A&Q about Lotus
Q:
Here are some pictures
1st pic is front left
2nd pic is front right
A:
1st pic rear left
2nd pic rear right
A:
I am worried mostly about my rear, so here are the shot from the back
1st rear left
2nd rear right
A:
I am thinking of going to Willos Spring this weekend
however since I can't tow the car (truck rental is becoming too expensive, so in the mean time, I am going to find an old truck), therefore I have to drive 150 miles one way to the track. If i don't have enough tires, I prefer not to go as it would be a waste of my time.
What do you think?
A:
I'd say no as the last pic clearly shows that your pretty much at the wear bars. However, I have no experience with the A048s
A:
Originally Posted by gameson
I have to drive 150 miles one way to the track. If i don't have enough tires, I prefer not to go as it would be a waste of my time.
What do you think?
I drove the two track days at the LOG in Texas and drove home to Colorado with about that much to start. However, I have AD07s on my car. I know the A048s wear somewhat faster, but it seems to me that you should be able to make a single track day and a 300-mile round trip with those. As long as you have dry track and roads. If there is even the threat of rain, forget it!
A:
Just be careful in the rain and they should be fine.
A:
wow... a thread......thread.
A:
You got plenty.
A:
With A048's it's not the tread depth, it's the hardness of the rubber caused by the number and magnitude of heat cycles they have gone through.
They may be OK and they may be shot. In the dry you should be able to tell in a few laps. Run them in the wet at your own risk.
A:
Originally Posted by MyElise
With A048's it's not the tread depth, it's the hardness of the rubber caused by the number and magnitude of heat cycles they have gone through.
They may be OK and they may be shot. In the dry you should be able to tell in a few laps. Run them in the wet at your own risk.
What he said.
It doesn't look like you're pushing the AO48s to their adhesion limits yet but if you're likely to at your next track outing, I'd bet the grip these have left is going to fall off significantly.
In the end, only you can judge.
A:
i've done some searching... and i don't know if i stil understand what a heat cycle REALLY is.
How many can the a048 go through? (obviously no exact answer for this, but some heat cycle out well before the tread is gone?)
Is a heat cycle any time you go out driving, then come back? (cold -> warm -> cold)? Even to the grocery store or the freeway drive to work?
A:
Originally Posted by codymac
What he said.
It doesn't look like you're pushing the AO48s to their adhesion limits yet but if you're likely to at your next track outing, I'd bet the grip these have left is going to fall off significantly.
In the end, only you can judge.
+2
A:
Originally Posted by def
i've done some searching... and i don't know if i stil understand what a heat cycle REALLY is.
How many can the a048 go through? (obviously no exact answer for this, but some heat cycle out well before the tread is gone?)
Is a heat cycle any time you go out driving, then come back? (cold -> warm -> cold)? Even to the grocery store or the freeway drive to work?
Well, that's kinda the problem running R compound tires on the street. I don't really know how much damage road mileage does to them. But the quality of the rubber deteriorates from heating and cooling cycles before the abrasion wears the rubber away. They are usually shot by the time they are halfway between the wear bar and slicks. All depends what you have been doing with them and where.
HEAT CYCLE
A tire that has been heated up through use and then cooled down has experienced one heat cycle. This often results in a slight hardening of the tire compound, which can make the tire perform at a high level for a longer period of time. See Scrubbed Tires.
A:
Originally Posted by shokwaves
You got plenty.
+1.
A:
Originally Posted by quick2tr
+1.
So, you don't believe that heat cycling is an issue? Trust me, it is.
To those running A048's, tread means nothing if the tires won't stick to the road.
A:
Originally Posted by codymac
What he said.
It doesn't look like you're pushing the AO48s to their adhesion limits yet but if you're likely to at your next track outing, I'd bet the grip these have left is going to fall off significantly.
In the end, only you can judge.
I totally am not familiar with this A048, especially heat cycle. So how do you know that the tire hasn't been push to their adhesion limits. The track event will be the first for me with this car.
So you are saying, after the track event, the grip will fall significantly? Will I be able to drive another 150 miles after the event?
Now I am getting worried. Maybe I should hold off to my first ever track event until I get new wheels with tires?
A:
Run the A048 tires.
I have 4800 miles on my tires with at least 1500 on the track. The A048 are now slicks but the performed well. It will take a little more time to build heat and taction on them, but if rour are not a racer you won't tell a huge difference.
A:
MyElise is right. Specifically he was right when he told me my rears were shot, as the replacements stick much better. With that said, you can drive to the event, drive at the event, and drive home with no major problems provided that a) you watch how much power you put down in the turns, b) you expect some loosesness, and c) it is dry.
If you get 1500 track miles out of these tires then I have no doubt that you can't tell the difference between new ones and tired ones.
A:
so after 10 days, to and from work (30 mi each way), my tires have lost most of their softness doesn't seem right.
edit: you changed your post =P