Coochas

I was thinking the same thing! Was Spencer having you run Pirellis and you had to sue to get the Hoosiers?

AGO

Thanks for the replies, good stuff and yes looking forward to what's all about Hoosiers!

Steve, see you there. Dave, trying to make it to the track walk which is always great!

I had them heat cycled, probably not same as going through Hoosier's procedure but better than run them as they come for the whole weekend.

What about temperatures, is anything over 50 F ok?

At COTA, what would be a reasonable starting pressures? 27/28?

Thanks!!!

AGO

one more question, are these Hoosiers R7 preferred to be used "directional"; or swapping right - left is ok?

Typically at COTA I get more wear on passenger side for rears (hairpin exits?), and maybe a bit more wear on driver's side on front ones (i guess induced by 17-18-19, 6, and 3)

Gary R.

I would not only swap them L/R but if you see shoulder wear after a while flip them on the wheels I/O.. get all you can out of them!

dgmark

I am running R7s on my 996 with good results, I ran a practice set for 28 heat cycles with no problems, As per Hooser R7s can be run in any direction and can be swaped side to side to even out wear. They do not like excessive camber (over 2.5) in the rear.

LuigiVampa

I guess that means I settled to drive on Toyos.

Coochas

You need a new lawyer.

cosm3os

Expect to be hooked on crack and broke from replacing every 5 track days.

cre8fun

heat cycling - there was a post in here the said to ensure they are heat cycled to extend their wear, and to do it yourself on track or to have the vendor do it before they ship them. there are many threads on Rennlist that debunk machine heat cycling. seems that heat cycling on the track (bring them up to temp and then pit and remove them for ATLEAST 24 hours) is good practice, but paying Tire Rack to heat them up on machine is worthless (per the threads on here - do a search).

ProCoach

Can't speak to vendor heat cycling, but the above has been proven to be best practice, particularly the wait time after initial break-in.

Matt Romanowski

Interestingly, that is not what many tire engineers are saying for max grip. I had several conversations with Hoosier engineers last year and more with the Italian Pirelli engineers this weekend and they say max grip is the first heat cycle with no Scrub session.

On our TA Pirelli tires, they are saying to run them for qualifying, the race, and then use for 1-2 hc before they fall off too far. Hoosier said very similar in years past.

AGO

So... first 4 sessions on Hoosiers R7 impressions, my previous reference tires are MPSC2 (lots of laps...). I had Tire Rack doing heat cycle as I was targeting to run the R7's the whole weekend (3 day PCA at COTA).

- Missed initial tire pressures, went for 29/30 at 49F but session got delayed 40 min. Did not take into account the increase on ambient temp which was about 5-7 F more. Got them over 45 PSI after 4-5 laps. Super-loose...

- Corrected pressures on subsequent sessions, started my last run with 25 front and 23 rears, ended with 34 front and 36 rear, consistent through the session (about 72-75F ambient).

- Overall, balance was significantly changed vs MPSC2. Noticeable, more front end grip and consequently balance shifted towards oversteer which is ok on slower corners but not a great feeling on the fast stuff... it required more delicate steering inputs and judicious use of throttle (all good, fun)

- Good consistent behavior (once initial pressures were dropped), getting looser at the end of the stint but no big drama.

- Felt more stiff on the sidewalls, total equivalent spring rate higher. Nice to drive.

Alignment, for reference:
Front
Camber: -2.6 F
Toe out: 0.07deg
Caster: 9 deg
Rear
Camber: -2.6 R
Toe in: 0.11 deg
Shoulders after 4 sessions: outside ok, wear but not extreme compared to inside

To do:
- I may add more wing (rear) to compensate the oversteer on fast corners...
- May need to raise 0.5 mm the front as they're almost (or occasionally) rubbing the front fenders.

Sum up: FUN!

ProCoach

I think we're talking about two different things.

I was not referring to max grip, which for all tires that I know of is the first time the tire hits the track, period. I was talking about Hoosier and other's recommendations to allow the tire to cool and cure for a minimum of 24 hours after the first heat cycle, which is done in very prescribed way.

The problem is that NEW tires are vulnerable to damage that compromises their longevity if overheated or not overheated but not allowed to rest and "cure." If drivers slide, slip or lock up a new tire, it's MUCH more susceptible to damage and this will dramatically shorten the window of high performance, i.e. the number of "good" heat cycles.

What Pirelli and others are taking into account is that Qualifying is typically not long enough to grain or tear the tire, so it's an ideal first heat cycle.

Sounds like the OP had a great time!

Der ABT

If oversteering, try dropping rear pressure to 34 hot, and raising front to 36,
or drop rear to 34 and make chasis adjust men's as necessary

Veloce Raptor

Drunk posting again? Calling Dr Freud...