Tires

This section describes how to figure out the size of tire you want if you want to keep the same overall diameter. This is important if you want to keep the final drive ratio the same. This is called Plus Sizing. The Tire Rack describes it on their Web site. The following was adapted from there and other sources.

The stock size 3rd gen RX-7 tire is 225/50ZR16.

The first number is width in mm (e.g.- 225mm).

The second number is the ratio of the sidewall height to width (called the aspect ratio) (e.g.- 50 which is actually .50).

The third number is the diameter of the wheel (e.g.- 16"). It was nice of them to mix metric and standard measurements.

If you want to keep the same overall height of the tire when going to bigger wheels, use the following equation:

    OD =	2 x H + WD
       =	2 x (W x AR) + WD

    where:	OD =	Overall Diameter
		H  =	Height of the sidewall
		W  =	Width of the tread
		AR =	Aspect Ratio
		WD =	Wheel Diameter

    note:	use 25.4 mm per inch for the metric conversion.

e.g.-

    for the stock tire:  

    OD =	2 x (225 x .50) + (16 x 25.4)
	 =	631.4 mm
	 =	24.86 inches

So if I want to go to 17" wheels with an aspect ratio of 40, I calculate the width I would want by the following:

    OD    =	2 x (W x AR) + WD
    631.4 =	2 x (W x .40) + (17 x 25.4)
    W     = (631.4 - (17 x 25.4)) / 2 / .40
    W     =	249.5mm

So the best choice in the BFG R1 would be the 255/40-17. This would have an overall diameter of 635.8 mm. This would be a change of:

    %	=	(635.8 - 631.4) / 631.4
	=	.00696
	=	.696%	

This change will show up in speedometer error and a change in the overall drive ratio (gearing). Pretty much negligable for the 255/40-17.

The height of the sidewall is 102 mm.

BFG also makes a 275/40-17 in this ratio and wheel size. This tire would have a wider contact patch than the 255/40-17. The 275/40-17 would have an overall diameter of 651.8 mm. This would be a change of 3.23%. The height of the sidewall is 110 mm.

I am not sure whether it would be better to have a wider contact patch (275), or a shorter, probably stiffer, sidewall (255).

I could also repeat the above calculation for the aspect ratio of 45. This would give me a size of 221.8. The closest size there would be 235/45-17 (since 225s were not available).

For an aspect ratio of 35, I get a desired size of 285.1mm. The closest R1 tire would be the 315/35-17.

The other guideline is that you should use the widest wheel that the tire mfr recommends. The converse of this is that you should use the smallest tire that will fit on the wheel. (per Tire Rack, several "handling" books, etc). From Don Alexander's "Performance Handling", ISBN 0-87938-418-2:

	"This will optimize the tire contact patch, and allow the highest 
	cornering force. ....  It is usually best to use the smallest diameter 
	tire that will fit on the rim.  In most but not all cases, the tire 
	will have a larger contact patch area.  This will increase cornering 
	force, improve treadwear, and allow better suspension settings for 
	overall performance."

Since the largest size of wheel that will fit in the front wheel well of the 3rd gen is 17x10" (generally accepted). BFG recommends that the 255/40-17 tire be mounted on a wheel that is 8.5 - 10.0". So the 255/40-17 would work best on a 10.0" wheel. This fits perfectly with what I want.

Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 17:52:57 -0500
From: brad barber

This UTQG info is from the Bridgestone SO-2 pages of Bridgestone's website:

Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 20:34:27 -0600
From: Martin Crane

225/50 ZR 16 is standard on the R1. Same size, but V rated for Touring and Base.

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Date: Wed, 21 Jan 98 16:01:00 EST
From: "Houseman, Carl W. x1323"

Stock rims are 16 x 8. Largest fit is generally agreed to be 245/45 which maintains the stock overall diameter.

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 12:00:11 -0400
From: John Whitling

> This may be a silly question, but is this "traction treatment" stuff legal in
> Stock classes? Anyone use it regularly for that little added edge?

While there's been a lot of raving about tire softeners lately, I would never do this to a good set of tires. These softeners actually do long term damage to the rubber by making the rubber even harder than it was before the treatment, after the treatment evaporates from the tire. For the rubber, it becomes kind of like an addiction ... once you use this stuff on a set of tires you'll have to keep using it on that set of tires to get them to work.

Having said that, I have heard of circle track guys treating new race tires specifically for qualifying, but not for a race. And they use some treatments that actually require you to remove the tire from the rim and treat them from the inside. Who knows what that does to the bonding rubber around the cords?

To squeeze a little life out of some otherwise shot race tires give it a try ... it'll help. For constant use, it's a very bad deal. As to whether it's legal in stock class, I doubt it. Some legal eagle would find an angle against it. ANd I'm sure if you posed the idea of filling the staging area with jacks, highly flamable vapors, and paint rollers to Howard Duncan he would quickly find a way to make it illegal!

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Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 09:01:26 PDT
From: "Bogoshian,Greg V"

It is indeed legal since it is not a tire "softener" per se. It essentially puts the moisture back into the tire. It restores the tire to its original durometer, not making it softer than it originally was. It just makes them last longer by allowing them to remain competitive throughout their tread life.

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Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 12:56:25 -0500 (EST)
From: Rocky Entriken

Keep in mind, Formula V Traction Treatment is a restorative. It will not take a tire compounded hard and turn it into a gumball. It will take a tire compounded soft and KEEP it soft. Which also means, it will take a tire compounded SOFTER (than that 60,000-mile-guarantee donut) and keep it SOFTER. You bought a stock-legal gumball? FVTT will work to keep it there throughout the life of the tire. You really don't make it better than the tire when it was new, but the whole point is to keep it from getting worse (which it will if untreated).

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Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 12:58:57 -0500 (EST)
From: Rocky Entriken

I sell the stuff (so you know where my bias lies :-), but it would seem the problem of which you speak is exactly that FVTT is designed to answer.

The "test" that I know of is not of grip but of softness. A durometer does that. You can find them in various catalogues, from Solotime, etc. Tires do go hard with time, and repeated heat cycles. FVTT is a restorative to counteract that.

Formula V Traction Treatment was created for just this purpose! Heat cycling is one of the primary things that turns a gumball into a stone (aging also does it, but more slowly).

I first discovered FVTT more than 15 years ago. Once upon a time I had a brand new set of tires for my Divisional, and finished .2 behind a very good driver that today has six National Championships under his belt. A year later, same tires, now turned to stone, I was six seconds off the pace. About this time I discovered FVTT and took a chance that was 5% the cost of a new set of tires. It brought them back. Another year later, still on the SAME set of tires, I won my Divisional. Two events later the tires went to cord.

I had never taken a set of tires to cord before. Always sold them off with about half the tread left when they were rock hard. Now I never do. I always run mine until there's nothing left. I treat them regularly with FVTT.

And just so you know up front, I now sell the stuff. I found there was no one then selling it in my area, so became a dealer. Still am. You'll find the commercial farther down.

I have no experience with Track Claw; only noticed it costs almost twice as much!

FVTT treats a set of my slicks (20x8x13) about 20 times. That first time I brought a set of tires back from the dead, it took about 14 treatments. Now by maintaining them regularly, it takes about 3 treatments between events. I get lazy, sometomes when the next event up is just a little local affair, I don't bother, but I always do it before a major event.

I think of tires like a sponge. Once you have used a sponge, when it dries out it gets hard and stiff. Wet it again, it is soft and pliable again. I look at FVTT as putting the petroleum based moisture back into the tires so they can run soft again. FVTT is a petroleum based product.

You paint it on with a brush or roller several days before an event. For example, if you are racing Saturday, you want to be done by Wednesday, Thursday at the absolute latest. When first applied, the stuff will feel very greasy. Only after it has time to soak in is the tire ready.

I've found it also works to help get pickup off a tire. Give it a tgreatment and the pickup scrapes off more easily. However, it is REALLY messy. The stuff that comes off on your hands, clothes, etc., is carbon black out of the tires, and that s*** is impossible to clean off. So don't splatter.

COMMERCIAL: I'm a believer, but I'm also a peddler now, so you know where my bias lies. I'd be delighted to sell you some. It goes today for $38/gallon shipping included ($72 for two gallons). I'll trust you to send me the check. All I need is an address to send it to. It comes UPS so it has to be a street address.

Any questions? Happy to answer what I can.

_______________

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 13:25:12 -0500 (EST)
From: Rocky Entriken

Additionally, if you applied it in grid before your run, that would be a REAL interesting run and no one would worry about you. It'd be like driving through a grease pit. FVTT needs about two days after application to "cure" -- to thoroughly soak in and treat the rubber. It is NOT a coating you put on just before your run.

There is such a thing. They use it in drag racing both on the tires and on the strip itself. But it's gone in 5-10 seconds of use. Hardly applicable to a 60-second autocross run (much less a half-hour road race!).

Date: Wed, 13 Aug 97 13:11:31 CDT
From: alextz@quest.comm.mot.com (Alek Tziortzis)

The wear of Kumhos for the price, I would definitely recommend them to anybody who has just joined autocrossing and is looking to go to race tires and better their driving. You will get great wear. Get them unshaved. I am now convinced that unshaved is better than shaved Kumhos. They last about as long either way.

As for competition, lets look at a specific case (something I know about) and that is 4th generation Camaros/firebirds. The tires available from Hoosier/BFG/Kumho that fit on a stock classed camaro Z28 (1993+ year) are:

Hoosier:  autox compound 245/45/16, 275/45/16
          road race compound 245/45/16, 275/45/16

Kumho:   245/45/16, 265/45/16

BFG:    245/45/16, 255/50/16

Of these, Ive used the all combinations but the 245 size in the hoosier (although George Williams uses this size with the Hoosier on his 95 camaro Z28, with success).

my opinions:

BFG:

good tire, good response, ok wear, dont use the 255/50/16 tire unless you love tons of understeer (no flames Byron)

Bob Anderson, placed 4th at nationals in F-stock last year, uses the 245/45/16 size BFG on a 1994 1LE camaro z28, is in my local region, and we usually battle for the top PAX time at our Chicagoland local events.

Hoosier:

Autox compound, very very sticky. If its sealed asphalt, this is the tire to use. If its asphalt that breaks up (or concrete for that matter), the tires pick up rocks so much, that you end up losing grip. Ive had to use a screwdriver to get some of the rocks out of the autox compound tires I use to use. Road race compound, you wont pick up the rocks, but you may lose just a hair in overall grip. Very good tire. Autox compound has a very very short life (50 runs about) while Ive gotten good wear out of a set of road race compound. . The feel of these tires is somewhat numbing in terms of feedback, and they seem to favor softer shock settings than Kumhos or BFGs (although I have not tried the new radials (this years))

Kumho:

Tried the 245/45/16 and 265/45/16. for my car, a 3400 lb car in which you sit in and you cant see the hood of the car cause the rake of it is so steep, the 265/45/16 is the way to go. The wider contact patch loves high slip angles and if youre into tossing the car around and are very aggressive driving (as I am), then these will work well for you. Ive won two national tours in F-stock with the Kumhos 265/45/16 (one this year and once last year , both in Georgia), against very good competition. As Sam Strano will attest, the way my car is set up with the 265/45/16s, the car is definitely nationally competitive (if driven well and avoid hitting cones :^)

Notice, that only Kumho offers the goofy size of 265/45/16. This mates the wide contact patch of, say, a BFG 255/50/16, but without the huge sidewall that will rob you of gearing. The 265/45/16 was designed for an 8 inch rim (I dont know about the other manufacturers tires), so sidewall flex/bending are optimal in this configuration.

Bottom line: if you have learned to autox to be competitive at the national level, then its time to really think/play with tire brands/tire sizes. Until then, get a race tire that will last and drive the hell out of your car.

as usual, if you have flames, dont send em to me, any questions? just ask.

Alex Tziortzis
#70 F-stock on my Kumhos, 265/45/16 in
Denver PRo, PRo finale, and Solo II Championships.

________________

From: Steve Cirian
Date: March 13, 2000

Just wanted to summarize the info I got back on tires, and thank everyone who responded. I got a ton of answers, so I apologize for not thanking everyone individually. My search was for 18" tires, so I left out a lot of tires that were only available in 17" or less (e.g.- Yokohamas). Here is a summary of the comments I got back, plus my own research:

Hoosiers:	It was pretty much unanimous that the Hoosiers are better than the BFGs.  

	A few people said they drive back and forth to events on the Hoosiers, but 
	there were a lot more people that said not to do it, and it could even be 
	dangerous due to the fact that the Hoosiers have fiberglass belts, but no 
	steel belts, and a big pothole could potentially mess the belts up.  

	This scared me off of using them to drive to and from events.  If I ever get a 
	trailer and tow vehicle, I will definately get the Hoosiers.

	I also looked at using the road race tire instead of the autox one, but the 
	construction is the same but with a softer compound.  So it would not be 
	more durable, just wear longer, but be slower due to the harder compound.  


BFG G-Force R-1:  Every response I got said these were no better than the Hoosiers as 
	far as being useable for driving to/from events.  

	A few comments said they were not very good as an autox tire, compared to 
	the Hoosiers and Kumhos.


Kumho:	The reason I did not look at these is that I got 18" wheels, and Kuhmo does 
	not yet offer them in 18".  In fact, the current tire, the V700, will not be offered in 
	any additional sizes over what it already is.  

	The new tire they are coming out with, the V70A, will be offered in 18".  This 
	will eventually replace the V700 once it is proven and development is done.  

Since I could not find a suitable 18" tire in an R compound, I turned my search to street tires.

BFG TA KD:  This is what I eventually bought.  These are supposed to be great in the 
	dry, at least as good as the Michelin Pilot MXX3s, which also got a lot of 
	good reviews.  


Michelin MXX3:  These also got very good reviews, but are going to be phased out 
	soon, and supply is low from what I found.  

Bridgestone Potenza S02:  The S02s are supposed to be better than the S02 Pole 
	Position, from the comments I received.  (As with all of the above, this is 
	for dry traction.  I think the Pole Position is supposed to improve on the 
	plain S02s for wet and noise.)  But the previous two are supposed to be 
	significantly better.  

_______________

From: Dave Zavelson (davelson@yahoo.com)
Date: March 15, 2000

I was reading your summary on tires and felt obligated to comment. My previous job was as a Test Driver for Michelin Tire. I actually was the test driver on the BFG G-Force R1 development program - so I know quite a bit about that tire! I also did alot of testing with MXX3's, the old Comp T/A, and what was a development tire at the time - the BFG KD.

I currently am running 17" MXX3's on my '93 RX-7 and have found them to be amazing tires! Firmness, wet grip, and dry grip are as good as I have ever seen in a street tire. I know from my early testing of the BFG KD, that you are correct that the dry performance was VERY close to the MXX3. That was the goal of the program. I left the company before development was complete, so I don't know how they actually ended up, but it sounds like they did pretty well.

Of the competitor testing I did on the company RX-7, I found the MXX3 to be the hands down winner for ultimate performance in dry or low speed wet. At high speeds (above 60 where standing water is a concern), hydroplaning comes into play and the MXX3s are pretty bad. I think the BFG KDs are alot better in that respect. I don't know much about the Hoosiers. The only Bridgestone's I tested on the RX-7 were the Expedia's which were comparable to the old Comp T/A (about 1 sec. slower than the MXX3s on a track in the dry).

The BFG R1s are the choice of most of the autocrossers in my area. (But the Kuhmos seem to be catching on.) They are said to not perform quite as well as the Hoosiers at the beginning of their life, but to perform better after the first few runs than the Hoosiers.

BFG will sell them to you at a very good price if you join Team TA. (Like $550 a set of 4 for stock size.) Tire Rack will match this price if you are a Team TA member.

Get them shaved before using them. Heat cycle them before use. Tire Rack has more info on their Web site on the care and feeding of the R1s.

BFG will sell you the R1s at racer discount. However, Tire Rack will match this price, so you may want to consider them. Tire Rack will shave the tires and heat cycle them for a modest fee, both of which you will want done. BFG will shave them, but I don't know about heat cycling them (which you vcan do yourself). Tire Rack has info on their Web site about heat cycling. If you are buying new wheels as well, I would say go w/ Tire Rack and have them do all of the above, plus mount them. That way the tires will be ready to bolt on when they arrive.

You may want to ask them about the new R1 coming out. From what I have heard, they were developed mostly under road race conditions, so they may be better or worse than last year's (for autox). Ask them which ones you will be getting when you order.

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Date: Sun, 9 Nov 1997 08:46:08 -0500
From: "Alan H. Beder"

If you buy them direct from BFG they pay the shipping. Another option is to find a Team TA tire dealer in your area. They will sell them at the same price and will usually give you a break on mounting and bal.

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Date: Fri, 14 Nov 97 16:00:38 -0600
From: Bill Ozinga

The following memo crossed my desk today...

The g-Force T/A R1 was introduced at SEMA in Las Vegas . While its "tread design" makes the tire appear directional, BFG's new DOT legal competition tire can be run "backwards" and features a symmetric internal constriction. And while its tread pattern is only 3/32nds inch deep and will not require shaving, it will continue to benefit from heat cycling. The tire features a three ply nylon carcass, and two steel belts with spirally wrapped nylon ETEC reinforcement. This tire was made available in selected sizes at the SCCA Runoffs where they won the (slightly modified) Showroom Stock T1 Class. The g-Force R1 will be available in selected sizes (size list not available at this time) at the beginning of the 1998 racing season, and will expand until it ultimately replaces the Comp T/A R1.

...note symmetrical construction, not assymetrical construction and the reduced tread depth. Didn't BFG complain about the Hoosier only coming with 4/32nds and having a holographic tread pattern ? The R1 230 may possibly still be produced and marketed as a rain tire companion to the g-Force. There's also no word if they're planning on meeting the requirements for Solo II availability by the cutoff date or not.

Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 19:17:25 -0500
From: "Robert M. Pickrell Jr."

Lots of confusing comments. I will attempt to clarify. In 96 Hoosier introduce the A3SO2 and the R3SO2, legally anyways, the tire was out in 95 but not by April 30.

The A3SO2 seemed to work on small cars, but was terrible on big cars. The became to greasy and held every pebble that came with in 3 feet of the car. Impossible to launch at Pro Solo and terrible for the first two or three turns in a Solo II. I published many comments on the two tire in 96, recvd a lot of flack for the negative comments, but Hoosier dropped the original A3S02 at the end of 95. Things that make you go hummmmm!!!!

In response to Kes comment on running Road Race (R3S02's) at nationals, the R3S02 took first and second in the Pro Solo Finale, and won the overall Pro Solo National Championship. these same R3SO2's took second and third in the Solo II. Yes Ken Mitchell the BFG's won the Solo II, a woulda shoulda story had them not winning by much except for a cone on Tim Koch's best south course run.

Hoosier has a new A3SO2 available in some sizes this year, is it legal? Seems to be, I have a set to test. I have not driven BFG's and can not give you a direct comparison. The new A3SO2 seems to be advantageous in cool weather and equal in hot.

A lot of people seem to be switching to them. They are said to be about as good as the BFGs or Hoosiers, but will last a lot longer. They were developed for road racing, and do very well there, from what I heard.

__________________

Date: Fri, 30 Jan 1998 16:50:25 -0800
From: "Rainer Mueller"

If you want Kumho racing tires you have to contact C.U.T. Racing at 217-583-3277

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Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1998 10:03:28 -0500
From: Alek Tziortzis

I also recommend for those of you who do not get their kumhos shaved or shaved to 5/32 (like I do). Make sure you rotate tires from front to back each event to prevent that little "cupping" effect. This effect may be more pronounced on heavier cars like a 3400 lb camaro than a dodge neon.

Pressures will vary depending on rim width, end of car the tires are on, and weight of the car.

RX-7 TTs like around 32/28 with the 245/45/16

use your BFG pressures as a start point and go from there.

__________________

Steve writes about pressures for an SS 3rd gen RX-7. Tom placed third in SS at the '99 Nationals. --Steve

Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 21:44:19 -0600
From: "Steve Wynveen" (wynveen@ticon.net)

I can say for sure that Tom Kotzian runs 32 psi front, and 29 psi rear in his Kumhos. He was in town this summer and co-drove my RX-7 at a local event. Those were the numbers he said we should run.

Prior to that, I had been running 30/27 (front/rear). Kotzian's pressures worked well with my stock shocks & front bar, and with my Super-R's and Addco front bar. The shocks & bar were added late in the season. I certainly didn't get any uneven tire wear with these pressures (180+ runs on the set of tires, and the season ended with no cord showing).

__________________

I run in ASP in my '95 RX-7, and have been using 28 psi on all 4 corners. This seems to work a lot better than the higher pressures people had told me to run when I first started with the Kumhos (36 or even 38 psi).

The 275/40-17s are a lot lower profile than the ones the guys in stock are running, so the sidewalls will be stiffer. Therefore less pressure may be required, since one of the reasons for higher pressure is to stiffen the sidewalls.

Also, the Penske coil-overs and way-stiffer-than-stock springs I have would also reduce the need for higher pressures, if stiffening was the reason for the higher pressures.

I am also a relative novice, and lower pressures may make the tires feel "better" and that gives me more confidence so I get better times. This is a possibility, so I thought I would mention it.

You may want to use your first event on a new tire as a "Test and Tune". Start with a certain pressure and drop by 1 or 2 psi on each run and see if they feel better.

--Steve, Jan 19, 2000

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 07:22:21 -0700
From: "Jack L. Poller"

I just replaced the tires on my 94 R2. I bought the car with 12,500 miles on it, and it came with Pirelli P-Zeros in 225/50/16. The tires were already about 3/4 worn, but I pushed it all the way to 19,750 miles before I replaced them. The replacements came just in time. I got a nail in the right rear on the way to the tire dealer. Swapped for the spare, and noticed that in 3 spots, the cord was showing through in the center of the tread.

I replaced the P-Zeros with Yokohama Nexus, again in 225/50/16. The tires are uni-directional, so had to try my pigeon spanish to explain this to the techs. Finally got it right. Left rear was in perfect balance. The rest need anywhere from .50 to 1.50 grams on both sides to balance.

Initial impressions are that the tires are considerably noisier than the Pirelli's. Most of the noise seems to be tread-block squirm, and is most apparent above 75 MPH. However, my comparison, the P-Zero, had no tread blocks to speak of, so I don't know if they were this noisy when new.

The tires transition much better than the p-zeros. It's not as abrupt, much smoother, and more responsive. Also, the yokos don't "boom" as much when going over the botts dotts and other road imperfections. The P-Zeros liked to follow every road variation and the yokos track straight, without much effort.

Date: Mon, 27 Oct 97 14:15:53 -0500
From: "Linthicum, Sandy"

1) Grip:

Superb, better than 008RS, R1 may be better as utlimate race tire re:stick

2) Responsiveness:

Super quick and crisp. No greasy feel like 008's when they are up to working temps.

3) Wear (any morsel of empirical/objective data would be GREATLY appreciated):

Put mine on for street & some track use in April. Now have close to 8,000 street miles and 7 sessions at RA. About 1/2 of tread is left. I had Tire Rack heat cycle them for me.

4) Temp requirements: 160-210 optimum track temp. Same as 008's

4) Overall impressions:

VERY noisy

Per Yoko rep, do not use more that 245x45 on an 8 inch wide rim. They have very stiff sidewalls and like a wide rim.

Will probably continue to use them as my street and track tires.

__________________

Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 15:48:54 -0500
From: "W.S. Bill Gammon, Jr"

Sandy's comments were spot on.

I also got the A032 in April and my first use of them was for the 180 mile drive to Mid Ohio for the track event in May.

I really loved the tires on Mid Ohio on the first day which was a mix of totally wet track progressing to totally dry at the end of the day.

On the 2nd day I changed to the BFG R1's that I brought and was immediately astounded in the difference. R1 turn in is beyond reproach.

I use my A032 as a daily driver tire. I have accumulated approx. 7500 miles with Mid Ohio and 2 Autocross events on them. They are barely showing any tread wear. In fact with all the attention the tires got at the Rotary Expo at Summit Point 2 weeks ago absolutely nobody believed I had that many miles on them.

(treadwear 50 is stamped on the tire. R1 is treadwear 0 )

I would define the grip of the A032 as much higher than any normal street tire but not quite as high as an R1. Only masochists (or very rich people) would use the R1 on the street every day so I don't feel it has as broad an appeal as the A032.

In the wet I don't think you can beat the A032. I just don't feel safe anymore on anything else.

Noise............Sandy and I have both covered this before. Short of a Nissan Hardbody with 31inch Gumbo Mudders you simply will not find a noisier tire. I am at the point that I don't really hear it anymore but when I get someone new in the car they are profoundly concerned that there is something wrong with my car. The roar builds to 45 mph when it sort of reaches a resonation area. From there up the sound stays constant or even abates a bit.

Don't let the noise get to you though. Buy the tire. Just turn the stereo up a bit.

Sandy, What compound is stamped on the side of your set? Also, I was told that many different compounds would be available for 1998.

And what other tire can you get that says "for sporty drive" on the side. (Japanese humour)

In closing......... I love the A032. I will buy another set for street and occasional track and Solo use.

I will also continue to use the BFG R1 as my primary event tire.

For the street you just can't beat the A032. Why spend over $200 on SO-2 or something similar when you can get A032 for less than $150.

__________________

Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 20:09:41 -0500
From: "W.S. Bill Gammon, Jr"

I have only Autocrossed twice on my A032. I am not totally sure that I got the setup perfect for them so I hate to comment but if I must....here goes.

Hands down, the R1 is superior for Solo and low speed control. The construction of the shoulder of the R1 makes it a clear choice. The R1 is a No-compromise competition tire. The A032 has a few compromises to streetability so therefore loses some in the absolute grip/use area.

FWIW. I was in contention for Fastest time of day at every event this year when I used my very tired R1's. The two events on the A032 were a different story. I was quick but wasn't in the hunt. Now, there are pressures that I wasn't 100% sure of but I think I had the car in good enough shape for the A032.

In my limited experience I consider the A032 a much better street tire than anything else (noise notwithstanding). In Autocross the A032 will be much better than everything BUT the R1 (and the Hoosier Autox tire and maybe the Kuhmo and Proxes)

For the TRACK. R1 most likely superior. Might be a tossup depending on car setup, driver style.

In the wet on the track. Hands down.........A032.

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Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 11:32:16 -0400
From: "Child, Jim"

A032Rs are phenomenal in the rain. I had a first hand demonstration of this last weekend when I attended a PCA event at Mid Ohio in my 968. Saturday was dry and I ran my BFG R1s, but it rained all day on Sunday so I switched to my street tires, Bridgestone SO2s. For Sunday's last session it was raining pretty hard I was third in line to go out behind a 3rd Gen RX7 and a '87 NA 944. The previous day in the dry on the R1s I was able to blow past the 944 like he was standing still, and the RX7 always had to let me by and I could steadily pull away from him.

I figured it would be the same on Sunday, but I didn't realize (until after the session) that both of these guys were on A032Rs. We went out and the RX7 just took off. I had absolutely no hope of catching him, let alone passing him. The really shocking thing was that I could only barely keep up with the 944. I would eat him up on the straights and under braking, but he would pull away in the turns. Every time I tried to match his pace in the turns I would slide dangerously off line. I couldn't believe how much stick he had.

After the session I talked to both of them and saw the tires they were running and then I understood what happened. My SO2s are good in the rain, but the A032Rs are so much better its incredible. They are on a completely different level. In the dry I would say that R1s are faster than the AO32Rs, but in the rain the A032Rs definitely the ones to have. Even the SO2s are faster than the R1s in the rain.

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Date: 4 May 1998 16:10:59 -0400
From: David.Alberti@fisc.com

We had a lot of activity on a A032R tire thread a while back and now that I've had a few months to live with mine thought I'd offer a few observations for my street driven R2

• Very impressive dry grip, a quantum leap over the Pirelli P-ZERO's that came stock on the car
• Good wet grip, perhaps the equal of the Pirellis which were not a bad rain tire.
• Soft ride quality, softer than the stock tires and much less harsh than my BFG R1 equipped other vehicle.
• Noisy but not at all as bad as I expected. Noise varies dramatically with road surface and I find that most roads in South and Central Florida don't seem to invoke it.
• All in all, probably the best bang for the buck 'Mod' I've done to the car. As always YMMV.