Spec Racer Atom and AAE in 2011

[RyanD]

[quote="MadMaxAtom and company"]
Grip and durability=oxymoron. No aero..very little weigh up front..and a 205 size tire designed for a 3k.lb car...you certainly will get a lot of durability out of the tires! They should at least spec the A6..

[/quote]

I rode with McFred in his car with R6s, and they had as much grip as my car with A6s.  Since A6s would kind of defeat the purpose of a "low cost" spec series, the R6 is a good choice.  Everyone should be happy they didn't spec A048s or R888s.

[Flying Phil]

Does anyone have a pic of the car?

[Heywood-Yablowme]

I've had R6's on my own car..they are sh1t for grip.A6's are marginally better but still woefully inadequate. I turned 7 second faster laps with only a change from R6's to real track tires designed for light cars.Same track,same day,same car,same driver.  A6's and R6's cost exactly the same,so your low cost argument is sh1t as well. Since everyone will all be on the same sh1t tires...what's the difference? They should call the series the AOST series..Atom on sh1t tires...such a waste...should be a lot like watching NASCAR...it's a good thing TMI will have lots of spares..          
I'm not really interested in the series anyway,as the only way a current Atom owner can "compete" is to buy a new "spec" car. Wanna play..gotta pay. How nice...

[RyanD]

By "low cost", I meant that the tires would last longer.  I'm sure they will have rules to control costs somewhat.  Otherwise, people will use 2-3 sets of tires for every race weekend (practice, qualifying, race).  What would be the point of offering a <$40k track car that costs $20k per season to race?  The idea is to keep it affordable.

[toms]

[quote="MadMaxAtom and company"]
I've had R6's on my own car..they are sh1t for grip.A6's are marginally better but still woefully inadequate. I turned 7 second faster laps with only a change from R6's to real track tires designed for light cars.Same track,same day,same car,same driver.  A6's and R6's cost exactly the same,so your low cost argument is sh1t as well. Since everyone will all be on the same sh1t tires...what's the difference? They should call the series the AOST series..Atom on sh1t tires...such a waste...should be a lot like watching NASCAR...it's a good thing TMI will have lots of spares..          
I'm not really interested in the series anyway,as the only way a current Atom owner can "compete" is to buy a new "spec" car. Wanna play..gotta pay. How nice...
[/quote]

One make race series aren't always all about outright grip and lap times.  7 seconds a lap quicker pace is going to wear cars out a whole lot quicker and doesn't necessarily make for better racing.....

[0100]

MadMaxAtom, so what is your suggestion for a spec tire?

[Heywood-Yablowme]

Silly me for wanting the most traction possible on track!!  :D   A lightweight car demands tires designed for...a lightweight car,period. Anything else is a compromise.

Hoosier Formula Atlantic tires last me a minimum of 12hrs. on the rear,of actual on track time (flipped for proper wear) and 30hrs for fronts,and offer traction limits that no other tire can.They are available in various compounds,from hard to soft.I run the softest compound,as track temperatures on the East coast are usually cool. I also run the FA rain tires. Incredible levels of traction.

Are they necessary? Only if you want the MOST out of your Atom. If you just want to slip and slide around....well...any round tire will do.

After all,everyone will be on the same tire,so it really does not matter.   If it's all about inexpensive racing...a $38k buy in just for the car is not low cost in my book.  Not if the level of performance is to be hobbled by requiring street tires. May as well go Spec Miata racing for much less!

[dp35]

[quote="Curator"]
May as well go Spec Miata racing for much less![/quote]

Wait a minute!  Now you're speaking my language.

Spec Miata racing isn't THAT much cheaper, if you want to do it right. A good new car will cost $25-30K, and if you plan on running up front, tires & other running costs will be higher than the SRA (regardless of which tires the SRA's use).

This is a common misconception about race cars - they cost a lot more to run competitively than anyone realizes.

[docjay]

So true
Buddy of mine runs up front in Spec Miata and spends $30k or more per year
Travel, lodging, engines, tires, etc.