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I saw that article. I have one more day (next Monday) left on my Falkens and then a set of the new Bridgestones will go on for the last two or three days of the year. While tires are hardly the limiting factor of my lap times (my cajones are) what I like about the Bridgestones is that they asymmetrical and the reviews say they are excellent in the rain. I wasn't impressed with the Falkens in the wet.
I saw that article. I have one more day (next Monday) left on my Falkens and then a set of the new Bridgestones will go on for the last two or three days of the year. While tires are hardly the limiting factor of my lap times (my cajones are) what I like about the Bridgestones is that they asymmetrical and the reviews say they are excellent in the rain. I wasn't impressed with the Falkens in the wet.
You know, gkp, I wasn't terribly impressed with the Falkens in the wet either, I drove them at Mid-Ohio (the worst track on earth when wet) and got around OK but w/o much confidence. Grip level wasn't what my old RE71Rs had....but I just got back from two wet (and extremely foggy) days at the Glen and the Falkens seemed like a different tire. I could do with them what I used to do with the 'Stones, i.e. flat on the gas from the exit of T1, up the Esses and all the way to the Bus Stop, which surprised many faster cars! Granted, the Glen is much grippier than M-O but I was surprised and pleased. Still, I want the new 'Stones too but have to use up the new A052s I have first, which were excellent in the wet (and dry) in my experience. Soft sidewall but at 18 lbs two or three lbs lighter than the others, which I can feel.
I will agree with the lack of wet performance with Falkens. That was surprising to me. I expected better of them given the TR tests.
I just finished with 2 days at NYST, with the JCW, and I have to say that I can’t imagine tires being better than the Falkens are. Those new tires will be amazing to try. I checked TR and the new ‘Stones are about $60 a tire more than the Falkens, in the 215-45x17. A tough pill to swallow.
The thing I didn’t like about the earlier version of the ‘Stones is that they heat cycled out and got hard. The Falkens have not done that. Hopefully the new ‘Stones have that fixed.
I may have 1 or 2 days left in the Falkens so they will be coming off and a set of RE71R ‘Stones will be going on for the Glen at the end of the month. This will be interesting to get a comparison between the two brands, although, it will be between the used Falkens and new, old design ‘Stones. I snagged them from TR when they were on clearance...
For what it is worth — Today I had the Bridgestones put on the Mini and used the Tire Rack mobile mounting service. They just started servicing western Connecticut in the last two years so you'll have to see if they're in your area yet. You set the install day and time when you buy the tires. They deliver the tires in a truck fitted with the latest mounting equipment including computer balancing. The tech was telling me about the equipment and the training they go through, and no question it's far more rigorous than whatever "training" the stoners at my local tire shop have behind them. In fact, I learned a ton about tire mounting and balancing today. Whenever I have work done at the local shop, inevitably there's a leak, the bolts are over torqued, the rims are damaged or the tire pressure is wildly out of spec. The shop I trust (where I have the Mini serviced) is 20+ minutes away so the convenience factor is huge. It will be a few weeks before I'm on track again so we'll see how it goes.
Sounds good. I have not heard that they have come up to this area. I just dropped off the wheels and tires for the JCW at my local shop to have them changed out. I have used them before and they have done well. It will be interesting to see how they do with these this time. I have been using another shop that deals in tires and they have done really well by me. Thing is now, they are understaffed and was not sure when they could get them done. WGI is only 2 weeks away - already. Time seems to be flying by.
So, no Club Motorsport for anyone on the 19th-20th?
I almost used the Mobil tire change services last time I bought tires for my daily….during my search for installers and tire prices that service was the best deal. After purchasing the tires online about a month later that service increased and then I found that Firestone shop in Brookfield became the better deal.
@Eddie07S , Club Motorsports should be great this time of year, once the tires (and the driver!) warm up. 😉 I don't think it's a good idea for me to make the long trip while I'm still working on resolving my code issues. Replaced both O2 sensors yesterday, and so far the check engine light hasn't come back on, but it's only been driven home from the mechanic...looking at Lime Rock and Palmer in October.
For what it is worth — Today I had the Bridgestones put on the Mini and used the Tire Rack mobile mounting service. They just started servicing western Connecticut in the last two years so you'll have to see if they're in your area yet. You set the install day and time when you buy the tires. They deliver the tires in a truck fitted with the latest mounting equipment including computer balancing. The tech was telling me about the equipment and the training they go through, and no question it's far more rigorous than whatever "training" the stoners at my local tire shop have behind them. In fact, I learned a ton about tire mounting and balancing today. Whenever I have work done at the local shop, inevitably there's a leak, the bolts are over torqued, the rims are damaged or the tire pressure is wildly out of spec. The shop I trust (where I have the Mini serviced) is 20+ minutes away so the convenience factor is huge. It will be a few weeks before I'm on track again so we'll see how it goes.
By the way - The mechanic I took my tires and wheels to said don’t ever again bring those tires to me. His machine can’t handle their stuff side walls and it took 3 people to help the machine along. I will admit he is not a tire shop and doesn’t do this for a living. But the odd thing is he advertises with Patroons, the local chapter of BMWCCA. So, I am not sure what he can do for us... Oh, well, back to the tire shop I have dealt with before this time...
I had a really good time at WGI last Friday and over the weekend. Weather was a touch cool, but was otherwise about perfect. A lot of interesting cars, including a few MINIs. I did a writeup here, including some fun pictures.
A few interesting tidbits... There were a lot of people with new tires on their car at the start of the event, including a new set of the new RE71RS ‘Stones. The new ‘Stones were reported to be “Wow” and 1.5 sec faster than the person’s best time. There was mention of the AO52 Yokohamas being the person’s best up to then, but I didn’t have a chance to hear anything more about them.
GBuff - I heard your “mechanic” tried to talk you into signing up.... You should have. Friday was pretty quiet and you could have lapped for several sets of tires worth of time...
One of the MINIs was a R56 JCW, much like my F56 JCW. Both pretty much stock and both started the event with new tires. I was on the RE71R ‘Stones and she was on the Falken 660s. The one chance we had to run together we were perfectly matched for lap times, top end and cornering. Myself, I found the older ‘Stones to feel very much like the Falkens. Both are a great tires. I was very interested to see that the 2 cars performed almost identically and how the differences of strengths and weakness canceled each other out. That is, the lighter weight, slightly smaller but lower Hp R56 matched the heavier, slightly larger but higher Hp F56. A lot of fun.
I am done for the season. It was a good one for me. Albert did great and I am looking forward to trying Smokey with the new springs and shocks (still waiting on the rears) next season.
Last edited by Eddie07S; Oct 6, 2022 at 05:25 AM.
Reason: Edit
The above session #3 episode was straight out of an Allstate "Mayhem" commercial. I still don't know exactly what happened. I didn't have a clear view coming around the lefthander but, from what I could gather afterwards, it seems a slow Miata, or possibly a Porsche, was leading a parade and spun around after the lefthander. The drivers directly behind slammed on the brakes, sending the next few cars scattering left and right across the grass.
That was just one of the events that made the day interesting. My session #1 was such a fustercluck of bad drivers with no concept of racing lines or point-byes (or speed) that Elivan came into our first classroom session and apologized to the group, promising he would have things straightened out by session #2. And he did. I think a few drivers lied their way into the I2 group. One schmuck, in an AMG with dealer plates, somehow remained in I2 but at least he figured out how to put his hand out the window so we tolerated him the rest of the day.
In one of the Novice sessions (there were two novice groups) an older Camaro crashed somewhere around the uphill with an instructor aboard. He ripped off his rear bumper and destroyed the left fender, door and rear panel. That's not something you see very often in the Novice group. At least two other cars went wheels-off in my group, both long time I2 drivers, so I guess the good weather had everyone feeling peppy.
But who cares about madness and mayhem?!? Not me, not when I set my personal best LRP lap times. I only began keeping lap times in the past two years and usually only one or two sessions a day. Until a month ago, my best LRP lap times were in the mid/high 1:04s and they were few and far between. I've always felt I could pick up time going into the uphill and in September I talked to the new classroom instructor (who is excellent) about how to approach that corner. His advice cut a few tenths off my best times and I had nine laps in the 1:04s in September. Of course, that got me thirsty for breaking into the 1:03s. Thanks to the new Stones, yesterday I had multiple laps in the high 1:03s so it was a breakthrough day for me. In one session I used Harry's Lap Timer and in one I used Track Addict so I am going to take that as cross certification.
I don't remember exactly how the Falkens felt when new but I know they didn't inspire the same confidence as the 71-RES tires did. The lateral grip was amazing, letting me go a few MPH quicker into the uphill and through the downhill than ever before. I also felt I was quicker around Big Bend but I don't usually check speed there. And I know I left a few MPH on the table due to lack of cajones. One thing I noticed is that they build more tire pressure than the Falkens. In the cool first session, I started the left front at 28 and came in at 40! The Falkens come in around 37 on summer days. Time will tell how they wear — it may not be as good as I hope but being able to rotate them any way I please should partially compensate.
One more thing: No more cones marking turn-in and track-out. The change was inspired by the new classroom instructor who believes they are a distraction and keep drivers from identifying on-track reference points. After a coneless day, I agree 100%. All three classroom sessions were spent studying video to identify reference points.
On to Palmer next Monday and that should be it unless, at the last minute, the weather looks exceptional for 10/22 or 11/4 and I can sneak in at the last minute.
The above session #3 episode was straight out of an Allstate "Mayhem" commercial. I still don't know exactly what happened. I didn't have a clear view coming around the lefthander but, from what I could gather afterwards, it seems a slow Miata, or possibly a Porsche, was leading a parade and spun around after the lefthander. The drivers directly behind slammed on the brakes, sending the next few cars scattering left and right across the grass.
That was just one of the events that made the day interesting. My session #1 was such a fustercluck of bad drivers with no concept of racing lines or point-byes (or speed) that Elivan came into our first classroom session and apologized to the group, promising he would have things straightened out by session #2. And he did. I think a few drivers lied their way into the I2 group. One schmuck, in an AMG with dealer plates, somehow remained in I2 but at least he figured out how to put his hand out the window so we tolerated him the rest of the day.
In one of the Novice sessions (there were two novice groups) an older Camaro crashed somewhere around the uphill with an instructor aboard. He ripped off his rear bumper and destroyed the left fender, door and rear panel. That's not something you see very often in the Novice group. At least two other cars went wheels-off in my group, both long time I2 drivers, so I guess the good weather had everyone feeling peppy.
But who cares about madness and mayhem?!? Not me, not when I set my personal best LRP lap times. I only began keeping lap times in the past two years and usually only one or two sessions a day. Until a month ago, my best LRP lap times were in the mid/high 1:04s and they were few and far between. I've always felt I could pick up time going into the uphill and in September I talked to the new classroom instructor (who is excellent) about how to approach that corner. His advice cut a few tenths off my best times and I had nine laps in the 1:04s in September. Of course, that got me thirsty for breaking into the 1:03s. Thanks to the new Stones, yesterday I had multiple laps in the high 1:03s so it was a breakthrough day for me. In one session I used Harry's Lap Timer and in one I used Track Addict so I am going to take that as cross certification.
I don't remember exactly how the Falkens felt when new but I know they didn't inspire the same confidence as the 71-RES tires did. The lateral grip was amazing, letting me go a few MPH quicker into the uphill and through the downhill than ever before. I also felt I was quicker around Big Bend but I don't usually check speed there. And I know I left a few MPH on the table due to lack of cajones. One thing I noticed is that they build more tire pressure than the Falkens. In the cool first session, I started the left front at 28 and came in at 40! The Falkens come in around 37 on summer days. Time will tell how they wear — it may not be as good as I hope but being able to rotate them any way I please should partially compensate.
One more thing: No more cones marking turn-in and track-out. The change was inspired by the new classroom instructor who believes they are a distraction and keep drivers from identifying on-track reference points. After a coneless day, I agree 100%. All three classroom sessions were spent studying video to identify reference points.
On to Palmer next Monday and that should be it unless, at the last minute, the weather looks exceptional for 10/22 or 11/4 and I can sneak in at the last minute.
Great on the lap times. To pull tenths of a second out of a lap time at LRP is quite a feat. To pull a full second out is amazing! Congrats!
It seems that the new ‘Stones are well suited to your car. At WGI the guy who had them was really excited about the results. The TR review and test of them said that they were quick. Their impression of the RE71RS was that they seem to be more “track” orientated as opposed to being “autocross” orientated, as were the previous version. I remember when I first got the Falkens, I felt like you with these new ‘Stones. The Falkens had so much grip and there was confidence in driving them over the old and tired ‘Stones. The original RE71R ‘Stones seemed to heat cycle out, where as the Falkens seems to have a longer heat cycle life, especially when run at LRP. It will be interesting to hear how the new RE71RS tires do over time and heat cycles.
That sort of mayhem is the reason that I run in the Advanced group. Yes I have had an issue or two, but nothing like I have experienced over the years when I have tried the I2 group. Frankly, the I2 group scares me...
GKP - you need to join me in the Advanced group. Those lap times will put you as quick as a lot of cars out there. And most know how to “drive”. Not sure if I’ll be able to keep up, but I will surely try...
Last edited by Eddie07S; Oct 12, 2022 at 05:35 AM.
Reason: Fix typo
Oh, well, back to the tire shop I have dealt with before this time...
He ripped off his rear bumper and destroyed the left fender, door and rear panel. That's not something you see very often in the Novice group. At least two other cars went wheels-off in my group, both long time I2 drivers, so I guess the good weather had everyone feeling peppy.
The Falkens come in around 37 on summer days. Time will tell how they wear — it may not be as good as I hope but being able to rotate them any way I please should partially compensate. 