1LikesU.S. Vintage Trans-Am Racing
08-22-2011, 07:35 AM
Tires
most tracks Ive been to dont really care to much about tire wear, as long as they are the correct legal tires/rims...the only time it has ever been asked is at big races, like Beat the Heat in Memphis, 1000 Lap Enduro in Nashville, ROAR 5 Champs in Indy, and others...incl plug here...2011 USVTA SOUTHERN NATIONALS, which is a month away....
for most club racing, its more about fun and getting your car setup just right to get bragging rights or show off for the guys thinking about getting into VTA
Im not sure why all the wear here latley...Ive heard this before, but Ive got tires from BTH last year that still have tread...and since we didnt run asphalt this year here locally...Im on the same tires from last summer(asphalt) and Oct(indoor start)....maybe a bad batch from HPI...?.who knows...
the cars have slowed down which should slow down wear...Ive mounted up a new set and they still look brand new...and thats 2 races at Sir Goony's in Knoxville on concrete, one race at Battlefield in Georgia on asphalt, one race at Hotshots in ATL on carpet...and 4-6 races here at the host track for the 2011 USVTA Southern Nationals at Thunder RC carpet track...and they are perfect....Im putting them up for the the event cause they are good/great for the main event...if I get to race...lol
I would think the asphalt or outdoor tracks would have more wear, but I would not make it an issue....I would limit it to special events or series and such...regular club races are all in for FUN....run them to the foam is visible...
FYI...the VTA slicks(HP) suck...Ive tried them 2 times and my ride is alot better and faster with the reg VTA tires...
for most club racing, its more about fun and getting your car setup just right to get bragging rights or show off for the guys thinking about getting into VTA
Im not sure why all the wear here latley...Ive heard this before, but Ive got tires from BTH last year that still have tread...and since we didnt run asphalt this year here locally...Im on the same tires from last summer(asphalt) and Oct(indoor start)....maybe a bad batch from HPI...?.who knows...
the cars have slowed down which should slow down wear...Ive mounted up a new set and they still look brand new...and thats 2 races at Sir Goony's in Knoxville on concrete, one race at Battlefield in Georgia on asphalt, one race at Hotshots in ATL on carpet...and 4-6 races here at the host track for the 2011 USVTA Southern Nationals at Thunder RC carpet track...and they are perfect....Im putting them up for the the event cause they are good/great for the main event...if I get to race...lol
I would think the asphalt or outdoor tracks would have more wear, but I would not make it an issue....I would limit it to special events or series and such...regular club races are all in for FUN....run them to the foam is visible...
FYI...the VTA slicks(HP) suck...Ive tried them 2 times and my ride is alot better and faster with the reg VTA tires...
08-22-2011, 08:12 AM
Race cars and tire wear go hand-in-hand. Part of the program, some would say. You can't buy one set of tires and race forever on asphalt. That's something you would have to deal with in ANY class outdoors on pavement. Seems to me like 25 runs is well beyond anyone's reasonable expectation of the lifespan of any outdoor tire, foam or rubber. How long did you think they were supposed to last?
BTW, some of you need to re-size your images for web browsing. You're killing laptop or smartphone visibility with 3000+ wide images posted here.
08-22-2011, 08:20 AM
hey Doug, still got the Javelin?...what you doing next month?
08-22-2011, 08:22 AM
ESC?
Is the Novak GTB 2 Sportsman ESC good for VTA?
08-22-2011, 08:23 AM
Yeah, I still have it. 
Not raced at all since the Nationals when I broke my knee on Easter Sunday. Been building a couple of sprint cars lately getting ready for some dirt oval this fall after life finally gets back to normal.
Why, do you have some sort of race event coming up soon?
Not raced at all since the Nationals when I broke my knee on Easter Sunday. Been building a couple of sprint cars lately getting ready for some dirt oval this fall after life finally gets back to normal.Why, do you have some sort of race event coming up soon?
08-22-2011, 08:25 AM
Yeah, I still have it. Not raced at all since the Nationals when I broke my knee on Easter Sunday. Been building a couple of sprint cars lately getting ready for some dirt oval this fall after life finally gets back to normal.
Why, do you have some sort of race event coming up soon?
Not raced at all since the Nationals when I broke my knee on Easter Sunday. Been building a couple of sprint cars lately getting ready for some dirt oval this fall after life finally gets back to normal.Why, do you have some sort of race event coming up soon?
08-22-2011, 08:34 AM
see....
http://www.thunderrcraceway.com/Thun...ionals2011.pdf
nah Im just playing...but Im hoping to sell it out, by leaps and alot of hard work...hope some of IL VTA racers can make it
08-22-2011, 08:49 AM
Like I said, I wasnt complaining just curious cause it seemed fast for wear compared to other tires (VTA Legal) ive been running. Set up is fine. Maybe it was a so so batch of tires. No big deal, didnt mean it to turn into a large debate. My times have dropped a good bit, so maybe im also pushing car harder.
08-22-2011, 08:51 AM
Tech Adept
2.5 hours? That's 150 track minutes of asphalt run-time on one set of tires! Of course they are bald. 25 6-minute races or heats on one set of tires is a LOT for a pavement tire, in any compound.
Race cars and tire wear go hand-in-hand. Part of the program, some would say. You can't buy one set of tires and race forever on asphalt. That's something you would have to deal with in ANY class outdoors on pavement. Seems to me like 25 runs is well beyond anyone's reasonable expectation of the lifespan of any outdoor tire, foam or rubber. How long did you think they were supposed to last?
BTW, some of you need to re-size your images for web browsing. You're killing laptop or smartphone visibility with 3000+ wide images posted here.
Race cars and tire wear go hand-in-hand. Part of the program, some would say. You can't buy one set of tires and race forever on asphalt. That's something you would have to deal with in ANY class outdoors on pavement. Seems to me like 25 runs is well beyond anyone's reasonable expectation of the lifespan of any outdoor tire, foam or rubber. How long did you think they were supposed to last?
BTW, some of you need to re-size your images for web browsing. You're killing laptop or smartphone visibility with 3000+ wide images posted here.
Perhaps you misunderstood my comment. I am happy that the tires are still usable after 2.5 hours on the track. I'm hoping they never have to be replaced, but that is (of course) not realistic.
I think DARKSIDE's post at the beginning of this page absolutely NAILS my sentiment.
When we get to racing USVTA here on a regular basis, I'm sure we'll find out the optimum tire wear level for the best performance and most racers will adopt whatever that level is. In the meantime, I'm making an effort to experiment and provide feedback for the prospective racers of this class at our track. I feel that we have the best chance of attracting and keeping racers if we have a good amount of information available at the start.
It makes sense to me that, if I want to attract an off-road racer who currently only needs new tires once every few months, that I be prepared to tell them that they need tires for this class every other week (if that ends up being the case).
Keep in mind that people who have never raced an on-road class, much less one using treaded spec tires on asphalt, have no "reasonable expectation" of how long tires should last. It's not safe to just assume that a newcomer to the class would *expect* to need new tires every other week or so.
BTW - if you are referring to the images I posted, they are no more than 799 wide, posted from a laptop, and viewed without issue from a smartphone. I am happy to resize them at photobucket if there's an issue with one of your devices.
08-22-2011, 08:55 AM
its good discussion...glad it was brought up...I get pm's about it here latley...Ive also emailed HPI about it as well...not saying it is the issue..just letting them aware
08-22-2011, 09:07 AM
08-22-2011, 09:15 AM
Tech Adept
That looks like over 4 hours for me.
This is the one, correct?
http://www.battlefieldraceway.com/RoadCourse.htm
I'm looking to get some practice before the 2011 USVTA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
so maybe I'll make the trek down on Sept 10. What is the normal turnout?
Does anyone here race at Hotshots? That looks to be 3 hours from me, so that may be another place I'd visit from time to time.
This is the one, correct?
http://www.battlefieldraceway.com/RoadCourse.htm
I'm looking to get some practice before the 2011 USVTA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
so maybe I'll make the trek down on Sept 10. What is the normal turnout?Does anyone here race at Hotshots? That looks to be 3 hours from me, so that may be another place I'd visit from time to time.
08-22-2011, 09:25 AM
That looks like over 4 hours for me.
This is the one, correct?
http://www.battlefieldraceway.com/RoadCourse.htm
I'm looking to get some practice before the 2011 USVTA SOUTHERN NATIONALS so maybe I'll make the trek down on Sept 10. What is the normal turnout?
Does anyone here race at Hotshots? That looks to be 3 hours from me, so that may be another place I'd visit from time to time.
This is the one, correct?
http://www.battlefieldraceway.com/RoadCourse.htm
I'm looking to get some practice before the 2011 USVTA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
so maybe I'll make the trek down on Sept 10. What is the normal turnout?Does anyone here race at Hotshots? That looks to be 3 hours from me, so that may be another place I'd visit from time to time.