Track tire life/performance

[92 white 0650]

I've seen posts about number of miles on track tires, ranging from several thousand (including highway miles) to the other extreme (Andrie has to put on fresh tires and brake pads at lunch. Ok, slight exaggeration. And Ken has suggested that track miles are 3-4 times more wearing than highway miles. But what does all this translate into for number of heat cycles? Figure one heat cycle per 25 minute track session.

And here's the real question, how dramatically does your grip vary thru the tire life? I'm sure that our tires slightly mirror the racer's tire performance of optimum grip at the 5-8 lap range or whatever it is, but honestly, how much do you weekend warriors notice the grip change on track tires?

I have some Victoracers that have barely a hint of wear bars left. These Kumhos seem to go on forever (I have the 94+ alignment settings......soon to change back to 91). But I'm wondering, how much time/lap will I gain if I get new tires? I'm typically in the middle of the advanced group, about 3 seconds/lap behind the serious boys.

Any comments? TIA

Ted

 

[Ponyboy]

I can't tell you how many heat cycles you're going to get out of a set of tires. I've heard everything from 8 to 12 to blah blah blah.

However I do know that Victoracers are good tires that had grip throughout the range of their life. A few of my track buddies even corded their tires and didn't know it until long after the event. Good constant levels of grip throughout their life.

The Ecsta's on the other hand have great grip up until the 3rd or 4th track day. There may be tread there but the tire has lost a noticeable amount of grip never to return. It's kinda frustrating.

I figure new Victo's won't give you 3 seconds - depending on the track. The Ecsta's or Hoosiers *may* if you're real aggressive. But if you're already in the advanced group, you already know that taking time off is now exponentially more difficult. 3 seconds is going to be hard to find.

 

[docjohn]

I'm sure you'll lose some time with the 91 specs compared to 94!

 

[Animate]

I just looked over the original 91-92 alignment settings in the FAQ. It appears the only difference was rear toe in: 6mm instead of 4mm. Does this change make a notable difference to handling?

 

[kenjiMR]

Depends on the tire and how hard you drive on the street.

The Kumho 712 lasted me over 10,000 street miles and about 5 track events.