KRA993tt

Thanks for the update everyone.

Anyone else with race/qualifying experience with the R1's?

Mike Buck

No decent lap time data for you, sorry. I am slow and I've never used Hoosiers. Mine have almost no wear it seams after about 12 heat cycles if that means anything to you. Not even the front shoulders. They do fine in the grass though.

jakermc

I've switched to Hoosier R6 due to size availability and can now make a direct comparison.

As stated earlier, the BFG needs a 1 session to heat cycle and scrub before they can be pushed. Hoosiers seem to be more manageable on stickers.

Hoosiers do seem a bit quicker but I cannot give any data as I am running wider tires now so not apples to apples.

I found both tires to be very consistent over the course of a race, the BFG maybe a hair better but I have pushed the Hoosiers harder so that may be the difference.

BFG has excellent longevity. I ran one set through 2 qualis, 2 sprints, and a 4 hr enduro one weekend with consistent lap times throughout. I typically dont count heat cycles once a set has been relegated to practice tires but they dont give that much up later in life. You wont win races but you can continue to run fairly quck right up to the end.

KRA993tt

Mike- I did a little offroading this weekend so I am all about grass, sand, mud, and gravel performance .

jakermc-Wow that is some heavy use. I saw a guy shred some Hoosiers an hour and a half into a 3 hour enduro but I don't know for sure what condition they were in to begin with. Thanks for your input.

I am just getting used to the Hoosiers and have been able to post some good qualifying times but I seem to get them to hot during a race. That is likely me just learning how hard I can push or not. I can get good sizes in either brand so I'm up in the air on trying another brand if the results are really not clear cut.

porsher

I am about to install 205 and 225 R1s on my track 3.2 911.

(23/31, lowered, polybronze)

Any suggestions on starting camber settings?

mglobe

I'm on my second set of BFG's on my 996 Spec car. We're running the BFG as an alternative tire on the 996 Spec's in Texas as a way to evaluate them as a potential tire for the class. I'm keeping records of lap times vs heat cycles so I can document how long they last before they drop off. My first set of BFG R1's gave me pretty consistent lap times through 30 heat cycles before dropping off like a rock. Plenty of rubber left on the set, but little grip. Up until they fell off, the tires were great. I love them. The only issue, as has already been covered, is that they have no grip at all in the wet. I keep a set of R888's to run in the rain.

BTW, I'm running 245/285. I've not yet decided on the best pressures. Right now I'm at 34/35.

FredC

How would you compare grip, response, and slip angle compared to R6s?

mglobe

Sorry, I have no idea. I've never driven the R6's. I avoided them because of the reported drop-off with very few heat cycles.

Larry Herman

An old wives tale.

Darren

When I get to the steel belts they fall off very suddenly.

Chris M.

That would be a HUGE improvement over Hoosiers.

Mark in Baltimore

I ran R1's at the Summit CR two years ago and found them to be as fast as R6's and with similar characteristics. I think I won at least one sprint and maybe the enduro in the old D class against two or three 964 cups. I used the tires for practice at last year's Summit race; my times were respectable, despite the tires having sat in my garage for two years. The tires are supposed to last longer and be harder than R6's, but I found the performance to be excellent, perhaps because the tires are wider than Hoosiers.

mglobe

One that seems to be pretty strongly believed. Have you got any data that shows that R6's provide grip over a large (>20) number of heat cycles? Would you be willing to use a set of R6's for two race weekends, and then keep them for practice after that? Not trying to argue Larry, I'm just looking for data to understand the characteristics.

Larry Herman

Like many other things in racing, there are no complete absolutes. With my RSA I found that Hoosiers lasted a long time and I would have no qulams about using them for 2 weekends. In fact, there were races where I took off my old Hohos and put on new ones, only to be disappointed with the minimal (less than 3/4 second) improvement. I do have records to back that up, and regularly got 20 heat cycles out of Hoosiers.

I have to say though that my RSA was set up absolutely right for Hoosiers and wore them perfectly evenly. I have had experience with cars that used too much of the inside (or outside) edges of their tires and so they went off much sooner then they should have. I even had a situation where my old GT3 would blow a rear tire (Pirelli slicks) after 7 or 8 sessions because of heat buildup. Did some serious pyrometer testing, took 1/2 degree camber out of the back and the problem disappeared.

jakermc

The R6 can take a larger slip angle than the R1. I like the R6 now much better than the R1 for this reason, but perhaps that is driving style.

The other thing I have learned since my original post in this thread is that the R1 likes more camber than the R6.