I've only had my car for about a year now so still figuring things out. Radical provides setup information for both Dunlop and Hankook tires which is great. I have a few questions I think many could benefit from. I have no plans on running in the Radical cup so can run anything.
How do the Dunlop and Hankook tires compare? Which is faster and which lasts longer? Price and handling?
What other options have people tried out there? Anything that works as good or better for less money?
Seems like the Hankook's are fast and handle well but cycle out quickly.
Not a pro here. But I ran my first set of Hankook slicks for an entire year. Probably 80 heat cycles. They weren't cycled out and I got to the cords on the right front otherwise I would have kept running them. The rears are actually still in decent shape.
I can only comment on the Hankooks. Let me qualify my comments. I am racing and "trying" to be competitive and run up front. On new tires I found it takes 2 or 3 laps for the tires to heat up and really grip because they are a medium compound. This was confirmed by a Hankook rep I met at the track. To be competitive in races I found after 5 or 6 heat cycles the tires really drop off. FYI, I also learned from the Hankook rep the tires are not directional and rotating sides does make them last a little longer. I am sure I could use the tires past 5 or 6 heat cycles but it would take 5 or 6 laps for them to really grip and by then I am too far behind.
John,
I've been racing with SCCA and have found the same thing you have. The first 2 heat cycles are certainly the best. Then a little slower until you hit around 4 after which it seemed like they wouldn't be competitive. I was impressed by how much you could over drive or push the tires without them getting greasy. Was a cooler track which may have helped.
Can anyone give an opinion on the Dunlops?
I have two sets of dunlop slicks. They seem to love heat. When it was 90+ ambient temps, it took about two laps to get hot. As I pushed the car harder and harder, they gripped better. It was to the total opposite of what I am use to driving the cobra on A7 hoosiers. Recently I was at VIR and the ambient temps were around 70 degrees. I took at least 3 hard squirrely laps to get heat in. They never really felt that good until 5+ laps.
I want to find a softer compound since I run TT.
Has anyone tried Hoosiers on their Radical? I was wondering the setup changes required? I read a previous post saying low camber was needed.
Any other comments/thoughts... Toe changes, tire pressure required.
I really appreciate the help! Have a Merry Christmas and hopefully Santa brings everyone some Radical parts in prep for next season!
-Nic
I've got 4 never used Hoosiers for the rears... no idea how old they are (probably 5+ years). You can have them for the cost of shipping.
I read that thread. They were referring to a bias ply hoosier tire for an older model radical.
The Radical SR3/SR8 hoosier specific tire is a radial. So, I would think the suspension settings are the same as the dunlops. I ordered a set of Hoosiers for this season.
Trevor,
I run time trials like you. The best thing I did was order a set of tire warmers.
https://www.demonspeedmotorsports.com/Tire-Warmers-Set-of-4-DSM-tw.htm
You can go out hot on the first lap and get your times done even in 15 minute sessions. Easily the best $800 I have spent since owning a Radical.
Garrett,
That is great news. I ordered the same tire warmers a few months ago. I haven't tried them yet, but look forward to the same results. I was worried the temp would come back down, waiting on grid to get out on the track.
They definitely lose some temperature while you are sitting on grid, but the net gain is still big enough that I consider it well worth it.
Having a mate also makes a big difference. Our process was to have 1 person in charge of removing the warmers, putting the front and rear clams back on, and dropping the car off the air jacks.
The next driver was only worried about getting suited up and in the car. We went to grid with something around 5 minutes before session start. That might be a little tight in some situations, but it helped keep as much heat as possible in the tires.
The cumulative effect throughout the day was noticeable as well since you could help keep the brakes up to temperature by getting the blankets back on as soon as the session was over.
I've read more about the warmers. I had one question, do you have the warmers on the whole day while the car is in the paddock? They say this only makes one tire heat cycle per day instead of a heat cycle for each session.
Yep we kept them on all day. Between sessions we dropped the temp to 120. About 45 minutes before the session we would set to 180.
@gwt561324- Thanks Garrett. Any idea how many watts each warmer draws when the element is on fully? I'm wondering if I could run 4 of these off my Honda generator... or whether I would need another supply (mains or a second or larger generator)?
