Tread splice info and the Nitto issue

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by LiM3y

I am going to switch to the new BFGs when they become available.

They screwed up their marketing by releasing them too late in the season. A lot of potential (casual???) customers will have already bought their tires for the season

Rival's? They look intriguing since they have tread blocks that extend over the sidewall. Might be a fantastic choice for a dd/track car that doesn't want to run lots of camber.

But the main attraction of the NT01 is that they are pretty cheap as well!

[LiM3y]

I am just looking for a soft street tire with some tread to afford some forgiveness to use that lasts a season...that's where the RS3's come in. Not (at the moment!) interested in slicks - my driving needs to get better to get the most out of the tires and not ruin them with clunky driving. I am worried that slicks aren't forgiving enough in wear and grip profile for the occasional DE driver (6-8 days/year)

[surlynkid]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

I think that's quite a leap to claiming that an NT01 may suddenly come apart and that anyone running NT01s are doomed. And you are willing to run conti scrubs aka used tires??? There are distinct signs when the tire begins to degrade. Its up to the driver to be smart and come into the pits. If anyone claims that their tire suddenly came apart and hit the wall...I'd call that 110% BS. The car started performing differently LONG before it came to that. The driver chose to ignore it and keep their foot in it. Same goes for most other issues...the question is will the driver own up to their ignorance?

For example. A driver has their LTW5 wheel breaks apart at all 5 spokes...outer rim separates from the hub while on the front straight at TWS. Didn't crash. The driver did acknowledge that he noticed a vibration from the front. Kept driving. He acknowledged the mistake and learned something. He could have just blamed the wheel but there were indications that the wheel was beginning to fail. Not saying that he was about to buy another set either...

From my earlier pics...I knew something was wrong, the back end was sliding around so I came in. Behold...I was missing a chunk. I'll be the first one to admit, I won't be getting long life out of any tires. Let's say I enjoy being well above the sweet spot of about 6% slip in the tires. But I can sure tell the difference between me inducing a slide and when a tire starts to degrade.

For the general public...If you can't tell the difference, you shouldn't even think about R-comps or slicks.

i am not saying that they are definitely going to come apart and you are doomed. the tire could catastrophically fail though. i have to run these types of scenarios at chemical plants. what is the worst case scenario, and what are the alternate scenarios. most folks seem to see the small line and then watch it become a bigger line. since there is a clear flaw in their manufacturing process due to some change they made (heat, pressure, raw materials, etc), then we really don't know what "might" happen. nitto has not owned up to the manufacturing flaw. if i was the plant manager at nitto where these were made, i would have a team of people all over this until they found the root cause and provided a corrective action. i am just throwing out hypotheticals. think about the recent 911 video posted here that suddenly lost pressure in the right rear and slammed into the wall. while any of these things can happen (an no you cannot predict that), why push a bad hand and gamble on what you know is already a problem with the tires. so far, you have been able to feel the problem and pit. that is good. you don't know if you always get such a warning. depending on what mechanism changed within their manufacturing process, everything is a possibility for now.

[LiM3y]

BJ - don't mess with a chemical engineer. They get paid thousands of dollars to over predict things...

Like a good mechanical engineer...calculate things to 6 decimal places and thenh make it ten times stronger just in case...

[surlynkid]

[QUOTE=LiM3y;13726597]BJ - don't mess with a chemical engineer. They get paid thousands of dollars to over predict things...

QUOTE]

because if i under predict, a lot of people can die.

[LiM3y]

[QUOTE=surlynkid;13726803]

Originally Posted by LiM3y

BJ - don't mess with a chemical engineer. They get paid thousands of dollars to over predict things...

QUOTE]

because if i under predict, a lot of people can die.

They are also famous for their sense of humor.

[OC3]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Rival's? They look intriguing since they have tread blocks that extend over the sidewall. Might be a fantastic choice for a dd/track car that doesn't want to run lots of camber.

But the main attraction of the NT01 is that they are pretty cheap as well!

Indeed. That, plus consistent grip level 'til they cord, is pretty attractive.

If not for the current splice issue, I'd buy NT01 again and run'em for most of the track days, and use TD's sparingly for time attack runs.

[surlynkid]

[QUOTE=LiM3y;13727267]

Originally Posted by surlynkid

They are also famous for their sense of humor.

[bigjae1976]

Understood. But I'm speaking from experience behind the wheel. As I've said, you'll know long before the tire totally fails.

I've never had a tire issue where I've said, "wow, didn't even notice a change in handling". Every time, it's been "that would explain why my car felt crappy".

With that said...exit strategies...exit strategies...exit strategies! Just as a tire could fail...suspension stuff can break at any point. Coolant and other fluids on track, parts, parts failures, other cars, animals...need I go on?

That's why it's imperative to have exit strategies and a keen awareness of the car's condition. Honestly, exit strategies and car control aren't talked about and taught enough in most DE events. Drivers who master those are faster. If you can't understand why, you need to start in the beginner groups again. But it involves your eyes.

[Sleeper519]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Understood. But I'm speaking from experience behind the wheel. As I've said, you'll know long before the tire totally fails.

I've never had a tire issue where I've said, "wow, didn't even notice a change in handling". Every time, it's been "that would explain why my car felt crappy".

With that said...exit strategies...exit strategies...exit strategies! Just as a tire could fail...suspension stuff can break at any point. Coolant and other fluids on track, parts, parts failures, other cars, animals...need I go on?

That's why it's imperative to have exit strategies and a keen awareness of the car's condition. Honestly, exit strategies and car control aren't talked about and taught enough in most DE events. Drivers who master those are faster. If you can't understand why, you need to start in the beginner groups again. But it involves your eyes.

^ Stick with the decaf...

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by Sleeper519

^ Stick with the decaf...

...how's that fun?

But you're right...which is why I'm posting past midnight.

[ThunderMoose]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Understood. But I'm speaking from experience behind the wheel. As I've said, you'll know long before the tire totally fails.

I've never had a tire issue where I've said, "wow, didn't even notice a change in handling". Every time, it's been "that would explain why my car felt crappy".

With that said...exit strategies...exit strategies...exit strategies! Just as a tire could fail...suspension stuff can break at any point. Coolant and other fluids on track, parts, parts failures, other cars, animals...need I go on?

That's why it's imperative to have exit strategies and a keen awareness of the car's condition. Honestly, exit strategies and car control aren't talked about and taught enough in most DE events. Drivers who master those are faster. If you can't understand why, you need to start in the beginner groups again. But it involves your eyes.

Interestingly enough, when I drove as your passenger, I contemplated a tuck and roll out the passenger door in the carousel as my exit strategy.

...and if you found that repartee amusing, then be it known I too am a chemical engineer.

[w00tw00t]

What the heck do you mean specifically by a 'exit strategy' ?

You mean jump out the window? Driver eject system like James Bond ?

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by w00tw00t

What the heck do you mean specifically by a 'exit strategy' ?

You mean jump out the window? Driver eject system like James Bond ?

i think he means just having went over mental imagery and developed a plan for what to do in a lot of situations so you react appropriately when the time comes. be aware of all the sensory input so you know a tire is about to fail or someone is going to dive inside you.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by w00tw00t

What the heck do you mean specifically by a 'exit strategy' ?

You mean jump out the window? Driver eject system like James Bond ?

Rofl...you got me. I have nothing for that...nice one!

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by ThunderMoose

Interestingly enough, when I drove as your passenger, I contemplated a tuck and roll out the passenger door in the carousel as my exit strategy.

...and if you found that repartee amusing, then be it known I too am a chemical engineer.

Well...going CCW you'd have to climb across my lap to get out being a right turn. So that would be

1. Distracting
2. Slightly unsafe...because of the weight transfer might throw off the car's balance
3. Potentially arousing

Not a good idea...

[surlynkid]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Understood. But I'm speaking from experience behind the wheel. As I've said, you'll know long before the tire totally fails.

I've never had a tire issue where I've said, "wow, didn't even notice a change in handling". Every time, it's been "that would explain why my car felt crappy".

With that said...exit strategies...exit strategies...exit strategies! Just as a tire could fail...suspension stuff can break at any point. Coolant and other fluids on track, parts, parts failures, other cars, animals...need I go on?

That's why it's imperative to have exit strategies and a keen awareness of the car's condition. Honestly, exit strategies and car control aren't talked about and taught enough in most DE events. Drivers who master those are faster. If you can't understand why, you need to start in the beginner groups again. But it involves your eyes.

exit strategies are why i absolutley hate where some corner worker stations are located, just so you can slide into them if off course.

[ThunderMoose]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Well...going CCW you'd have to climb across my lap to get out being a right turn. So that would be

1. Distracting
2. Slightly unsafe...because of the weight transfer might throw off the car's balance
3. Potentially arousing

Not a good idea...

While it is right turn for most, you typically have the passenger door facing to the rear at some point making escape relatively easy.

[w00tw00t]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

i think he means just having went over mental imagery and developed a plan for what to do in a lot of situations so you react appropriately when the time comes. be aware of all the sensory input so you know a tire is about to fail or someone is going to dive inside you.

lol I know what he meant.. just yanking his chain.. heck I raced motorcycles at pacific raceways for two years .. I have had to jump off my bike once coming out of T2... the bike went into the bushes and I tumbled away safely. still remember it frame by frame

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by w00tw00t

lol I know what he meant.. just yanking his chain.. heck I raced motorcycles at pacific raceways for two years .. I have had to jump off my bike once coming out of T2... the bike went into the bushes and I tumbled away safely. still remember it frame by frame

thats right. you told me about that. scary stuff. did those things make you more tenative after or how did you overcome? im needing to reprogram my mental image a little at this point.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by surlynkid

exit strategies are why i absolutley hate where some corner worker stations are located, just so you can slide into them if off course.

Yeah, I think TWS and MSR have a couple that could be hit. TWS T2,4,6 and ricochet and the hairpin at MSR. MSR Houston...don't go off in the infield! You can't see them but there are a lot of drainage ditches. You will be good if you off on the outside. Then I just recently learned that there is an awful ditch between T3-4 at TWS that will launch a car.

[ortho281]