HEADS UP! TIRE INFO

[blacksheep-1]

for anyone using these tires

Will link this to "technical forums as well.

TESTING SUSPENDED AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 20, 2013) – Officials from the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and Continental Tire have jointly decided to suspend on-track testing of TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Prototype (P) and Prototype Challenge (PC) race cars after issues were discovered during testing at Daytona International Speedway on Tuesday.

IMSA and Continental Tire are analyzing the situation and working toward a solution. On-track testing will continue at Daytona on Wednesday for the GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes. On-track testing of the DeltaWing DWC13 prototype – which utilizes a unique tire and technical package – will also continue as scheduled.
Source:
IMSA

http://www.imsa.com/articles/prototype-prototype-challenge-testing-suspended

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

I'm assuming some actual info will come out of this eventually? Nothing really said here. That's not a critique towards you, blacksheep.

I know Westbrook destroyed a car (DP) earlier this week (airborne), and he walked away (luckily).
The other car (also a DP) that was wrecked went airborne as well; my initial GUESS is that the new Aero Package for the DPs needs a little tweaking..........

 

[blacksheep-1]

I'm assuming some actual info will come out of this eventually? Nothing really said here. That's not a critique towards you, blacksheep.

I know Westbrook destroyed a car (DP) earlier this week (airborne), and he walked away (luckily).
The other car (also a DP) that was wrecked went airborne as well; my initial GUESS is that the new Aero Package for the DPs needs a little tweaking..........

I just wanted to get the word out since many of us are using these tires, (if it turns out to be a tire issue) so we'll see. I know there are lots of these take offs out there. (I'm assuming they're using up last years stuff as well as this years).

 

[smittytx]

Sounds like the aero is working pretty damn good if they both got airborne.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Sounds like the aero is working pretty damn good if they both got airborne.

shiznit, did I put that wing on upside down? MY BAD, GUYS!!

 

[cosm3os]

I just wanted to get the word out since many of us are using these tires, (if it turns out to be a tire issue) so we'll see. I know there are lots of these take offs out there. (I'm assuming they're using up last years stuff as well as this years).

Do we even know these are the same tires we are using? I bet they are not. In fact, they are letting GT practice continue, right?

 

[blacksheep-1]

We don't know, I thought it would be nice info to know in case anyone was running this weekend, you could make some changes early. I'm concerned because they used the words Tudor and Continental jointly decided to halt the practice.

The GTs are still going at it

IMSA and Continental Tire are analyzing the situation and working toward a solution. On-track testing will continue at Daytona on Wednesday for the GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes. On-track testing of the DeltaWing DWC13 prototype – which utilizes a unique tire and technical package – will also continue as scheduled.

but that too drew my attention

 

[2012YellowBoss]

IMSA and Continental Tire are analyzing the situation and working toward a solution. On-track testing will continue at Daytona on Wednesday for the GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes. On-track testing of the DeltaWing DWC13 prototype – which utilizes a unique tire and technical package – will also continue as scheduled.
Source:
IMSA

GTD uses the 285's and that is what I got, so I'm good. BTW that delta wing was insane, it had tires like a dragster, really thin front tires and they were very short, looked like 13 inches!

Yes, there were teams running Conti's from last season, new Conti and Michelins from last season. There was a Michelin trailer there but I did not see anyone mounting them. It could have been that they had Hoosier mount them. The biggest complaint was teams have no idea what the rules will be this year and they are not even sure about tires.

 

[blacksheep-1]

More info....

The Portuguese driver’s No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP suffered a suspected tire puncture in the closing minutes of Tuesday’s test session on the 3.56-mile oval/road course, sending his Coyote-chassied car around and into the air on the backstretch.

“I was on my in lap. I had actually called the team saying I’m coming in this lap,” Barbosa told Sportscar365. “Just coming out of NASCAR Turn 2, the

rear tire blew up.

“The car got a little airborne and then I stopped. I didn’t hit anything. I tried to fight the car and I was able to hold it a little bit, then it just spun. When I was going backwards, it blew [out] the door and windshield. It was interesting.”

Barbosa’s accident was the second of the day involving a tire failure and the car subsequently catching air. Richard Westbrook also escaped injury after his Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP went end-over-end in dramatic fashion​

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/barbosa-uninjured-after-airborne-accident/​

 

[blacksheep-1]

OK found this....

A Continental Tire spokesperson said the results are so far inconclusive and they are working diligently to pinpoint the issue, which could be a function of the additional load created by the DPs in their upgraded configuration.

The company has used the same P1000 tire compound (formerly DP-I) at Daytona for the past two years without problems.

So, I'm thinking, if you use these compound tires at certain tracks, it may not be a great idea with the weight of the Boss 302s.

 

[cosm3os]

Dude, you are way oversimplifying the issues involved in reaching your conclusions.

 

[TMSBOSS]

Sounds like the aero is working pretty damn good if they both got airborne.

Sounds like a Landing Gear Issue. ;D

Don't ask me how I know about landing gear issues.

Glad no one was hurt!!

 

[blacksheep-1]

Dude, you are way oversimplifying the issues involved in reaching your conclusions.

Here's my perspective, a lot of guys here I know, they use take offs because they are less expensive and still usable on a heavier car. Suddenly there is a problem that cropped up at Daytona possibly having something to do with downforce (weight) but maybe not...who knows at this time. One thing is for sure, tires are blowing out. The guys on this forum will use tires up, down to the wear bars...maybe this weekend. I wanted them to know what is going on so they can make a decision and have time to possibly change their game plan if they run this weekend. and , most importantly, I don't want anyone to get hurt. or tear up their cars.

 

[2012YellowBoss]

Here's my perspective, a lot of guys here I know, they use take offs because they are less expensive and still usable on a heavier car. Suddenly there is a problem that cropped up at Daytona possibly having something to do with downforce (weight) but maybe not...who knows at this time. One thing is for sure, tires are blowing out. The guys on this forum will use tires up, down to the wear bars...maybe this weekend. I wanted them to know what is going on so they can make a decision and have time to possibly change their game plan if they run this weekend. and , most importantly, I don't want anyone to get hurt. or tear up their cars.

FWIW Rob I don't feel you said or analyzed anything incorrectly. What I get from you is not oversimplifying the issue but being over-cautious and that can be a good thing looking back after you pop a tires and punch the wall. I'm on GTD tires so no worries for me at the moment.

It very well may be the added downforce on the cars this year. However:

And while some have been quick to point the blame to Continental, it’s understood some teams, both in Prototype and Prototype Challenge, had been running below the suggested tire pressure and camber settings that the manufacturer had laid out at the start of the test, which could have also been a contributing factor.

“If we were here alone… my solution would have been to go up on [tire] pressure a bunch,” said Marsh Racing team owner Ted Marsh. “It wouldn’t have scared me. I’m used to running high banked ovals. You never come to a high banked oval to run your road race/flat track pressures. You don’t do that.”

Marsh said his 2014-spec Corvette DP ran with tire pressures 5 pounds over Continental’s minimum recommendation and had no issues during its abbreviated test on Tuesday.

Source: http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/prototype-teams-left-with-questions-after-airborne-accidents/

Now I am second guessing the 28 PSI I was told was good for these tires. In another article Continental said some teams were running the pressure five pounds lower then the recommended pressure. I will be running them at a flat track but I think I am going to start at 32 as recommended to me today at a private Grand Am test day (because of this). Still they think the aero may have more to do with this then pressure. Even so I always err on the high side of pressure. I know the tires work at 36 PSI but they do wear the centers a little faster on a flat track. That extra pressure worked better I guess at the two day event last month at Daytona but somewhere in the middle here may work the Boss and these tires.

It's not like this is the first right rear tires to blow on the Daytona road course utube is full of them, both pro and amateurs. However these are good lessons to be learned from this what ever the outcome of the problem is. I have been told to run pressure higher at Daytona then a flat course and have always tried to do that. Some people will tell you to run the right rear 2-3 more then the rest. Others have said they do not add any extra pressure to the RR, I sometimes run from 1/2 to one pound more in the RR and have had good luck with that.

So for the guys running Daytona this year it is up to you, take all this talk as a lesson. If you have a little too much pressure there is it better then running too low. This also applies to street tires even if they rarely have problems, almost all blow-outs are R comps.

 

[steveespo]

Yes Daytona is a whole different animal when it comes to tires. I don't think any of us put the kind of load that a DP car does at full speed on the banking. Lower pressures plus over aggressive camber will do it.

That being said it is wise to look out for abnormal wear or vibrations with any track tire whether new or used. Thanks for the info Rob and Scott.
Steve