Bill Pemberton
0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
I have told new Autocrossers that this is the best place in the World to go and soak up cone careening knowledge even as they are aware they will be running against drivers with years , even decades, of experience. The advantage is one sees what really works and this cuts down on guessing what is the best for each driver's requirements. The fun part was in walking through the paddock when I was not the mature tire warmer for my son , Ryan, was many of the Mustang autocrossers had been on the TMO site, some contributing and other lurking while soaking up tons of technical info. I hope we see some more Conekillers pop up here over the rest of this year, because I was able to introduce quite a few folks to the fastest Ford Forum in existence. The event is finishing up today and when you have over 1100 plus drivers and support personnel , sponsors ( thanks to Grassroot Motorsports, Hagerty, Koni, Falken, Tire Rack, Solo Performance , R&S Racing, Hoosier, to name a few ) it is easy to get data overload. Analyzing all the information is a fun way to spend the coming months for those in the Midwest as we are only about a month and a half to parking our Steeds in the garage. Special thanks to SPS ( Soloperformance.com ) and fellow member Dave Whitworth who not only ran in CAMC but he helped good friends Ron and Sonja Ver Mulm with the Hoosier Tire Concession. He was changing tires for many, working the SPS on site Store, and also running his Black Stallion in CAM.........he told me he plans on sleeping on Saturday, ha. Now on to personal observations on various tires , with the caveat that I not only viewed what was happening , but I talked to plenty of folks that I noted also were running HPDEs or Time Trials.
First off, in B Street , the Fallen RT660 was the tire of choice for the Mustangs and Camaros partly because there are no 19 inch sizes that from Yokohama. Jumping over to what many feel is becoming the most fun Class to run in , the A052s were on the fastest cars in CAMC and CAMT. It was fun to see a sea of C-Horses , as Mustangs were the dominate vehicle in the Class. The GM contingent was much smaller and it did illustrate the strength of the Blue Oval chassis. Now saying that the Falkens were the ticket in B Stock , yet the Yokes were in the CAM classes is noted partly due to tire sizes available but when one begins to ask more questions a few things become apparent, among both experienced and newer drivers. They are as follows;
1. The A052 does appear to be the " King of the Hill " for auto crossing at present but there are some downfalls. Those are a somewhat vague feeling from the tire, fast wear, and the quick rise to competitive temp comes with mandatory maintenance if running a co-driven machine. You had better have pump sprayers to cool down the tires between runs or they will become a greaseball super rapidly. Under really hot outside temps it is often mandatory to spray down even with a single driver. That said, the Yoke has taken over the title from the RE71R and it appears from comments and experiences from pylon pilots on the Falkens , they too would have been able to take the crown. Chatting with the guys who have done HPDEs or Time Trials only a few who do competitive time trials and are serious enough just to run 1-4 laps are using the A052s.
2. The Falkens are a big choice for many of the Mustang and Camaro drivers because they heat up quickly, but they do not heat soak anywhere near as bad as the Yokohama tires do with 2 drivers. Sure , they may need to be sprayed down in some situations , but it is no where near as dramatic or as necessary with the A052s. The seem to have a much more positive feeling and this was noted by drivers with varying degrees of experience. They also seem to have a much longer run cycle life and that obviously impacts overall costs. They do seem to have an advantage for those running HPDEs , Time Trials, etc. since they do seem to stay stable for a longer period than the Yokes. Now , after saying that, the discussions I had with some drivers who do HPDEs said they don't have the life of an RS4 if tracking for longer periods but 2 said they were getting similar runs out of their Falkens on track compared to the RE71Rs they had previously run on.
3. Hoosiers ---- hmmm, hard to say much hear , but the tire is so dominant on the Classes that run them it is difficult to even comment on any other rubber. For super serious Time Trialers the A7 is the way to go when money is no object. The R7 does still seem to be the majority choice for road racers , but an A7 works better for the autocrosser who occasionally does road course fun.
In conclusion the Falken appears to be a better compromise for those doing both autocross and road course usage, the Yoke is the 200 TWR tire for the serious autocross driver where cone avoidance is his/her main focus, and Hoosier is the King of both racing venues , if your car is running in a class that allows for compliance.
A few caveats for future thought since we will soon have a new Continental/Hoosier track tire that is designed primarily for Endurance events , that could become the new trick set up for the HPDE folks, the Endurance Racing teams, and some Time Trialers ---rumors are still circulating an stickier autocross Contihoo-hoo may appear in 2022. Lastly it could be interesting to see what happens in 2022 as rumors also exist that Goodyear will be more aggressive in the 200 TWR wars, though there were very few vehicles running that brand at the Nationals.
picks should follow later, though I may send to Ludachris since my wife and I seem to have numerous Senior moments every time we try to transfer over to her MAC.
First off, in B Street , the Fallen RT660 was the tire of choice for the Mustangs and Camaros partly because there are no 19 inch sizes that from Yokohama. Jumping over to what many feel is becoming the most fun Class to run in , the A052s were on the fastest cars in CAMC and CAMT. It was fun to see a sea of C-Horses , as Mustangs were the dominate vehicle in the Class. The GM contingent was much smaller and it did illustrate the strength of the Blue Oval chassis. Now saying that the Falkens were the ticket in B Stock , yet the Yokes were in the CAM classes is noted partly due to tire sizes available but when one begins to ask more questions a few things become apparent, among both experienced and newer drivers. They are as follows;
1. The A052 does appear to be the " King of the Hill " for auto crossing at present but there are some downfalls. Those are a somewhat vague feeling from the tire, fast wear, and the quick rise to competitive temp comes with mandatory maintenance if running a co-driven machine. You had better have pump sprayers to cool down the tires between runs or they will become a greaseball super rapidly. Under really hot outside temps it is often mandatory to spray down even with a single driver. That said, the Yoke has taken over the title from the RE71R and it appears from comments and experiences from pylon pilots on the Falkens , they too would have been able to take the crown. Chatting with the guys who have done HPDEs or Time Trials only a few who do competitive time trials and are serious enough just to run 1-4 laps are using the A052s.
2. The Falkens are a big choice for many of the Mustang and Camaro drivers because they heat up quickly, but they do not heat soak anywhere near as bad as the Yokohama tires do with 2 drivers. Sure , they may need to be sprayed down in some situations , but it is no where near as dramatic or as necessary with the A052s. The seem to have a much more positive feeling and this was noted by drivers with varying degrees of experience. They also seem to have a much longer run cycle life and that obviously impacts overall costs. They do seem to have an advantage for those running HPDEs , Time Trials, etc. since they do seem to stay stable for a longer period than the Yokes. Now , after saying that, the discussions I had with some drivers who do HPDEs said they don't have the life of an RS4 if tracking for longer periods but 2 said they were getting similar runs out of their Falkens on track compared to the RE71Rs they had previously run on.
3. Hoosiers ---- hmmm, hard to say much hear , but the tire is so dominant on the Classes that run them it is difficult to even comment on any other rubber. For super serious Time Trialers the A7 is the way to go when money is no object. The R7 does still seem to be the majority choice for road racers , but an A7 works better for the autocrosser who occasionally does road course fun.
In conclusion the Falken appears to be a better compromise for those doing both autocross and road course usage, the Yoke is the 200 TWR tire for the serious autocross driver where cone avoidance is his/her main focus, and Hoosier is the King of both racing venues , if your car is running in a class that allows for compliance.
A few caveats for future thought since we will soon have a new Continental/Hoosier track tire that is designed primarily for Endurance events , that could become the new trick set up for the HPDE folks, the Endurance Racing teams, and some Time Trialers ---rumors are still circulating an stickier autocross Contihoo-hoo may appear in 2022. Lastly it could be interesting to see what happens in 2022 as rumors also exist that Goodyear will be more aggressive in the 200 TWR wars, though there were very few vehicles running that brand at the Nationals.
picks should follow later, though I may send to Ludachris since my wife and I seem to have numerous Senior moments every time we try to transfer over to her MAC.