From: darling@simlab.arc.nasa.gov on behalf of Dave Darling [darling@simlab.arc.nasa.gov] Sent: Thursday, April 29, 1999 9:02 AM To: Jim M. Cc: 914 Subject: Re: [914] Tire questions At 6:01 PM -0700 4/28/99, M451@aol.com wrote: >I'm looking for a good set of sticky tires for my very stock 914 2.0L. I >plan on doing some autocrossing and one track event this year and maybe two >next year. They are just high speed drivers schools. I have some 195/60VR >15's Comp TA's on there now but they are about ten years old. > >What is a good tire that I can get that is available today. I've been >thinking about the 195/65/15 008P's from Yokomama ... The A008Ps are hard-compound street tires. Just barely, but they are. They should be pretty reasonable for limited street use plus the autoX and track events. They should wear well compared to real soft-com- pound tires. The A032R is just barely a "sticky" tire. Also, from what I hear, slightly appropriate for some street use and reasonable for the track and parking lot. They wear longer than most of the "stickies". The old Yoko A008 RS and RSII used to be the hot ticket five years ago. I don't think that they make those in a number of years, so ones on shelves now may not be as good as they were when new. (They're generally very limited availability and cheap, though!) One or two people have reported some success with the Kumho sticky tire. They are cheaper than most other soft-compound tires. I was hoping to try them, but other expenses have gotten in the way. The BFG G-force is probably still the hot ticket today. They are pretty big bucks and don't last, but they DO stick. Availability in the sizes the 914 likes can be a problem sometimes, from what I hear. Tire size is another set of choices. In general, lower sidewall is better for the track. In the sticky tires this is not quite as true as for street tires, but it is still true to some extent. They will help turn-in and transient response and they will lower your gearing. Wider tread is also a good thing in general. The default tire size for 914s in PCA Zone 7 is 205/50-15. The 205 is as wide as we are allowed, and the 50 and 15 are as SMALL as we are allowed in the Zone 7 rules. If you are going to have a set of "race rims", this is a good size to consider--if you think it will fit your car. It should fit on most, but there are a few exceptions. The 195/50-15 is a reasonable choice for tires you don't drive on the street. Less rubber on the ground, but shorter sidewalls. (It's OK at best for the street. If I were using two sets of tires, the street tires would be taller.) For com- bination use, street and track, you might think about the 195/60s. The ride will be a bit softer, the gearing better suited for highway use, plus the speedo and odometer will be close to original. If you are just getting into autoX/track events, I would suggest a tire that lasts. The 008P if you like, the 032R, or one of the very grippy hard-compound tires. (I have Dunlop SP-8000s on my car and really like them. I was #5/6 in my class at my only time trial so far, and DFL in the one autoX I've done this year. All my competition use sticky tires.) It takes a while to learn the car, and you will not be that competitive until you do. So it makes some sense to use the cheaper tires to learn on. Plus you don't have to keep changing rims. I would VERY strongly suggest dumping the 10-year-old tires, partic- ularly if they have visible cracks in the sidewalls. --DD Dave Darling 74 914 2.0 (decapitated) darling@simlab.arc.nasa.gov "OFF WITH ITS HEADS!"