Region: NWR / Oregon
Car #: 88
Year : 95 Posts: 2000
Status: Offline
posted
This weekend I learned a good lesson what not to do when you're starting out. Don't switch back and forth between different types of tires.
I bought a few used sets of RA1s for practice, track days and ITA. Running a double in SM and ITA I figured I'd save my 8's for SM and use the RA1s in ITA. As it turned out, I sucked on both.
I've only run on the 888's which are different in many ways. Trying to use the RA1s just like the 8's didn't work so well. They seem to like different pressures. The sliding characteristics are different. My 8's were in prime shape. My RA1s were mostly toast...
My brain would calibrate itself to the beat up tires and then I'd pop on the good tires and run slow. Then I'd pick up speed on the good tires and pop on the beat up tires and pull weeds from my grill. Then I'd put the good tires back on and be so much more confident on their grip that I'd drive over my head and give 'em flat spots.
My rookie driving skills are inconsistant enough. Switching tires every session made things more or less a disaster. The goal was to save a few $ on my good race tires. A couple high speed spins later and I negated any savings I was trying for and set slow times on both sets.
Just a word to the wise. If you're new to the sport, you have enough things to worry about trying to sort out one type of tire. If you practice on crap tires and race on good tires you'll drive like crap on both.
-------------------- Keith Novak (Will work for tires)
Region: Northwest, Oregon
Car #: 79
Year : 90 Posts: 3336
Status: Offline
posted
Good advice Keith. This same thing applies for any number of items, especially alignment/setup stuff. Get the car to a good, neutral, consistent place setup-wise (i.e. have one of the local experts set it up for you) then leave it alone and just drive it.
-------------------- Crew Chief, 3D Racing #64, aka Team Scrappy 2.0 3rd place E2, 2009 25 Hours of Thunderhill
Crew Chief, EGR/Miller Motorsports #64, aka Team Scrappy E2 Champions, 2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill
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