No, it’s not authorized for SCCA competitors.
Sure, it’s nonetheless quick.
After watching many different opponents leap into at this time’s marketplace for streetable observe tires–most of which fall underneath the 200tw heading–Hoosier lastly has an providing with its new TrackAttack Professional.
Whereas it carries that ever-popular 200tw ranking, it nonetheless doesn’t meet the present SCCA rules. How’s that? This tire’s 5/32-inch tread depth doesn’t meet the 7/32-inch minimal.
And Hoosier doesn’t appear too involved about that reality. It sees a much bigger marketplace for these tires: these working noncompetitive observe days. Image the newest supercars grinding up tires merely for the pleasure of good apexes and 8000 rpm redlines.
This tire is aimed on the likes of the Goodyear F1 Supercar 3R, Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R, not essentially the Bridgestones, Yokohamas and Nankangs discovered on the standard Solo grid.
Whereas we sampled the TrackAttack Professional at a press launch and located linear and quick steering response together with excessive sturdiness and robust, constant grip, we couldn’t report any strong numbers. Now we are able to–together with the way it compares to a standard benchmark.
We acquired our fingers on one of many first units of 245/40R17 manufacturing tires, destined for our typical complete observe testing ritual utilizing the Triple Threat ND Miata check mule. For some benchmarks, we additionally procured recent units of equally sized Goodyear F1 Supercar 3R and Bridgestone Potenza RE–71RS tires. All have been mounted on units of brand-new, 17×9-inch, fifth-generation 6UL wheels by 949 Racing.
Every tire obtained an preliminary warmth cycle by driving to and from the observe, then circulated for six laps of ever-increasing depth whereas we took care to not abuse it. This course of helps situation the rubber for longevity, larger consistency and, typically, faster final tempo. Additional, these journeys allowed us to guage the tires’ subjective road manners.
Check day dawned cool, however full solar introduced up temps rapidly over the course of the morning. The observe was extremely rubbered in, having hosted 70 automobiles for an SCCA Observe Night time in America the earlier night. A fast cleanup session on some scrubs eliminated in a single day mud accumulation, and we have been quickly able to check.
Tire Specs
Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS
- Quick lap: 1:24.86
- Common lap: 1:25.35
It is a improbable do-it-all tire–the Swiss Military knife of the Tremendous 200 class. It’s a well-liked selection for One Lap of America, too.
On the Street: It’s grippy in each the moist and the dry whereas sturdy sufficient to final for per week’s value of every day observe occasions. Whereas not significantly noisy for a 200tw tire, it did convey street irregularities extra harshly than different Tremendous 200s.
On the Observe: It additionally turned on rapidly–it simply must undergo a few corners–which fits each autocrossers and time assault opponents. This tire displayed a pointy steering response and ran at smaller slip angles, giving it a reasonably direct really feel with cornering masses constructing in linear trend.
The Bridgestone RE-71RS was particularly good at mixed loading occasions, path braking simply and placing down energy early on nook exit. Breakaway was progressive with clear audible suggestions. Nevertheless, the tire started to warmth soak pretty rapidly on this heat day, progressively dropping grip and complaining loudly.
Goodyear F1 Supercar 3R
- Quick lap: 1:24.77
- Common lap: 1:24.96
We love this tire. It’s been our favourite streetable observe tire for fairly a while. Apparently that’s true for a lot of people like us, as a result of they’re on again order very often in standard sizes.
On the Street: Belying its OE design roots, the Goodyear F1 Supercar 3R
rode fairly properly on the freeway: comparatively quiet and fairly cheap over bumps. Steering response was intuitive and fast.
On the Observe: That fast response was magnified as g-loads elevated, with the tire prepared us to go deeper and switch more durable. However the restrict was a bit imprecise, so it took some finesse to foretell simply how a lot was there. Happily, the plateau was vast, and overdriving has minimal penalty apart from time misplaced.
Even on this heat day, it took the total out lap for the compound to activate. As soon as it did, although, it stayed constant all through the session. Lap occasions diversified by solely three-tenths, with most of that coming from the imprecise breakaway restrict.
Hoosier TrackAttack Professional
- Quick lap: 1:24.72
- Common lap: 1:24.92
This new tire is the explanation for this check. Does Hoosier have a contender for these monitoring at this time’s high-performance machines?
On the Street: The TrackAttack Professional clearly means enterprise with its very stiff carcass. For automobiles with manufacturing facility suspensions, this provides a noticeable enhance in response–as if the spring charges had been elevated by 20%. For our Triple Menace ND, although, the place journey high quality is already borderline from our aftermarket suspension, that enhance was simply sufficient to throw it over the sting. We felt each bump and irregularity on our drive. Each … single … one.
The tread sample itself was very quiet with no trace of drone or buzz on clean asphalt, however that stiff carcass amplified noisy pavement–assume chip seal or irregular concrete. Steering response felt fairly linear and extremely responsive, however there was a small useless zone on middle mitigating any want for fixed corrections.
On the Observe: The Hoosier was a monster. After a tough push on the out lap, full grip was out there and fairly excessive. Steering response was crisp and mixed loading glorious. This was particularly noticeable underneath heavy path braking the place the automobile would carve all the way down to the apex like a scalpel regardless of the massive vitality generated within the entrance tires.
Just like the Goodyear F1 Supercar 3R, consistency was a robust trait with no tempo drop-off throughout your entire session. Breakaway on the restrict was extra apparent than with the Goodyear.
Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS (retest)
- Quick lap: 1:26.11
- Common lap: 1:26.34
With nice information in hand, all that remained was to rerun the Bridgestones to confirm that situation modifications had not influenced our outcomes.
Wait, what’s this? Even after an hour’s cooldown because the final run, the Bridgestones picked up proper the place they left off, attaining solely slower, heat-soaked lap occasions. Though we saved them within the shade, the rise in each ambient temps and a sunbaked observe floor conspired to maintain them on simmer. Or so it appeared.
To confirm our idea, we additionally reran the opposite two tires to see if we may match our earlier finest occasions. We got here very near doing simply that. Our consistency was a little bit off–hey, we’d been at this all morning–however we got here inside just a few tenths for every, versus being a full second off one of the best tempo for the Bridgestone. Case closed. Time to pack it up and head dwelling. Nicely, virtually.
Bridgestone RE-71RS (5/32-in. tread depth)
- Quick lap: 1:24.78
- Common lap: 1:25.01
Due to earlier long-term testing on motorsports-oriented road rubber, we all know that almost all tires profit from decrease tread depths, both through shaving or put on. This helps with each tempo and consistency.
The taller the tread blocks, the extra they are going to bend over underneath load–it’s easy leverage. However that bending–the tire guys name it squirm–creates warmth. And previous a sure level, warmth is the enemy of grip.
To a point, this may be mitigated by having much less void space within the tire, however that works towards its suitability for road use, particularly within the moist. So the apparent resolution is shallower voids so the tread blocks are higher supported. The tire will nonetheless endure from hydroplaning in deep water at excessive speeds, however at the very least it is going to be serviceable within the moist should you decelerate.
Like most Tremendous 200 Excessive Efficiency Summer time tires, the Bridgestone RE-71RS comes molded to a depth of seven/32 inch. Each of our streetable observe day-category tires examined right here, the Goodyear F1 Supercar 3R and Hoosier TrackAttack Professional, come molded to solely 5/32 inch. Doesn’t sound like a lot of a distinction, however it quantities to virtually a 30% discount.
Whereas these results are actually clearly demonstrated for each tempo and consistency, there’s one other impact: put on. As these photos element, the RE-71RS suffered vital graining and tearing of the outermost floor of the middle tread rib, whereas the Supercar 3R and TrackAttack Professional confirmed minimal results. Additionally notice how the beforehand used Bridgestone RE-71RS, which began our check day at 5/32, exhibits solely minor floor put on. Remember the fact that these are all right-front tires, which endure essentially the most at Harris Hill Raceway.
May a set of Bridgestones sporting shallower tread run quicker than a full-tread set? Let’s discover out.
We had a second set of RE-71RS available from earlier assessments that had been worn down to simply underneath 5/32. These have been the tires we used through the warmup session, however in addition they ran one further session on the finish of the official check.
Not solely have been these tires a bit faster than the brand new, full-tread Bridgestones, however they have been way more constant throughout the session. Dwelling as much as its Swiss Military knife fame, the RE-71RS can deal with virtually any scenario if you choose the correct blade.
Spherical 1 Outcomes
Spherical 2: Let’s Do It Once more in Cooler Temperatures
Whereas trying over the info from this check, two issues caught out. First, because the temps for the day elevated, lap occasions trended slower. Second, that single-flyer preliminary run from the recent Bridgestone RE-71RS, which just about matched the opposite tires, appeared misplaced.
Happily, the climate cooled a bit only a week later, so we did the entire thing once more. We additionally reversed the order of working and used the Hoosier as our bracket tire to get extra direct back-to-back comparisons. We even reran the half-tread RE-71RS, each within the warmup session and on the finish.
The one draw back to this second check was that the constantly cooler temps have been accompanied by a robust wind, which had introduced plenty of sand from a close-by development website onto elements of the observe. Not solely did that take an prolonged time period to scrub off, however it left the clear line fairly slim, making consistency tough.
The info from this second check confirmed extra of what we’d been anticipating: no magic flyer run for the full-tread RE-71RS, with a couple of 1-second hole between it and all three of the opposite tires, together with the worn Bridgestones, now all the way down to lower than 4/32 inch of tread depth.
The one inconsistency was the rise in tempo throughout the primary couple of laps for the TimeAttack Professional because the observe continued to scrub up.
Spherical 2 Outcomes
So, what to make of all this?
First, Hoosier has a winner on this market section, matching one of many present benchmarks, the Goodyear Supercar 3R. The Hoosier TrackAttack Professional hits all of the marks on observe–tempo, consistency and drivability–whereas retaining applicable road manners.
Second, we’ve immediately proven how tread depth impacts typical 200tw tires: Much less is extra. Earlier long-term development tales have revealed this for each the Nankang Sportnex CR-S V2 and Falken Azenis RT660, however right here’s a direct back-to-back comparability with clear-cut conclusions for the Bridgestone RE-71RS. Word that we’ve additionally seen this development with the Yokohama Advan A052.
The one questions that stay for Hoosier’s new providing are its sturdiness and long-term consistency. How lengthy will they final? How lengthy will they be quick? Watch this house for these solutions.
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