so i found a guy on the bay with a $#1Tload of used race slicks for cheap, but i dont know what to buy. he uses terms like Q45, d35 and such. what does that mean?
i have 13X10 AERO's ($170) i want to put these on, and for the money, i dont mind spending $200 for tires.
so what is the spec im looking for?
-J0N
The answer: it depends. 
The numbers he's spouting are the compound numbers which is a measure of how soft (sticky) the tires are. Generally, the lower the number the stickier the tire.
What kind of car and what kind of racing?
86 civic Si, GRM2010 challenge.
i have the rims in my living room, and i have the $$$ for the tires. so im looking for a lower number, what about the letter (Q, R, T, P etc etc)? what does the mean?
-J0N
Funny, I just saw the other thread about the wheels.
Used tires are sometimes a crapshoot. We did a used tire buyers guide in the May issue.
It helps to know what the tires were originally used on and where they came from, Look for information on the tire manufacturer's Web site or a team that still uses that equipment; you might learn what pressures or tread temperatures are ideal for the compound/size you're using.
Good Luck!
The Challenge rules state DOT tires must be used for the AX but drag slicks can be used for the drag race part of the competition. That means no real road race tires unless you plan to use them as drag slicks.
Letters vary in meaning from manufacturer to manufacturer and even from tire to tire. On the Hoosier DOT race tire, A6 is 'autocross', R6 is 'road race'. On true race tires: I think with Hoosier if you have, say, an R25A that means Road Race, # 25 Compound, Revision A. Hoosier's low numbers are soft, high numbers are harder.
Then Hankook has a completely different lettering/numbering system: http://www.hankooktireusa.com/motor/motor_techinfo_compoundinfo.asp Their soft compounds have higher numbers.
Tom's right, you need to find out what the guy has available and then check the manufacturers' website to see if they will fit your needs.
DOT for AX? where does it say that? in fact where can i find the damn rules (ALL of them)? i have now THREE different files saved about it, none of them say anything about tires. is there a COMPLETE rules list so i can stop wasting money and chasing my tail?
i suppose this entire thread is point less if you cant use track (read- 'real') tires.
-J0N
You can use slick tires, but they must have "DOT" on the sidewall. That doesnt mean street tires.
Look at Hoosier A6 and Kumho V710 for starters.
oh...ok, im...much less confused now...or not...
ill look at the Hoosiers you mentioned, as i have one of those "Hoosier daddy?" stickers i want to put on the car...
-J0N
Challenge rules: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/events/2009-challenge/rules/
there it is, black and white, and i completely missed it...im such an ass...
-J0N
I often ask race tire questions to the people at www.johnbtires.com
Can John B answer canoe questions?
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