Horizontally Opposed Man

I may have a source of used slicks !The story is that they have 1-4 heat cycles when I get them.I would be using them only for DE and wondered if anyone could tell me based on experience which of the Yokohama,Pirelli or Hoosier slicks are likely to give you the largest number of heat cycles ?
The guy also has R6s would they typically have more durability than any of the above mentioned slicks ?Thanks in advance HOM

Veloce Raptor

Pirelli DH will last a LONG time

KaiB

I would highly recommend that you stay with R6s for DE use; and yes, you'll get more use out of them.

DrJupeman

What's your rationale?

KaiB

Charlie, I believe the typical DE environment doesn't lend itself to slicks, even for an experienced driver (think the OP is) - unless it's a tiny instructor group which manages itself well.

Given the time it takes to heat them to proper temp and the speed it takes to keep them there, slicks, at least im my opinion, are not the best option here - and without a consitent source for the same brandand compound, setup could become an issue also.

If the OP can get 1 to 4 HC R6s for track days, he should be all over them.

z06801

I have had really good luck with these ^ I think you can get them up to temp pretty quick and they stay real consistent to the cords I get 18 sessions or 3 days

fstockcarrera

I guess I would have to disagree, having only driven Slicks in the last 10yrs De and Race. However
I would not buy used tires. It is not really cost effective and you never know what you will get. Also to really get fast on stickers you need to drive them on a regular basis.

himself

+1 to VR. The Pirelli slicks are fine for DE. They come to temp very quickly and are very usable after 1 warm-up lap. If you swap tire types a lot, you can set up the car in between R-comp and slick and still get good life out of each.

The real key is the cost-per-HC. If you can get used slicks to last 16 HCs, that's just about as long as R6s. If the slicks are the same price, my money would go there. If R6s are cheaper to run, grab those. For a DE, there really isn't any issue about going faster - you still need to maximize the platform and tires.

As for used tires, if you are buying from a reputable source that has good stock, I wouldn't worry too much. But do understand that sometimes you'll get a great set, and sometimes, not a great set. It evens out in the long run.

-td

jayhawk

true but it better be warm out as they are a bit slippery below 40 degrees ambient.

Matt Romanowski

I think this is the best response. Driving on old tires, regardless of street, track, or slick, can develop bad habits. IMHO, you're better off buying new tires that are slower.

ProCoach

I agree.

When I was young and dumb (tongue in cheek) as well as poor, I bought used tires (or wheedled some out of teams and friends). It was ok for riding around and I did think it saved me money, at the time.

What I have come to realize is the quality and consistency of used tires varies SO much, that it wasnt worthwhile for me to continue buying used tires nor recommend that others do so.

In my experience, there are two big drawbacks.

The first is that it is impossible to evaluate the efficacy of the basic platform, validate the setup or quantify accurately changes in either setup or fine driving technique because used tires are invariably past their prime.

Second, for a driver to make forward progress, the number ONE requirement is confidence. There is nothing that instills confidence and empowers drivers to probe the limits, better and with more safety, than new tires... I have seen a "bad set," a one or two HC set of slicks that were driven too hard and too hot, damage the confidence of enough drivers that it took several sessions, sometimes days to get that confidence back.

This has been my experience working with a variety of driver experience levels, in a variety of cars, with both used R-comps (A6 or R6) and slicks (Dunlop, Yoko, Avon, Goodyear, Hoosier and Michelin).

Curiously (or maybe not), my performance was (and is) highest and most consistent when my tire bill is a significant portion of my budget.

Am I guilty if buying a new set just to beat an old friend because he had stickers and I did not? Sure! <grin> It was worth it and made victory that much sweeter!

If you're going to buy used tires, I only recommend two people. John Berget in the Midwest and Bob Chick in the Southeast.

YMMV

J richard

The only thing I would add is when most type R s drop off they do it much more progressively, you just get slower, albeit sometimes dramatically depending on the tire, old slicks can go off on you very quickly and dramatically and catch you off guard with no grip.

Some guys can drive the ***** off an old set of slicks, take a look at some of Claykos videos in his R, but he is dancing on the edge of adhesion the whole time. But for the casual driver old slicks can be wicked and put you in a wall. Just my .02...

Horizontally Opposed Man

Wow!Thanks for all the great info!Rennlist is just fantastic!So it sounds like among the slicks I might Have access the Pirelli would most likely have the best durability .Someone mentioned 16 HC Does that mean that the typical usable life of the tire is 16 HC andwould that mean that I as the lucky "second owner" could expect a usable DE life of 12 HC?
Thanks In Advance HOM

dacbap

What is the difference between the Pirelli DH vs. DM?

Veloce Raptor

True, but I would be very reluctant to use ANY full slick in those temperatures.

DH is their hard (endurance) compoind. DM is more of a medium compound...softer & shorter lived.