DeTomaso Mailing List: May 1997, Message #219
     



From: firanzi@erols.com (Jim Firanzi)

Subject: Re: Found it! Tire/alignment article!

Date: Thu, 08 May 97 12:58:04 GMT



Mike,



On 5/8/97 4:33AM, in message <970508043304_437389387@emout20.mail.aol.com>,

MikeLDrew@aol.com wrote:



>

> Okay, so at 1:18 a.m. I finally found John Wehrheim's article from the Jan

> '95 PCNC newsletter.  Notice, Jim, that the tires he's running are labelled

> as STREET tires as opposed to dedicated race tires.  Also, he's running a

> 245/45 in the front on 8-inch Campys, and had no rubbing problems...

>



Hehe... yes, Mike.  The Hoosier Street TD's have the word "Street" in their

title, but that's about where the similarity ends between these and street

tires.  To quote from Hoosier:



"Autocrosser / Street TD

Competition



If your sanctioning body requires a D.O.T approved tire and you prefer the view

from the front of the pack, Hoosier has a tire for you. Their bias-ply tire has

been dominating for years. Predictability, grip, and very low weight add up to

be a winning combination. Available in either the Autocrosser for Solo II, or

the Street TD for Road Racing. UTQG 0-AC (Yes, zero) "



Very sticky compound, lightweight construction, nearly zero tread... it's

probably a great track tire, only slightly less than a slick... but I don't

think they ever intended them for the street.  I get the impression they are

DOT legal only to satisfy the few sanctioning bodies requiring a DOT legal

tire.  Not to mention the fact that I spoke with the Hoosier racing rep in

Dallas yesterday.  He told me that Hoosier (starting now) is no longer

certifying their competition tires as DOT legal (Autocrosser, Street TD, or

their competition radials.)  I guess for a street legal road race tire, the BFG

R1 will be the only available choice.  Not only that, the rep was unable to

give me a certified speed rating for these tires, guessing around a T rating.



>

> This year, I made a few other modifications.  Since my rear Pirellis were

> worn out, I bought Hoosier tires that are H-rated and extremely sticky, not

> to mention inexpensive ($130).  They won't last forever, but will probably

> last as long as any of the ultra-performance tires available today.  The

> sizes are:

>

>     Before                          After

>     Pirelli P7R              Hoosier Street TD

>



So we find that they are truly H rated, still not technically legal for Pocono.

Now, would that mean the powers that be would turn you away on the grid

inspection if you were running these tires?  I doubt it, but it was interesting

that they are not V or better rated.



>

> I also had the car aligned by Roger Krause Racing in San Leandro.  They are

> one of the most respected alignment and suspension shop in northern

> California.  Based on their recommendations and extensive experience with

> Panteras, I made the following changes:

>

>                    Before      After

> Front

>  Camber          -0.2    -0.8

>  Toe-in/out     -0.2    +0.4

>  Caster           +2.0    +2.0

>

> Rear

>  Camber          -1.2    -0.6

>  Toe-in           +0.4    +0.6

>



Jack:  Does this sound right to you?  Front toe OUT by +0.4?  I thought the

Boss Wrench and most shadetree mechanics were recommending between 1/8 and 3/8

of toe-in for front and rear, with about 3/16 being average target for a mostly

street driven car?  (Help me here, I could be way off!)  I thought also 1

degree negative camber in front, and as much as you can get in the rear (won't

be much more than 1-2 degrees on most cars?)



Thanks,



Jim