Forum Home / 2004 - April 6th - Silverstone / Tyres!!

09/04/2004 09:44:36
JP12
Guys, I am just wondering what tyres everyone is using on track. I am using Yokohama A539's which were really good in the dry, but quite bad in the wet sessions. Even though they were quite bad in the wet I am glad that it rained as it was great fun to slide the car around. Were there any blue flags at Silverstone? A few times I had problems with people indicating to let me past but not lifting off, or on one occassion being stuck behind a more powerful MGB racer for four laps! I think it should be added to the briefing that when you are being passed you should also lift off and the blue flag needs to be used. Did anyone else have this problem? Great day, and I can't wait for the next. Thanks Joe
09/04/2004 09:46:57
JP12
First Post:D
09/04/2004 09:53:47
SteveChilds
[QUOTE=JP12]First Post:D[/QUOTE] I can't offer any advice, but congrats on being the first poster! :)
09/04/2004 09:55:50
JP12
I had to try and think of an issue so that I could be the first poster, haha.
09/04/2004 10:06:50
Dave
Hi Joe, Welcome to The Pit Lane and congrats on being the first ever poster :D My experience on the tyre front is of course limited to the MGF, but I find Bridgestone SO2s extremely capable in both wet and dry. I know that Norman was really pleased with his Fs wet handling at Silverstone last Tuesday. I think he uses Goodyear F1s - not sure whether they are the old or new variety. Hopefully he'll be along to let you know soon. On the blue flag issue, I agree, the overtaking by consent rule wasn't being as well used as we've had at other days. SELOC can still teach us a thing or two there ;) In fairness, it was probably the first time many of the Silverstone participants had been asked to observe this. We'll just need to keep insisting! The onus on the slower car to lift-off is probably the key to its success.
09/04/2004 10:26:39
norman
Yep I have F1 (GSD2) all round and found them exceptional in the wet. Not had any other tyres on my TF160 so nothing to compare them against but I was really surprised at the levels of grip, particularly under heavy braking. The ABS was kicking in but it seemed that the deceleration levels were pretty similar to the dry conditions. A bit 'twitchy' on the bends but seemed to let you know before they let go. Thanks for the new facility with this 'Pit Lane discussion forum'. Yet another one to monitor - when will I get any work done? ;)
09/04/2004 10:33:29
Dave
[QUOTE=norman]Thanks for the new facility with this 'Pit Lane discussion forum'. Yet another one to monitor - when will I get any work done? ;)[/QUOTE] Yes, we thought long and hard about opening up this facility. We didn't want to step on any toes in the broader MG Forum community, but felt we needed some form of pre and post event discussion area. We'll try to keep it limited to that.:)
09/04/2004 10:41:01
JP12
[QUOTE=norman]Yep I have F1 (GSD2) all round and found them exceptional in the wet. Not had any other tyres on my TF160 so nothing to compare them against but I was really surprised at the levels of grip, particularly under heavy braking. The ABS was kicking in but it seemed that the deceleration levels were pretty similar to the dry conditions. A bit 'twitchy' on the bends but seemed to let you know before they let go. [/QUOTE]I was struggling in the wet and all I can think is that it must be my tyres. Cars that I was lapping faster than in the dry were quicker in the wet. I don't think the set up on my car is much different to other MGB's, but the rear was moving around all the time. I couldn't touch the throttle until it was virtually straight on the exit of copse and luffield and I couldn't take woodcote flat in the wet, I tried but almost ended up on the grass, lol. Having said that in the dry I had a lot more grip than on my old Avon ZV1's. I might just stick to being slow in the wet, but having lots of fun at the same time. Thanks Joe
13/04/2004 12:46:00
Rob Bell
The two best rain tyres I have had personal experience with are the Bridgestone S-02 and the Goodyear Eagle F1 Joe. As it happens, these are typically the two tyres that consistently score the best in independently run magazine tests of "high performance" tyres! I am currently running on the GS-D3 type F1 tyre (the tyre that has replaced the older GS-D2s that Norman has on his car - although allegedly, the 'D2 remains a current spec tyre, assuming that you can find them). On the final session of the day at Silverstone, where visibility was down to 50yrds and the track surface was awash with surface water, my car remained absolutely stable - and it was commented upon by others not fortunate enough to be using F1s! So there you go: a strong recommendation for Goodyear rubber! PS Joe - unrelated thread: could you give me the details for your engine-tuning friend? I'll pass on his details to Paul, assuming that he hasn't already found a solution to his problems!
13/04/2004 13:06:15
JP12
[QUOTE=Rob Bell] PS Joe - unrelated thread: could you give me the details for your engine-tuning friend? I'll pass on his details to Paul, assuming that he hasn't already found a solution to his problems![/QUOTE] Rob, His name is Ben and his email addy is [email="benrushworth@hotmail.com"]benrushworth@hotmail.com[/email]. I don't think he is back in the UK until the end of April so that may be too late for you. Thanks Joe
14/04/2004 09:25:50
Rob Bell
[QUOTE=JP12]Rob, His name is Ben and his email addy is [email="benrushworth@hotmail.com"]benrushworth@hotmail.com[/email]. I don't think he is back in the UK until the end of April so that may be too late for you. Thanks Joe[/QUOTE] Thanks Joe - I'll pass on the details just in case :)