The Mustang Forum for Track & Racing Enthusiasts

Taking your Mustang to an open track/HPDE event for the first time? Do you race competitively? This forum is for you! Log in to remove most ads.

  • Welcome to the Ford Mustang forum built for owners of the Mustang GT350, BOSS 302, GT500, and all other S550, S197, SN95, Fox Body and older Mustangs set up for open track days, road racing, and/or autocross. Join our forum, interact with others, share your build, and help us strengthen this community!

Purchase as much tire as you can

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

190
1
I've had a couple of threads about setting up my car for auto-x. I ordered some parts and got my car together this weekend. I took it to a private parking lot to break in the tires. All I can say is WOW. The hoosiers were like glue. I'll confirm my imagination this next weekend when I do an actual event but in testing I go goose bumps testing these tires.

I've read threads just start out on anything you have and that good tires can lead to bad habits. Not even sure how somebody can come to that rationalization but having these tires, totally clears the mind of any notions of how to compensate to go fast.

They aren't cheap so if you don't have the funds, don't let that keep you from a track. However, when you have a chance to get some good tires, don't hesitate.
 
Cool. Do we get to guess what tires you're using or are you going to tell us? :D
 
190
1
Sorry, I wasn't plugging any one tire for this thread, but yes they are Hoosier A6's. They will be used strictly for autox.

I made this post as I've done a lot of research and called a lot of people on what to do with my car to AutoX, ESP. Some of the best advice I've gotten has been on this forum.

In other places, for people starting out I've read things like don't worry about tires, learn your car, etc, etc. I'm just not sure I agree with that advice. My car on the stock tires, the couple of Autox's I did I was "skating" and had a hard time getting stopped for turns.

It had me thinking about how to power slide and other things trying to compensate.

Granted I just tested these a couple of minutes yesterday but I had goose bumps with how the tires performed. A caveat, I did go to adjustable swaybars and the MM camber plates. I actually wish I had the time and patients to test everything in stages but I already had the car a part so everything went on at once.

It's kind of hard to explain the difference I feel with the "right" tires, but the first thing that comes to mind, is that instead of sliding the tires feel like they stretch before giving away. I think of it like a piece of bubble gum stuck to hot pavement. If you try to pull it off it will stretch before coming off or breaking away.

There is a stretch and slight chirp when you're on the edge so it's easier to find the edge. Or at least it was for me.

I'll know more after the next couple of weeks.
 
190
1
I finally have proof to my claim. As is documented on the site, I just went to A6's on all 4 corners, 285/30/18. MM Camber Plates and adjustable sway bars. (Tried to set them what I think is stock so I'm not sure if they really made a difference.)

Today, in my second ESP race I won at ZMax raceway with a time of 58.437 seconds. (4 competitors) According to my wife who I asked to watch the lateral G gauge, we hit 1.2 lat g's. (I broke traction at about that point and again, I don't have documented proof, just what she stated.)

There was a guy running pro in another mustang on 315's that ran a high 56 second lap so I decided to stay and do some fun runs to figure out where I could improve.

My second fun run I got the hang of the tires and car and ran a 56.868 second lap.

Another barometer I use is a friend who won a National championship in B stock last year. In my previous events he was 9 seconds faster on these size tracks. Today, 2.6 secs faster in a smaller caller.

What I'm getting at my car now sticks to the track and I can actually work on fine tuning my skills to try and go fast.

With stock tires, i was sliding all over the place trying to figure out if I should be power sliding or whatever to run the speeds of other competitors.

With the right tires, today I figured out I need to tap the brakes quickly to weight the front in tight corners and then start my braking. Then when to use the throttle to rotate the car. The margin of error is so much better on race tires than street tires.

So again, if you have the means get the best tires you can buy. If you can't then don't over drive your car trying to keep up with drivers on race tires. With driving skills being equal, no way anybody on any type of tread tire is going to run as fast as driver on race tires. (Cars being similiar in geometry and weight etc.)

However, note you still have to know how to driver. You can't be locking up the brakes going into corners, drifting etc. You have to learn momentum.

Anyway, thanks for everybody and all their input. I just wanted to share my experience with others and back it up with data. I've read a lot of things on a lot of different websites these past couple of weeks and I'd have to say some of the best advice I got is from forum.

Also, if you go out and purchase A6's and are just starting out, don't get discourage if you don't win. I've raced a lot of my life but it's been motocross. Right now all I'm trying to do is trying to translate my race knowledge from 2 wheels to 4 wheels.

Personally, I feel there are some intangibles that you have to learn about yourself and how to control them to become a good racer of any kind. That's the part tires, car etc can't help and the only way to get get it is experience.

For me the best way to learn those is taking classes and getting advice from guys in the top classes getting it done on the track.

I hope this helps somebody starting out.
 
190
1
hahaha, another partial reason for this thread as well. I wish I had the money to test the stock 19" wheel staggerred setup.

Then 285's versus 315's etc.
 

TMO Supporting Vendors

Top