[DeTomaso] Tire Choices - Your Input is Welcomed

[Brent Stewart]

I had KDW's on my BMW and was really impressed with them - I would put those on the P-car for sure, but they don't make them in me and Mike's size...




________________________________
From: Mad Dog Antenucci <teampantera at yahoo.com>
To: Mike Thomas <mbefthomas at comcast.net>; detomaso at realbig.com
Sent: Saturday, May 9, 2009 12:52:45 PM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Tire Choices - Your Input is Welcomed

Mike,

Many thoughts  on high performance tires for a Pantera that gets driven on the street and track. In 40 ORR's and half that many open track events I've used Pirelli, Goodyear, Michelin, Hoosier and BFG high performance tires to included Goodyear, BFG and Hoosier gumballs and DOT slicks.

There are several good high performance tires out there that are W, Y & Z speed rated. Be sure and and check the ""load ratings"" too of the tires you buy....not all Z rated tires are rated equally.... 

On my BFG KDW-2's they are list as Z's but they are actually rated at the higher Y (186 mph) speed rating due to heavy load ratings.....again check the specs thoroughly...don't depend on others.  If you don't need a high speed Y  rated tire great because then you have allot more choices for Z & W tires...but again just compare make sure you check load ratings.

Much as I like the BFG, KDW and Goodyear DOT SLICKS for occasional use use on street and track there are soom good reasons NOT to buy them if you drive your Pantera on the street or to Reno, or to Miami or to an ORR.  

One is the dot SLICKS will wear fast if you drive hard.   Two, the DOT slicks are such a soft compound  that EVERYTHING sticks to or goes through them easily soon as they warm up.  Three, in just one ORR event in Texas at speed with a set of BFG R-1's  I sandblasted my rear fenders in just one ORR....When I ran the Goodyear GS/CS dot slicks exactly the same thing happened and I've found a small rock in one case and a small bolt in another case working their way INTO a dot slick.  Yea, I know it happens to treaded tires too but the slicks are so much thinner that it doesn't take much for one to fail. 

Four,, I liked the added rubber on the hi-po treaded tires because they will take a beating usually without failure.  Five, They handle all most as well as the DOT race tiers but obviously if you hit any debris on a public road you'd be in better shape with full treaded hi-po tire over slicks....yea I know they have a couple 
groves cut into them ;-]> 

And six, did I mention using race tires in the rain? ;-]> 

Do you guys still have rain up there in the Pacific Northwest? ;-]>

I was so happy with my last set of BFG KDW-2's I just replaced them with a new set for street and the NORC next week.   I'll probably take the old set and shave them for track use.

Besides checking load rating specs (did I say that already? :-)  also make sure you are getting late production run tires....I used to do Tire Rack...there prices are great......but last 4-5 years I have went to a couple different small high performance tire shops  who will meet and beat Tire Racks prices, add new valve stems, rebalance and do a 4-wheel alignment..... and they make sure I do NOT get a so called new tire that has been sitting in a Nevada warehouse for 1-2 years.

Good Luck - do your homework Mike! ;-]>


Mad Dawg Antenucci 
Team Pantera Racing 
The 1st & still the only vintage race team in open road racing 
www.teampanteraracing.com




________________________________
From: Mike Thomas <mbefthomas at comcast.net>
To: detomaso at realbig.com
Sent: Saturday, May 9, 2009 7:15:08 AM
Subject: [DeTomaso] Tire Choices - Your Input is Welcomed

OK, so it looks like I'm going to have to get new tires before the drive to
Reno.  I've narrowed it down to three choices that are both available and
that I can (choke) afford.  The configuration I'm going with is 245/40ZR17
front / 315/35ZR17 rear.

Dunlop Sport 8000
BF Goodrich G-Force R1
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3

I'm doing almost exclusively street driving.  I have Pirelli P-Zero
Asymetricos now, but can't afford the $500 each for the rears, and want to
step down from the 335 rear tires.  My Pirellis on the front are fine, but
the rears are past the wear markers (the previous owner either had them
shaved or spun off a few miles).

Your thoughts on these choices are welcomed.  They are all within about $100
of each other mounted and balanced.

Thanks in advance.

Mike Thomas
Panteras Northwest



_______________________________________________

Detomaso Forum Managed by POCA

Archive Search Engine Now Available at http://www.realbig.com/detomaso/

DeTomaso mailing list
DeTomaso at list.realbig.com
http://list.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
_______________________________________________

Detomaso Forum Managed by POCA

Archive Search Engine Now Available at http://www.realbig.com/detomaso/

DeTomaso mailing list
DeTomaso at list.realbig.com
http://list.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso