Hoosier tyres on my +4

[Jochem Kentgens]

Hi all,

Time is ticking away...In a week from now I will be doing the first metres at Zandvoort in #5719, the ex Carl Swanson’s 1966 championship car reincarnation, now built up as lowline SS spec car. see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4chghqH6QMk

Now the car still has it's Hoosier tyres, which were new when I acquired the car a year ago in the US. These are the high profile US vintage racing tyres.

Anyone here any experience with these tyres, compared to Dunlop classics? Any warnings, recommendations, hear say?

In general, are tyres that are more than a year old safe on the race track?

Best wishes, Jochem

[Andy Garlick]

Jochem
I have no specific knowledge of Hoosier Tyres but they at least one type were reckoned to be "super sticky" softs in their day.
If more than 4 years old the rubber will have aged and they could have precious little grip, as rubber hardens with exposure to air. To be on the safe side I would tend to replace any tyres that you don't know the provenance of and use them later once you have established more of their history.
Are they cross ply or radials ? Dunlop L series racers are cross ply , and I have a feeling in the back of my mind that Hoosiers may be radials. Easy to check, look at the sizing.
Sorry that I can't be more specific.
Good luck at Zandvoort
Andy

[Chris Acklam]

Now the car still has it's Hoosier tyres, which were new when I acquired the car a year ago in the US. These are the high profile US vintage racing tyres.

You can check exactly how the tyres are by looking at the code on the sidewall (see here). Worth doing, as sometimes tyres that are 'new' have been sitting around a dealer's rack for some time.

Having said that, last year I was happily racing tyres that were manufactured 4 years earlier (and it probably showed!). But I would be cautious of anything older than 4 years, as Andy says. Generally the newer the rubber the better.

And once you have the right tyres, it doesn't stop there. Should you 'buff' them? What is the best way of heat cycling them initially for best grip? What cold pressures? What hot pressures? Do you pump them up in the wet? Or let them down?

So many questions! And so many different answers.

[Mark Shears]

Hi Jochem,

We use Avon CR6-ZZ tyres where the regulations allow. They are an excellent tyre, especially in the wet. Unlike the Dunlop 'L' tyres. However all the races run to FIA historic regulations stipulate Dunlop 'L' section tyres.

At the end of the day what tyres you can run will be directed by the race and race series you are running in.

Cheers

Mark

Chris - I wish my tyres would last for 4 seasons!

[Jochem Kentgens]

Thanks for your responses, I will be running on Dunlop L's next year in the Dutch historic FIA championship (yes, it exists....).

But I will smoke up the Hoosiers first on the coming track days (if only because it will save a set of Dunlops for now...). But don't know what to expect of them in terms of roadholding, forgiveness and predictability (is that a word???) so i will just give them a try.

Thanks Chris for the tip, I checked and they are manufactured 2008 so I am OK there I guess....

Will be very careful and will let you know how it went.

Best, Jochem

[RICHARD PLANT]

Jochem,

Interestingly there was a Dutch FIA Historic Morgan running at Portugal, red with black wings without a screen on 6inch wheels and what looked like a
fully welded cage without the front part are there any more running Like this as your car looks like our UK FIA spec cars !!!!

Richard

[Jochem Kentgens]

Hi Richard,

Yes, that is Nico Zonneveld, a very enthiusiastic Morgan owner and a good friend of mine. Nico owns an Aero 8, a three wheeler, 62 Le Mans +8 and this SS spec car that he had built up from scratch.

Sheet metal shop did the body and the engine was made in Germany. The rest of the car (roll cage, set up etc) was done in Holland by a company that has experience in Historic racing, but not necessarily Morgans.

The car is prepared very well, very light (Nico has 14KGs of lead in the passenger's footwell to get the car to reach it's minimum weight). Nico is the fastest +4 at Zandvoort, I believe 4 seconds a lap faster than XOV555.

Nico became 2nd overall in last year's championship behind a Porsche 904, beating Etypes, TVRs, Ferraris, Bizzarinis etc. And 1st in class, leaving at least 6 very well prepared Porsche 911s behind him, as well as Marcos and MGBs.

I was not sure if the car was internationally accepted in FIA races, but if he participated at Portimao, I guess it works? without windscreen and hardtop on 6" wheels?

Was he fatser than the british opposition? were you there in teh blue car?

My red car is prepared just as your cars, so all period and normal rollbar (safety devices), narrow wheels, narrow body, moss box and Salisbury axle, etc. But definately heavier than Nico's car and also slower lap times I am sure. But 100% to my liking otherwise.

here is Nico's racing website: http://www.nizoracing.nl/Opening.asp

How was Portimao?

Best regards, Jochem

[RICHARD PLANT]

Hi Jochem,

Many thanks for the link to Nico’s web site, an interesting car, I tried the aero screen route etc but was firmly turned down !! [-X
I remember Nico’s car body being made over at Steve’s ( Vintage sheet metal) a few years ago.

Our chassis numbers must have raced against each other in period as my 1963 Plus 4 chassis number 5278 also ran in the SCCA driven by Roger Slowi the car has always been known as Cupie Doll and raced from new the car was then brought back to the UK by Brian Jenkins in the early 1990’s, Brian used to race a genuine Super Sports in period AWP 77B he then raced Cupie Doll for a few years before I bought it.

Chas Windridge (Mog Sport) as done a beautiful job of fully rebuilding Cupie Doll to full FIA spec etc.

Yes I was in the Dark Blue Plus 4 in Portugal as seen in Phil Egginton’s excellent photos. I can thoroughly recommend the circuit it’s an awesome track.

Good luck with your car please keep us all fully informed on your progress with it, from your earlier posts/photos etc it looks a lovely car built to the same FIA spec as mine.

Kind regards

Richard.

[Jochem Kentgens]

That sure is interesting, if Cupie Doll raced on the West Coast, the cars will most probably have raced in the same events!

I have got a few binders full of entry lists, pictures, results, race programms, magazine articles, club magazines etc that came with my car. These are now with Hermen Pol to have them turned into a history file. As soon as this is finished, I will check it over for Roger Slowi and Cupie Doll and will let you know if they knew eachother.

And if they did then we owe history to reunite the cars on the track next year at the TT.....?

My car began life as a standard steel bodied high cowl +4 however, and was rebuilt from nothing after a crash, rebodied, new chassis, new everything. So if the cars are reunited, they will most probably not recognise eachother.....

best, Jochem

[Jochem Kentgens]

http://www.klassiekergespot.nl/viewimag ... 2010212116

Back in the garage in one piece...

the track day at Zandvoort was succesful in that sense that the car behaved well. It vibrates a bit under heavy breaking so will have to check what that is.

But the start is promising.

Hoosiers feel like Dunlop Racings, a bit more grip maybe. will post some pictures of the car on the track as soon as I have them...

Best regards, jochem