Hoosier and other Race Tires

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YangpaNemsay

Senior Member
Anyone happen to use Hoosier A3S04 Tires before on the track? Your opinion?


I did some research and came across a few terms I am unfamiliar with, any help?

A few tires have a different "category":
*H-Compound
*S-Compound
*Heat Cycled
*Shaved 4/32nds (I'm guessing a thin layer is removed)

Need a little clarification on the terms above.


Also, would it be a good idea to upgrade to stronger axles on an Daily Driven EG Civic if I plan to have a boosted set up ~200whp and running Hoosier Competition Tires on the track?
 
What kind of track? The tires you mention are for autocrossing and road racing. They have very stiff sidewalls for lateral stability. If you are thinking about getting some for these uses, I would highly recommend heat cycling and shaving, it will greatly increase the life of the tire, especially heat cycling. Shaving mostly reduces trad "squirm" which you get with a deeper, freshly molded tread.
 
The kind of tracks i'm planning to go to are California Speedway, Willow Springs, and Irwindale Speedway.
I plan doing a lot of Speed Trial USA and Solo2 but will not choose to use competition tires, but high performance street tires.

I'm looking for a Super Grippy Tire used for the first set of track events I listed. The Hoosiers that i'm eyeing are ~$200/each. Something that isn't like a crazy competion tire that would wear out after 1 track day.

Again, would anyone know of any of the terms listed in my first post?
Any suggestions for Excellent Sticky Tires that are track worthy?
Also, upgraded axles for my application?

Would the Yokohama A032R be a good choice? They can be ordered shaved 4/32nds and all I would have to do is heat cycle them and have them cure.
 
First off, no axle upgrade is needed unless your gonna be doing 8k RPM clutch drops from a stop. Are these your first set of high performance driving schools or events? My recommendation would be to go out on street tires. It is WAY easier to get into big trouble on sticky Hoosiers than it is on street tires.

OK to answer questions:

Heat cycling is when the tire is heat cycled(hot, cool, hot cool) in a controlled matter to make he rubber ready for racing use. without heat cycling, the tire will be killed fairly quickly, especially in a high heat/load situation like on a track. Heat cycling is mandatory with any competition tire, maybe Chip can chime in here with his experience of not heat cycling a set of auto-x used Hoosiers.

Shaving: self explanatory. With a stock tread depth the rubber will squirm under load, causing a vague and uneasy feeling, especially with steering response and at turn-in.

The AO32R is a good choice, it is less grippy than a Hoosier yet has MUCH more grip than a street tire. I would also look at Toyo RA-1s shaved and heat cycled too, most of the SCCA IT guys love those tires and they seem to last quite well.

As for compund designations, they will vary by manufacturer, but I assume you are referring to A032Rs with the H and S designation. The S is a softer rubber, which is less heat-resistant and will wear quicker than the H(hard). The H is better for higher heat situations(heavier car, ambient heat, faster track/driver) while the S is better for lower heat situations like autocross or light cars and slower tracks. Hope that helps. And FWIW, all of the tires we are discussing here are competition tires. Even though they have a DOT approval, they are NOT at all by any means meant for street driving, nor were they ever intended to be.
 
Any shop that does anything with competiton tires would know how to. Your neighborhood tire shop will look at you strange and say, "man why the hell do you wanna go and shave dem things?". TireRack.com offers shaving and heat cycling on all of their competiton tires(costs a bit extra, but very worth it).
 
Are you some kind of tire expert because you've answered all my questions? A Tire god?
 
LOL no, I have just neen involved as a driver in motorsports for 8 years or so, and as a crew member/mechanic for about 5 years before that, so I have some first hand knowledge about roadracing and autocrossing setups. FWIW, I am a better mechanic/chassis engineering guy than driver :D I'm not a god of any sort, just a kid who likes racing and sharing this wealth of knowledge I can't seem to get out of my mind :p
 
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