantastic and SUPER consistent feel. You'll obviously go slower with 200 mile tires vs new but its not drastic. The Hankooks keep the same car handeling characteristic the entire time so you'll never be chasing setup due to tires. We have been in pro racing since 1996, basically have run every tire manufacturer there is. The Radical Hankooks are arguably the best we've used.
If you are in the US call or e-mail me and can get you the tires. 631-974-4379 info@GroupARacingTeam.com
Radical New York, Servicing The North East
631-974-4379
www.GroupARacingTeam.com
do you by chance offer heat cycling service of the Hankooks?
I’ve only seen it offered by tire rack. So my guess is most people are doing some cycling procedure with the new tires at the track. I’d be curious to know what people are doing. I’ve heard varying procedures from respectable drivers but am curious to know from people who work with the Hankooks.
Hankook's competition tire guide lays out the procedure. I have never done it, but only because I'm my own pit crew and it's a bit of a pain.
SCUFFING
The longevity and consistency of the
grip level can be increased by properly
scuffing a new set of race tires. It’s
very important not to run hard for an
entire session on new tires. Think of it like
breaking in a new engine, or bedding in
new brake pads. To scuff a set of tires,
start by taking one or two moderately
paced laps to gradually bring the tires up
to operating temperature, and then run
one hard lap followed by a cool down lap.
The ideal situation would be to stop and
remove the tires from the car and allow
them to cool down to ambient temperature
before running them again. When running
an entire session on a new set of tires
without stopping, one should still follow
the scuffing procedure at the beginning
of the session before turning laps at a
fast pace. It’s also very important to run a
slower lap at some point in the middle of
the session to allow the tires to cool off
before running hard laps again.
I don't do that at all. Maybe that's why my tires are dead at 25 heat cycles...
