One benefit of slicks and race dot tyres is that they grip and can actually last longer than slidy lower spec tyres. If you are trying to encourage more drivers good tyres will help the budget issues.
One benefit of slicks and race dot tyres is that they grip and can actually last longer than slidy lower spec tyres. If you are trying to encourage more drivers good tyres will help the budget issues.
Remember this is a 'road-going' series CobraV8 and although some cars are now trailered, the aim is to be able to turn up, empty the boot and go racing.Originally Posted by CobraV8
As soon as you allow non road legal tyres, the cars are then effectively racers. I had a discussion with Dale's mate Mike at the weekend and we debated at what point a car no longer becomes a road car and is a race car. His take is that when a cage is fitted and my stance is when the tyres are no longer road legal.
To me, fitting a cage is simply a piece safety of equipment that doesn't make the car go faster and the car is generally still road legal.
Fitting race tyres however immediately renders the car illegal for road use. It also ups the costs of competition.
It becomes a race car when it no longer has Registration, and a WOF, and a Motorsport Authority Card and Low Volume Vehicle Certification as all these items are required for road use with competition cars these days
Not quite. I opted to take my standard road car running on road tyres but fitted with full harness belts, off the road as it wasn't financially viable to keep it warranted. The cost per km and inconvenience of keeping it warranted and registered and an annual authority card for zero road miles a year does not suddenly turn it into a race car. No need for a LVVTA plate on a standard car.
Equally, I can't get the MG on the road legally, because the welded repairs done 9 years ago, do not have a repair certificate, so even with an LVVTA plate and an LVVTA approved cage (not MSNZ approved) and road belts, road tyres and up to WoF standard, built as a road car can't be registered, as the compliance won't register it without that certificate, but again, it doesn't magically become a race car just through the lack of a piece of paper.
Sure, a car can be modified and be road legal in a higher state of tune than a standard car used for racing, (U2K Cup for example), but the end use doesn't re-categorise the car.
Last edited by ERC; 12-14-2015 at 09:13 PM.
No No CobraV8, sticky slicks and cheater DOT tyres have a soft rubber compound hence wear quicker, its the ability to adhere to the track that counts as a harder road compound tyre resists more and the reason why you get tyre squeal when corning hard, the softer DOT or slick does not squeal(so much) but is shedding rubber you can't see until its worn out, the very reason why V8 Supercars have tyre changes during races!! and as we know this comes at a cost, EG: need more tyres.
On older cars a quick speed fix is to add modern technology slick type tyres that can over come the older suspension systems but the flip side to this is a huge wear rate on the tyre, i would be 2 sec's a lap quicker around Hampton in the mustang but could shred a full set of slicks in a weekend, that's not cheap racing and only forces others to do the same!!
Too me it doesn't matter what the tyre is as long as all are on it but you also must use caution as the more serious racer may fit a new set every race to have that slight advantage(its been done) but at this stage one should question what they are at "Classic or Historic" events for, but some just can't help themselves! atleast Rays handicapping sorts these gentlemen out, LOL
Dale M
Last edited by Kiwiboss; 04-01-2014 at 11:26 AM.
Despite Dale's reply, by and large I think you are right. The Dunlop (DoT and NZ road legal) tyres I use come in Soft, Medium and Hard. Many of the other BMW series guys also use them and the tyre life, particularly the Soft and particularly at Taupo can be alarming. I screwed out a Soft set in a weekend of qualifying and 3 races before changing back to the mediums. However they are quicker and the tyre performance deteriorates noticeably as they wear so if your budget was not an issue, guess what?
The Hankook in question is a G51 compound and in slick form will last V8ST long format races with no deterioration and there are several class A BMW guys who use second hand V8ST tyres, they do seem to deteriorate with multiple heat cycles but don't wear out. The question of going away from DoT tyres comes up each year at the BMW series AGM and the argument for slicks is always a cost based one, many of the front running class B guys would love to be able to run the Hankooks as well.
If there is no series rules, eg ERC or BMW (or indeed HMC) that specify DoT AND NZ road legal then I can't see any reason why the Hankook is any different to the Hoosier for a meeting such as NZFMR. Both are a DoT compliant semi race tyre, both have reasonable tyre life and are (relatively) cheap.
Last edited by Howard Wood; 04-01-2014 at 11:14 PM.
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