Mussl Kar

I have a new set of cup tires for my RS for when the originals wear out. Right now I have 4-5 autox days left this year (87 miles each way) and I think I will make it. I'm really close to the tred wear bars though.
Question 1
I plan on a more aggressive alignment this week. Any idea on tread ware on the street?

Question 2
Somebody told me that cup tires should not be kept in freezing temps over the winter. Keep them in tightly sealed garbage bags and out of the sunlight. Any truth to this?

Last question
If I do swap now will I experience a lot less grip till the tires get broken in?

Thanks in advance.

brad@tirerack.com

Keep comp tires from freezing temps. The rubber is too soft and will get so stiff when frozen that they could be damaged if dropped or hit hard.

dan212

is that the only issue with winter storage of R comp tires? I was told that letting them get cold was the big issue. I have two more events to go and am debating getting a set that I will use again in the spring. There will be plenty left in them. If I store them in bags and they DO get cold, but I don't touch them until things warm up will they be alright?

Jim Michaels

After storing my R comps in the basement for years, I left them in the garage all last winter. It probably didn't get below freezing in the garage, but I never felt very good about them being out there when it was cold. I also didn't notice any obvious drop-off in grip once I started using them again in the spring, but I really can't say for sure. I'll store them in the basement over this winter anyway, just so I won't be wondering if I should have. Cognitive comfort is important.

rideau

I don't have R comps, however, do have Yoko Advan Nuevo AD-07s. They are mounted and on my car which is up on hoist in my unheated Toronto garage. Tire pressures are 50PSI. The mfgs description says to store them in a heated location...my basement is too small for the car! Damon, any issues or should I purchase a garage heater ?
Thanks

Jim Michaels

Rideau: How cold does it get in your garage? Mine never got as low as freezing last winter, even without heating. Of course, I'm in VA and you're in Toronto. Unless your garage is well insulated (including the large doors), it may get expensive to bring the heat up by many degrees.

I've heard of several of the tire storage tips mentioned, including storing in sealed plastic garbage bags. Another advised to reduce tire pressure by a few psi. One that I've always wondered about is how far away from electric motors stored tires need to be placed. Would 6' away be far enough?

I moved my R-comps from the garage to the basement today. It was 32 degrees outside, but about 45 in the garage.

rideau

Jim
Low tonight will be plus 10F and it will get colder....we will see below 0F at times between now and spring, so the garage will definitely be colder than the limit of 20F recommended by Yoko. My garage is insulated well, except for a large double door. I hate to be an energy waster...perhaps some of those zoomy F1 tire warmers with a thermostat...they are probably more expensive than the tires! Unfortunately, I had to get new tires for my last few track days this season and selected the Yokos. I wasn't aware of the storage requirements at the time. Great tires BTW. Would have been better had I been able to store the car with the old tires and get new in the spring.
Only 148 days to the start of track season here....!!!!!
Cheers
Ian

Jim Michaels

Ian: I've seen garage door insulation kits at garage accessories websites. They were sized for single and double standard width garage doors (or you can cut to custom fit), and of two thicknesses (something like .5" and .75", I think). I didn't think I needed the insulation, but bought a garage door screen kit to keep out insects at night during the summer. Now may be a good time for me to re-think the insulation kit.

PorscheDude1

Thanks for the info.
I just picked up a set of new R comp's that I need to store till the spring. Looks like they will go to the basement tonight.

rideau

Jim
Thanks very much for the idea and I'll investigate. My garage door has multiple panels that fold to follow the curve of the rails (high ceiling for lift) so I'm assuming I'll have to cut insulation to fit each panel. Futher thought....maybe cutting and gluing rigid styrofoam insulation to fit could at least give me better R value than a metal door.....a winter project to keep me out of the bars. I'd have to leave a gap at the top and bottom of each insulation panel to allow for the folding action and then fill the gaps with fiberglass insulation and tape plastic vapor barrier over so it won't fall out.
Given the temperatures over the last few days, I suspect any damage to the tires has already been done. I'm going to email our tire guy and will report back.
Thanks again Jim
Ian

Jim Michaels

Ian: The insulation kits are designed to fit the roll-up garage doors. One could just buy the insulation material and cut to fit, but that using a pre-cut kit would be quicker and easier.

rideau

Hi Jim
Thanks for all the assistance. I'm sourcing kits here in Toronto as you suggested and have found a few. They appear to be easy to install. I did check with my tire supplier who runs track programs for Yoko in Ontario. The Advan AD-07s must be kept above 14 degrees F or minus 10 celsius..if not, they will lose significant grip. Corner 2 at Mosport would be a little scary. I forgot to ask him minimum temperatures for R-Comps....sorry.
Now for the heat issue. Our heating/ac guy is coming over next week. He believes a radiant quartz wall mounted unit with thermostat will be the way to go. He tells me that they are quite energy efficient.
If you ever are coming to Toronto, please let me know. I'd be happy to show you the results of your advice and then discuss life/tires/garage heat and Porsches over a beverage or two.
Again thanks, I really appreciate your help.
Ian