This (http://www.nasaforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=7570) is a discussion going on in GTS Challenge of late. Is there support for a spec tire? Toyo is offering between $1000 and $4000 cash for class winners as well as other contingency monies.

Seems like a compelling argument for a spec tire if you ask me. It got shot down in BMWCCA racing for an obvious reason, the main sponsor (TireRack) doesn't carry Toyos. In this case, perhaps Toyo could become the title sponsor of GTS Challenge as there is none currently.

Anyway, just check out the thread and vote if you are a GTS Challenge racer.

I don't race in GTS, but I do run a Spec Miata on the required Toyo RA1's. To me, whether a spec tire is better comes down the tire chosen. I like the RA1's because they're consistent, last a looong time, and aren't too expensive. So I'm a big fan of the Spec Miata spec tire rule.

If NASA and the SCCA had chosen a tire that was twice as expensive and was only competitive for one heat cycle, then I would hate the spec tire rule.

dono, planed on running slicks this year in gts. i love my ra-1's and will run them in timetrials this year so couldent say yes or no it would realy change the class I think.

Spec tires seem like a gimmie for a spec racing series, but kind of a more sticky proposal when you consider a whole variety of cars from low-power 318s, 924s and 944s on up to mega super-unlimited turbo machines and V8 everything. In fact, you sort of consider that most places that have a spec tire also have a spec size. In USTCC, a 235/40x17 can be shoehorned on the tiniest civic and will work on an M3 or WRX, however, the amount of use each car gets is drastically different.

Does the RA-1 come in all the sizes everyone would need?

Acutally, thinking about this further, perhaps the best way to regulate this would be to penalize everyone 25 or 50lbs or something if they run non-RA-1 tires. Then get toyo to bend their rules for contingency since the RA-1 would be the 'official' tire or something like that.

We won't be signing up for a GTS race if we are required to run Toyo's. I'm not totally changing the setup of the car just to run GTS.

Good point , where does a good "set-up" come from ? test test test , and more testing . All in all is alot of $$$ and time spent . RA-1's are a great tire though , nice when your on a buget like me .

I don't think " Spec " tires is gona bring in more racers .

This (http://www.nasaforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=7570) is a discussion going on in GTS Challenge of late. Is there support for a spec tire? Toyo is offering between $1000 and $4000 cash for class winners as well as other contingency monies.

I'd like to read more about this discussion, but when I try to read these forums it tells me "You have been banned from this forum"..... It also tells me that when I try to register. Fascinating.

-Dave

Since we're going to concentrate on the GTS Challenge this year, I'm all for running Toyo's for that kind of prize money. We ran them at Roebling, and although I didn't really like them compared to the Avon's, I could learn to love them for the money.
James

I could learn to love them for the money.
James

That's exactly what I'm thinking...there's a bunch of money to be had at the national and regional levels from Toyo. But I think it would be unfair to require CM and GT3 cars to switch from slicks to Toyos.

Spec tires seem to be like discussing religion, politics and SIRs (haha)...
I'd be more inclined to run GTS "with" a spec tire than without.
Not for prize money, just for the more level playing field.

As much as everyone says there is no such thing, I think the one easy place to get outspent is tires. Fresh Hoosiers / Goodyears every event, vs everyone on the same rubber that doesn't much matter if its fresh or not,,,, I'll take the same rubber every time.

The Toyo is a great tire to pick for a spec tire if you are going to pick one.
Decent size selection, good pricing, great wear, consistant performance over the tires life.

Just my opinion...
Cheers
jimmy p.

We won't be signing up for a GTS race if we are required to run Toyo's. I'm not totally changing the setup of the car just to run GTS.

Not that I plan on running a lot of GTS races, but I agree with Bryan. You would be amazed at the how different tires can significantly alter a well tuned suspension. Last year, I decided to try out the MPSCs at Barber because I had heard good things about them (sticky, last longer than Hoosiers, etc.). However, my car couldn't turn to save its life with the MPSCs. Luckily, I had brought an extra set of Hoosiers with me just in case. Car was perfect with the Hoosiers back on. I am sure that I could have ultimately dialed the car in with the MPSCs, but in Stock class, it is not that easy on a race weekend (plus I am lazy).

Scott

I posted over on the NASA forum...it seems to me that GTS has problems meeting the minimum number of 10 cars in a given class in order to qualify for any $$ anyway. The only class "qualified" at VIR is GTS3 with 10 cars registered...if someone doesn't show or has a breakdown in practice, the class is down to 9 cars which isn't enough for any contingency $$. GTS has too many classes to make this work IMO. You'll be forcing folks in the smaller classes to run a spec tire even though they'll never see contingency money solely to please the guys in the "popular" GTS3 and maybe GTS2 classes.

I'd like to read more about this discussion, but when I try to read these forums it tells me "You have been banned from this forum"..... It also tells me that when I try to register. Fascinating.

-Dave

I get that when trying to browse the forum using Opera on my phone. Might be a browser/rights/cookie issue.


Bryan's point is really the one I think that makes the most difference, which I hadn't thought of. Pretty much nobody's going to be getting contingency money if the classes aren't large enough yet.

Brian: Thanks for the clarification on the requirements for the prize money, we'll stick with what we've got then, and I agree that there would be some serious testing with different tires, which doesn't bother me, but I can fully appreciate it's effect on other racers.

Mr. MacIntyre, I'm surprised that as Chairman of BMWCCA CR, you'd be spending any time looking at a competing series rather than devoting your efforts towards your self proclaimed mission of "fixing" CR. And for someone who has advised people to stay off of the forums for the "good of CR", you certainly are rapidly approaching your signature of "don't trust anyone with 100 posts". Or are you going to defect to other series like the rest of us???
James Posig