2013 Porsche club Championship
- Thread starter MarkK
- Start date
Neil Haughey
New member
Still not clear Mark, and as far as I know no firm decision has been made, best thing to do at such a late stage would be to stick with what they have and introduce the new tyres for next season. Many of us are starting our pre-season this weekend or next.
Neil Haughey
New member
Cheers Mark, same for you. You know the saying everything changes and yet nothing changes, well for me that is exactly where I am at right now on pretty much every level. I would really like to do at least one proper season and this one could well be it.
Neil Haughey
New member
So then Mark how did you get on today at Donny with the P slicks?
Neil Haughey
New member
Well it has been officially announced now so we can talk about the new tyres. It may surprise many due to my cost conscious / cost moaning more like approach to motorsport but the move to Pirelli is one of the big reasons why I have decided to do the championship this year. It was the frankly dangerous wet weather performance of the Michelins allied to their narrow performance window was giving me severe question marks about racing on a tyre 2x price of its list 1B competitors, less consistent and vastly worse in the wet. I think it may well have been Graham Knights performance at Silverstone last year on the smaller Dunlops was the tipping point. If it was raining the results may well have been a bit embarrassing for Michelin as I found the Dunlops fairly confident in damp conditions. Mark I have a set of hand grips for toning the wrists/forearms, dumb bells for my shoulders and will be hitting Clay Pigeon as often as I can over the next couple of months. I reckon nothing will help us out like a bit of out door karting. It's my only experience of slicks unfortunately, very easy to spin when cold unreal grip when hot, will be interesting to see if the Pirellis give a similar experience on the car. I am keeping my fingers crossed now that the prices work out OK, according to Steve they should be sensible. Off to track down some 17x8 wheels, the ones Edh has on his S2 would be ideal.
paulf968
New member
Neil - hi I was thinking that you guys in 944's would have a lot of moans, seeing as you will have to go out and buy some 17" rims. Good luck in your hunt for some 17 x 8's, rare as rocking horse poo! I also notice that the larger 17" tyre has a max rim width of 8.5J ........ how is that going to work with all the 968's and 944's on 9J rear rims? What have you actually heard about prices? Will they be that much cheaper than the Michelins? Also, I did hear that the first set might be supplied at half price to all registered competitors, is that correct? Continuing on the thoughts you had about the Michelins in the wet ......... methinks a new situation will arrive on a damp track with the Pirelli's. Scenario A : you are brave, so you take a chance and go out on slicks, hoping to get some warmth into them and capitalise on a drying track. May or may not work out. Scenario B : you take a chance on the full wets, all is great for a couple of laps but they overheat? the tyres will be tricky, wear out very quickly and you'll be struggling all the way to the flag. May or may not work out! This will bring a whole new dimension to the tactical side of the racing ................ especially when there is no chance for a tyre change as it takes too long.
Steve Brookes
Moderator
Great points Paul. Slicks and wets could mean making F1 style decisions without the ability to make F1 pit stops!
MarkK
Active member
Price wise ,they are the same as the Michelins at roughly 1k a set,I paid 1.5 k approx for my first set of 17 inch slicks and wets,that's including the first set discount.Massive grip when they have heat in them,I wonder what the season will bring,hopefully a lot of fun like last year.I think it's deffo a more physical drive and endurance will play a role in the results. The extra Snetterton date will be good but also make it a more expensive season!! It's about to start though eh,here we go!!!!
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Hi Paul/Neil I am sure Steve will confirm this over the next couple of days. The first set of tyres will be supplied with a 50% discount and Pirelli will also be assisting the 944 S2 competitors with subsidised alloy wheels we have yet to finalise the details. But to benifit you need to be registered for the championship so it is time to get your registration to Steve. Paul what Car are you going to be out in this year ? Thanks Paul
Neil Haughey
New member
I need to get the form in thanks for the reminder Paul. Mr F could we see you out a few times in the other 968? Having to sort rims is a bit of a pain as I will still need one set even with the special discount wheel option. I don't mind it if we have better tyres and an injection of excitement into the Championship. I have a set of boxster/996 wheels 7J front 8.5J rear sat around here. May just look for another wider pair for the front. For our cars the boxster II or Cayman 17" rear wheels are ideal. These are 17x8J et40 and weigh more or less exactly the same as the 16Jx8 wheels (about 9Kg). See I have been doing my homework in the run up to this announcement []. For the S2 we will need to decide if we want to run 225 all round or opt for the fatter rears. I really liked how running 245 on the rear of my S2 altered things but my head says stick to 225 all round. Car also had perfect handling last time I drove it at Mallory on the 225 all round setup. Mr F you make some very strong points about the choices we will face in mixed conditions. Will also need to factor in the temperature as the wet if one looks at the graphs (see I did say I have been doing my homework []) works in a much lower ambient temp range than the slick. Whoever said this stuff was easy.
]. For the S2 we will need to decide if we want to run 225 all round or opt for the fatter rears. I really liked how running 245 on the rear of my S2 altered things but my head says stick to 225 all round. Car also had perfect handling last time I drove it at Mallory on the 225 all round setup. Mr F you make some very strong points about the choices we will face in mixed conditions. Will also need to factor in the temperature as the wet if one looks at the graphs (see I did say I have been doing my homework []) works in a much lower ambient temp range than the slick. Whoever said this stuff was easy.Neil Haughey
New member
All sorts of permutations in mixed conditions. One could for example go on the wets, get a couple of quick laps in then spend the next 20 minutes blocking like mad. Could make for some very interesting racing. Similar debate for qualifying, do you want to drive round and try and work heat into the slicks on a track which may or may not dry a bit or just go for it on the wets knowing they should come on pretty much straight away in mixed conditions. Personally I am really happy about the safety margin now in wet conditions or cold damp conditions compared to what we had before. At Brands when I crashed for example it wasn't really that wet but it was very cold, I checked it at 8 degrees before getting in the car, if it was a few degrees warmer the tyres may well have started to work.
Big Dave
New member
Slicks hey.... Well thatl put a lot more strain through the car... And being on standard bushes aswell..... And i can see a lot more lower wishbones poss failing.. Or have you all got the "Hartech" versions fitted now.. Just out of interest. Did anything happen about the weight issues.? Have a fun season chaps...[][][]
][][]Hi Dave, yes they have got the weights much more failry balanced now and we were feeling really confident about the season having worked all winter on suspension set-ups to work better with the Michelins - and in the last test having beaten our own previous times significantly and last years fastest lap times overall by the 996's. However - when we changed to the Pirellis - although we lapped even quicker - we have several problems that made it clear we would have to start all over again. Temperatures were very different - as was the balance. We are currently working on what to do next and as we are also building a 996 - so we not only have to sork out how to make the Boxsters suit the new tyres with their extra grip - but also add to that the work on a 996. I guess everyone else is in the same boat and I think it makes the series more attractive and offers a new challenge plus wet tyres designed for the purpose. I just hope we have enough time to sort it all out before the season is too far over. Baz
paulf968
New member
There is no doubt that the anticipation is building for this season...... bring it on. Barry as you say more even pwr/weights and then the challenge of understanding how to get the most out of the slicks adds extra elements. I am relying on you to get at least one Class 1 podium every race. Paul S. I am fairly certain that I won't be out at all in 2013, unless something quite unexpected happens. I think I need to give my wallet some time to recover after 4 full seasons !! I am planning to attend every race weekend, so drop in at the van for a cuppa at anytime.
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