Im taking my mini stock race car to a chump car/roll x(what does roll x that mean anyway?) race in Seattle in March. My car is a beater that I run in a stock class, and it fits perfectly into the Chump car rule book. We are limited at my local track to 65 series tires, which means no performance profiles or tread. I run 15 inch Falken Ziex and Toyo Versados, which I have my local retreader grind down almost to the cords. What I wind up with is a cheap slick that really sticks and doesn't chunk. They are both about 400 treadwear which is the minimum we are allowed.
I have a bunch of these tires and would like to use them at the enduro as it would help to keep the cost down to something reasonable. My question is how much time I am going to drop compared to the guys who show up with the lo pro 200 treadwear performance tires. So will I be left behind by guys with better tires, or can I make up the gap with a better car and better driving?
And never having done a chump car race, how many guys are going to drop a bunch of money on expensive tires anyway? I don't really know what I am getting into, and I will spend the money if I need to in order to keep up, but I would rather not.
Roll X is a humerus riff on the famed Grand Am Rolex endurance series.
The regulars will be running Dunlop Star Specs or Falken Azenis - very sticky tires - so you'll be giving up a lot of cornering and braking grip by running /65's on asphalt.
See if you can find a larger set of rims on craigslist - if you're lucky, the'll come with performance rubber. If not, even mixed sets of z-rated tires from the local used-tire shed are still an improvement over what you have - You should be able to pick up 4 for about $100.
I'd run what you have, and consider this a learning experience. We ran our first Chump race on an ancient set oy Yokohamas that one of the guys had sitting around. We did give up a bit, but not nearly enough to justify buying a new set of tires. Once you have a feel for what is required to be competitive, spend away.
Streetwiseguy wrote:
I'd run what you have, and consider this a learning experience. We ran our first Chump race on an ancient set oy Yokohamas that one of the guys had sitting around. We did give up a bit, but not nearly enough to justify buying a new set of tires. Once you have a feel for what is required to be competitive, spend away.
Thats what I'm leaning toward. I need at least a couple sets mounted, which means 2 sets of rims, and used tires even if they are better to begin with become work hardened and loose their grip. So that means buying two sets new plus the wheels, which is an investment.
The fact that your tires might last longer might cut the pit stops to change tires;
Run them.
Run them. It will be fun.
That said, on our Saturn Lemons car, 400+ treadwear tires just dissolved. It looked like someone lit the fronts on fire then put them out just as they reached the belt. That was after about 6 hours. The Dunlops or Falkens will wear much better out on track.
ProDarwin wrote:
Run them. It will be fun.
That said, on our Saturn Lemons car, 400+ treadwear tires just dissolved. It looked like someone lit the fronts on fire then put them out just as they reached the belt. That was after about 6 hours. The Dunlops or Falkens will wear much better out on track.
Fwd's are brutal on front tires. Also wheels and stock wheel studs, I know from painfull experience.
Six hours on a set of fronts on a dry track is pretty decent.
bearmtnmartin wrote:
Six hours on a set of fronts on a dry track is pretty decent.
Not terrible, but other teams in similar weight/power cars went the full event (14 hours) on a single set of Z1s.
Still learning the very strange language of GRM, but are you saying I'm selling something?
Its our term for "Spam Bots shilling crap." Sometimes used tongue in cheek. 
bearmtnmartin wrote:
Still learning the very strange language of GRM, but are you saying I'm selling something?
No no, nothing to do with you. See below. There was a post after mine from a spambot.
Appleseed wrote:
Its our term for "Spam Bots shilling crap." Sometimes used tongue in cheek.
OK, scratching my head there.
Thankyou for the edification
