[th1rd3y3]

I figured I'd post this here for those of you who auto-x or are considering doing as much and looking for tires for said activity. Here's a photo of my front RE-71Rs after about 1000 miles of driving and 8 (yes EIGHT) 30-40 second autox runs. This was also done an asphalt lot that's pretty smooth, I'd hate to see what concrete would have done.



Car is currently stock (competing in SCCA F-Street class), but will be ordering an H&R front sway in the very near future. I had plans to use these tires for National Tour/Championship competition, but given the rate they've worn, that's not going to happen.

I'm also running Hankook RS3v2s and they are not wearing in this same manner. I can definitely say for the money I paid for these I'm not thrilled at all. Mostly just posting this here in hopes it helps someone else make the decision to not put these on a stock car and autox with them.

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by th1rd3y3

I figured I'd post this here for those of you who auto-x or are considering doing as much and looking for tires for said activity. Here's a photo of my front RE-71Rs after about 1000 miles of driving and 8 (yes EIGHT) 30-40 second autox runs. This was also done an asphalt lot that's pretty smooth, I'd hate to see what concrete would have done.



Car is currently stock (competing in SCCA F-Street class), but will be ordering an H&R front sway in the very near future. I had plans to use these tires for National Tour/Championship competition, but given the rate they've worn, that's not going to happen.

I'm also running Hankook RS3v2s and they are not wearing in this same manner. I can definitely say for the money I paid for these I'm not thrilled at all. Mostly just posting this here in hopes it helps someone else make the decision to not put these on a stock car and autox with them.

You mean the center tread wear?
Not sure how camber would help with that....

Is that the front or rear? and what psi where you running?

[th1rd3y3]

This is on the front, the rears are perfect. More negative camber would keep the tires contact surface flat during cornering instead of rolling and driving on the outsides of the tires. The sway bar would help keep them flat, but it's still no substitute for negative camber.

The uneven wear is noticeable on the outside of all three major tread blocks. The the center block looks like this /| almost. With the outside of the block on the wear bars and chunking where the inside is still several MMs from the bars.

I try to maintain enough PSI to keep the fronts from rolling over, so generally 35psi or so is the sweet spot for this tire and my Hankooks.

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by th1rd3y3

This is on the front, the rears are perfect. More negative camber would keep the tires contact surface flat during cornering instead of rolling and driving on the outsides of the tires. The sway bar would help keep them flat, but it's still no substitute for negative camber.

The uneven wear is noticeable on the outside of all three major tread blocks. The the center block looks like this /| almost. With the outside of the block on the wear bars and chunking where the inside is still several MMs from the bars.

I try to maintain enough PSI to keep the fronts from rolling over, so generally 35psi or so is the sweet spot for this tire and my Hankooks.

Ah... i couldn't really see the wear bars cause the picture is on a such a steep angle...
I got -1.75 camber in the front with the M4 LCA's that should help....

what tire size are you running? are you square?

[th1rd3y3]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

Ah... i couldn't really see the wear bars cause the picture is on a such a steep angle...
I got -1.75 camber in the front with the M4 LCA's that should help....

what tire size are you running? are you square?

Yeah it's a crappy pic, my phone camera kinda sucks.

I'm fairly certain the LCAs would not be legal for the street class, which would bump me into a class that this car could not be even close to competitive in. The wording is vague though so I'll have to investigate it more.

Unfortunately I'm not square 235/255. If BMW would have not opted for a stupid 7.5" wheel up front I'd be square, but I hated to downgrade the rear to match the front so I opted for as wide as possible on stock wheels.

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by th1rd3y3

Yeah it's a crappy pic, my phone camera kinda sucks.

I'm fairly certain the LCAs would not be legal for the street class, which would bump me into a class that this car could not be even close to competitive in. The wording is vague though so I'll have to investigate it more.

Unfortunately I'm not square 235/255. If BMW would have not opted for a stupid 7.5" wheel up front I'd be square, but I hated to downgrade the rear to match the front so I opted for as wide as possible on stock wheels.

I see... I'm 245 square on 17" Kosei

[th1rd3y3]

Yes most of these issues stem from attempting to stay legal for the street class for auto-x. Simple tweaks would resolve the issues, however, they also bump me in class.

[m3peat]

Not good news. I was planning on getting these. Can you take more pics of the edges? It's really hard to tell much from this pic.

[th1rd3y3]

Hopefully that works. Edges are rough but not as bad as the insides.

[chris82]

Add more camber?

[th1rd3y3]

Read my other posts. That's not an option unfortunately.

[rich8566]

I'm also square 235/45 on 27" Kosei's

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by rich8566

I'm also square 235/45 on 27" Kosei's

27" must look like a monster truck

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by th1rd3y3

Read my other posts. That's not an option unfortunately.

well then you are screwed... it's not the tire's fault the car come with so little camber.....

Also how is a sway bar legal but not an LCA ?

[semclane]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

well then you are screwed... it's not the tire's fault the car come with so little camber.....

Also how is a sway bar legal but not an LCA ?

Rules don't always "make sense". If you want to "compete" you have to abide by the rules. If you aren't going to compete but just want to drive for your enjoyment, you still I'll have to follow some rules, associated with the event or safety. SCCA rules allow you to modify one sway bar in the Street classes (used to be only the front sway bar was in play but now it is either). Same sort of thing for camber - Street classes only allow adjustments within the range available from the factory with the exception of using "crash bolts" if they are permitted by the manufacturer in repairing crash damage. If you want to go beyond that your car moves up to at least Street Prepared although the specific SP class is yet to be determined.

If you don't like the organizations rules, you can lobby for a change, or find another club to run with. For instance a single marque club that accepts other marques but doesn't classify them.

In my area the SCCA region has a couple of local classes like "Open Street Prepared" where the only restriction is that the car has to at some point has to have been licensed, and a Vintage B Street Prepared class for older Corvettes that are no longer compliant with the SCCA national rules. This region also allows people to run as Fun Runs where no class specific rules apply.

The local American Autocross Series has structured classes for Americav V8 cars but let's anyone else run in an "X" class as do the local BMW, Porsche, and Lotus clubs. You can join their clubs even if you don't own the proper brand of car and autocross with them.

Personally, I still have a 1999 Miata that I have been auto crossing for the past 12 years, and trade off auto crossing that car or my M235i as the mood strikes me. When I run the M235i with the SCCA I can't run in F Street because of the square wheel/tire configuration. When I run the Miata with the BMWCCA I run in their "X" class.

[th1rd3y3]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

well then you are screwed... it's not the tire's fault the car come with so little camber.....

Also how is a sway bar legal but not an LCA ?

In this particular case it is the tires fault, they're a street tire that's designed for competition, but won't work on a stock car. My Hankooks still wear normally, albeit a little more on the outside and have at least 10x the number of runs on them.

You're questioning the stupidity of SCCA stock class rules. I don't have an answer for that. That's just the way it is. The LCA puts me into a class where I don't believe this car could ever be competitive.

I suspect I'm in the minority here auto-xing the car, but still. This post should serve as a warning to those who do. I'll have my H&R front sway tomorrow, so we'll see how the tires handle the abuse with that on, though I'll definitely be flipping the tires on the rims before trying it out.

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by th1rd3y3

In this particular case it is the tires fault, they're a street tire that's designed for competition, but won't work on a stock car. My Hankooks still wear normally, albeit a little more on the outside and have at least 10x the number of runs on them.

You're questioning the stupidity of SCCA stock class rules. I don't have an answer for that. That's just the way it is. The LCA puts me into a class where I don't believe this car could ever be competitive.

I suspect I'm in the minority here auto-xing the car, but still. This post should serve as a warning to those who do. I'll have my H&R front sway tomorrow, so we'll see how the tires handle the abuse with that on, though I'll definitely be flipping the tires on the rims before trying it out.

I see... well hope the sway bar can help you then!

[Iceman51sn]

Originally Posted by th1rd3y3

My Hankooks still wear normally, albeit a little more on the outside and have at least 10x the number of runs on them.

I'll have my H&R front sway tomorrow, so we'll see how the tires handle the abuse with that on, though I'll definitely be flipping the tires on the rims before trying it out.

Glad to see the Hankooks are holding up well! I'm getting a set this week just in time for the track this weekend. Can't wait to try them out!

Really hope the sway bar works out for you. Keep us posted!

[chris82]

What kind of wear is this anyway, and what is it caused by? You say lack of camber, but it's hard to believe your Hankooks have no such wear after 10x the amount of runs, but these do after only 8. Did you drive them after you noticed this? And if you did, did your run times suffer? It could just be normal, as I think I saw similar wear on my pilot super sports when I was at a track event. A guy who runs the 128i in auto x (one of the modified classes) says the RE-71Rs are an incredible tire, with R-comp levels of grip, and superior to the Hankook RS3 which he has ran for most of his past events. And like someone else said, how could more negative camber help the wear of the center of the tread?

[th1rd3y3]

I believe it's the compound that makes them so amazing, also makes them wear so poorly on a car with no negative camber. Negative camber will help flatten out the surface area of the tire under hard cornering, without it, you're scrubbing the outsides of the tire. With this car, where understeer is very present the fronts just get scrubbed down causing the chunking you see.

I haven't done anything but street driving on them since discovering this wear. Once I see how the front bar works this weekend, I'll have the fronts flipped on the wheels and try them again to get a gauge of how the bar will help with wear.

[chris82]

Originally Posted by th1rd3y3

I believe it's the compound that makes them so amazing, also makes them wear so poorly on a car with no negative camber. Negative camber will help flatten out the surface area of the tire under hard cornering, without it, you're scrubbing the outsides of the tire. With this car, where understeer is very present the fronts just get scrubbed down causing the chunking you see.

I haven't done anything but street driving on them since discovering this wear. Once I see how the front bar works this weekend, I'll have the fronts flipped on the wheels and try them again to get a gauge of how the bar will help with wear.

That makes sense, but I was running -2.3 camber at the track in my 1 series and noticed some wear like that with my pilot supersports. I thought nothing of it and kept running the car, it didn't seem to make any difference.

[th1rd3y3]

Yes, I wish I could get that kind of camber without jumping into another class. I also wish I could use these tires, because the little I did use them, I was very thrilled with them. ?However, burning through $500 worth of tires in 3-4 events is just not reasonable. Especially when the rears show minimal signs of wear.