Driving tips

[Guest]

I am pretty sure you have got the message, but just in case - you have average to good front front tyres and cr@p rear tyres. It is no wonder its a bit tail happy.

Recomendations? If you are cheap (like me) then you can't do better than Colway retread Traxtars for the road. They are soft compound on Michelin casings and about £30 each. I hate them on the track as the casings are too soft but they are good road tyres. Other budget favourites are Falken FK451s. I just put Toyo T1Rs on my wifes Audi and in 17 inch sizes I got them down to £60 ish a corner. Both T1Rs and T1Ss are great tyres. Any of the usual suspects - Michelin, Pirelli, Dunlop, Continental, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Yokohama - will make great tyres for a 3.2 if you stick to the high performance tyres, but you will be charged a brand premium. In markets where they are more well known, brands like Toyo and Falken can charge similar prices to the other premium brands, whereas in the UK, you can take advantage of them being unknown and reap the benefit of a nice little arbitrage (IMHO). I don't rate any Uniroyal tyres as high performance tyres, nor any Avons (other than ZZR track tyres).

Just my $0.02.

RB

 

[oliver]

I'd also get a four-wheel geometry check - and probably not by the local tyre fitter - ideally someone with the equipment and qualifications to do it properly.

 

[rooksy]

Thanks for the offer, but I'm unable to make the 20th if you did have a spare place. Let me know about any future events though.

 

[captbasil]

DON"T use retreads!!!
Spoke with the boss of a major tyre manufacturing plant (A top brand tyre manufacturer) which also specialize in retreads for specific applications.
Recommended one NEVER uses retreads on a performance car.
(Actually my 3.2 Carrera was supplied with new retreads from a well known 3.2 dealer.... which is why I enquired about retreads. They went within a week)
The problem with tyres is that one never knows the real history of the individual tyre, and whether or not it has been curbed. The casings may still look fine but the internal damage cannot be determined. It is the sidewall integrity that is essential to the performance of the tyre under load (which of course will be sideways on conering).
Lorry or bus tyres are not so critical. Aircraft tyres can be retreaded up to 10 times because their history is always documented - every landing recorded & there are never any real side loads.
Car tyres are a different story. OK on a city car or boring old box; NEVER on a high performance car.
Just passing on advice from someone rather knowledgeable!!!

 

[burrow01]

Hi,

I thought the 924 race series was sponsored by Colway, with the series control tyre being a retread?

I suppose the milage on these tyres is restricted, but the stresses on them must be pretty high

I still would not use them on a 911 though []

 

[Guest]

Well, I would have agreed on the retread issue but the fact that the Traxtars are used in a couple of race series as a control tyre gives me quite a lot of comfort. My own view is that the thrashing race tyres take is more than I will subject them to on the road. They also x-ray all the casings to check for damage.

I bought the Traxtars as a wet track tyre and at £30 a corner I thought it was worth a try. They have proven to be OK in that role - plenty of tread depth and a reasonably soft compound but they lack bite, particularly in the front. However, as a road tyre they have proven to be fine. Certainly on a par with top spec road tyres, though they will not last as long. They do need a few good heat cycles before they scrub in and the soft sidewalls are less than ideal, but I have to maintain perspective, as I am comparing them to dedicated track tyres like DO1Js that are super stiff in the sidewall. The only reason I wouldn't buy them again is the social stigma of running retreads on my car [] Bang for buck nothing else comes close.