Tire care

[Terry Johns]

Any suggestions on winter storage for RE71 R. My plan is to leave the tyres on the car and put car in covered and panelled car hauler.

Your thoughts please

[Tuna]

Depends on whether you want to drive on them competitively ever again?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=220

[Terry Johns]

Thanks Shane 

[Reijo]

A friend of mine bought some Hoosier R-compounds during the winter in LA ... but they were shipped in a cold truck across the American mid-west in something like -30 deg. cold.  They arrived with cracks on them ... He returned them and got replacements. 

[Tuna]

Reijo, unrelated; "kg" not "KG"

Shane
The unit Nazi, or Nazi unit... you choose.

[94boosted]

I left my car parked outside under a car cover one winter as we had sold one house and not taken possession of the next. Well the next season the tires were absolutely shot, plenty of tread life remaining but the grip wasn't even close to what it was the previous summer. And these were Michelin Pilot Super Sports which don't have as aggressive a compound as the RE71-R's.

Get yourself some hub stands or bolt on a set of cheap wheels & tires for the winter.

[Reijo]

Reijo, unrelated; "kg" not "KG"

Shane
The unit Nazi, or Nazi unit... you choose.

lol ... I was wondering what the heck you were referring to Shane ... That "KG" is apparently put in my signature area by whomever did the programming and shows up "automatically" without my input - Was that you, Quentin?  Or left from somewhere else?

[Reijo]

Last year (2014) I drove a borrowed STR Miata at Packwood.  The car had run SCCA Nats fast time on one of the courses (west I think).

The BFG Rivals had barely been used since and had lots of thread left but had gone completely dead over the winter (in Portland - therefore not cold)!   We fought with the car all weekend, adjusting shocks, etc. etc. to try to get some handling into it ... finally got it balanced on Sunday but it was just plain slow.

We came to the conclusion that the tires had gone off ... completely. 

The tires should be sealed in air-proof bags in a warmish place and out of the sun light.  Even then they will no longer be "fresh" tires.  It seems the volitiles in the compound "escape" from the tires over time ... and heat cycles.

Another option is using some traction chemicals (Formula V I think is one ... from VP Racing Fuels - drag racers use something similar ... might be the same ... not sure ?) you can buy that will help to restore the traction.  Even then they will not be competitive on a national/high level basis compared to new tires.

Also, watch out for build dates on tires ...

[NickST]

lol ... I was wondering what the heck you were referring to Shane ... That "KG" is apparently put in my signature area by whomever did the programming and shows up "automatically" without my input - Was that you, Quentin?  Or left from somewhere else?

Wait... does this mean you don't know Karate too?   

[Reijo]

Q added that ... and it is true.  However I have spent many years training in more than karate -  various martial arts ... Hong Chun kung fu, judo, Tsuroka karate, Goju karate and a black belt in Shotokan (traditional) karate.  I also wrestled (olympic free-style and greco styles) in high school and into college/university.   This is probably why I enjoy watching MMA since I understand most of what goes on.   

In fact I highly, highly recommend karate training for autox - very good for concentration (mental discipline), focus, and quick reactions -  feet/hands/speed.

[NickST]

Well, I certainly know who I am bringing to my next street fight!   

[Reijo]

In fact, if anyone is interested in karate training, I can recommend a couple of local dojos that are extremely good with actual world-class competitors in the dojo (I used to train with these people until some injuries sidelined me relatively recently ... the one dojo split off from the other) - e.g. train with the best ... kind of like going to Packwood/SCCA Nats to run with the fastest ... which will make you faster!   

[NickST]

I used to do it when I was younger... I just never seem to be able to find the time for things anymore

[Reijo]

Well, I certainly know who I am bringing to my next street fight!   

Well, I don't fight nor visit biker bars as a rule.  In karate (at least where I attended) they taught that you should avoid conflict if at all possible and would kick you out if you were constantly getting into brawls.  Having said that, if you can't get away, I recommend a kick to the knees ... so they can't get away.      lol

[Reijo]

Yes, I understand that.  It seems hard to find time for anything these days.  Maybe it takes priorizing ... and a solid commitment to the exclusion of other "things" ... like the internet, TV (thinking of scaling my cable pkg back in fact), and even work ... Perhaps we have too many distractions these days?  Perhaps we have too many other choices that we can make for entertainment, exercise, family, kids, relatives, political affiliations, schools, etc. etc. etc.

We are draw many ways these days and I think it is easy to get drawn thin.

R