Patrick E

Are "R" compound tires a must-have or would we just be wasting our money?

DM993tt

check rules: 2.3: Tire Eligibility: DOT-approved street tires only, minimum treadwear rating 190; no exceptions. Pete Stout and Calvin Kim, this means you.

Patrick E

Thanks. I should have checked the numbers - I was thinking this just meant no slicks.

kevin135

Outright speed is not what wins you a LeMons race. Reliability and staying out of the penality box is what matters most. The winning car at Stafford last August(where we raced) was using chain to hold the suspension together at the end of the race. A quick fix that got the car out on track to keep circulating.
Kevin

JerryW

Totally agree. TOT (Time on Track) is what gets the points. We lost an hour changing the front suspension after a hit and that really cost us the places. Clicking off the laps consistantly rather than sheer speed (both track the norcal guys have run they put impediments out to ensure speeds were not too high).

Remember -- many of your fellow racers will only have a license issued thaqt day at the track --

SDemas

There are some tires that are almost "R" Compounds that are known as "extreme performance summer" and meet the 190 treadwear rule. Wheels and tires are free from the 500 dollar limit. The tires that meet the rules that I would recommend for speed are the Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec, The Hankook Ventus RS-2, and the Falken Azenis RT-615. At the last race at Thunderhill a lot of the faster cars were on the Hankooks or Falkens. These tires have done well in SCCA's Street Touring class with a similar treadwear restriction.
It is true that simply circulating and staying out trouble is how you do well. If you have to buy tires I would recommend one of those three with their pricing being fairly reasonable.

Stan