Intermediate tires

[halifax]

Anyone care to weigh in on the options for intermediate wet/dry tires since Hoosier and Goodyear don't make them anymore? Do worn rains have any value as intermediates? In a conversation with the Goodyear guy at WGI in July, he said that a compound softer than R45 is used in intermediate tires. Hoosier/Mr. Sharp said that he would cut a set on request. Anyone do this or think about having it done? How do they compare with rain tires? Applied, let's say you are on lap 5 of a 20-lap race when the track goes dry .... do you dare wreck a new set of rains and stay in it or ? Any opinions here, including 'don't worry about it'?
Thanks!
Harry
No. 8 Lynx/B

[hardingfv32-1]

A few questions to ask yourself before investing in intermediate rain tires:

How often do you have a rain session?
How often do you correctly choose rain tires before the session starts under changeable conditions?
Are you a very good rain driver?
Does it matter that you are competitive every session or race?
Do you even belong on coarse with a bunch of AMATEURS in the rain?

Remember these rain tires will not last forever, do you have the budget to replace a set of tires that seldom gets out of the trailer?

Brian

[brian]

I have found that intermediates, factory made and groved, don't really work that well. They are a compromise at best. If the conditions are changing, I try to guess in which direction, wet vs dry, and choose the appropriate tire then let the track come to me. You'll have to be patient waiting for the right conditions. Remember, "the winner of a rain race is not the fastest car but the one that makes the least errors". An intermediate tire will be a challenge for the entire race in changing conditions.

Can't really say that we Californians are that good at rain racing. Summer rains out here are as rare as a balanced state budget.

[Matt King]

What about hand grooving a set of soft compound tires, like Hoosier 45s?

[billinstuart]

OK..here's the trick after 25 years. Take your narrowest set of tires, pump 'em up to 25-30 lbs., and stay out of the puddles.

If you really NEED rains, do you want to be out there?

[tiagosantos]

I'd rather it be dry, but when you drive somewhere like BC where 2 or 3 out of every 6 races are wet races, you kinda have to get out there and try to enjoy the rain

That said, Brian (Harding) makes a bunch of good points, and personally - when it starts raining, I don't care anymore, I'm just having fun sliding around, whether on slicks or rains haha. Actually, not much different from when it's dry!

[smsazzy]

What about "shaving" a set of used rains? Like the SM guys do with their Toyo's, or whatever they run these days?

[FV80]

IMHO, worn down rains are pretty much worthless on a drying track - at least the Goodyear dogbone type. The carcass is too pliable and squishes around way too much. Grooving a set of slicks (the softest you can find) is your best bet but will still leave a lot to be desired. I've seen people groove slicks with 2 or 3 sessions on them and I would consider that worthless as well. If you want your intermediates to perform in the wet at all, then you need to groove FRESH RUBBER. They will also harden up after the first use on a relatively dry track. They should continue to work OK on a pretty dry track, but will become worthless on a WET or completely DRY track pretty quickly.
YMMV,
Steve, FV80

[brian]

Grooving is similar to siping both increase heat and wear. Not sure of the spelling but siping is a process of slitting the tires with a sharp knife about 1/8" deep. It's a trick to make a slick work on a really cold day. It's hell on durability but will get th etire up to temp. As ling as my vision is ok I love to run in the rain. It makes me feel like the vee has real hp.

[sharplikestump]

Back about 15 years ago, I bought up most of those original Hoosier 45s (the ones that were so soft they were pickng up the track rubber at speed at the Mid Ohio Runoffs). I came up with the brainstorm that they would make great inters. Bought me a grooving tool, and got after it. Had em back at Mid Ohio the next year, and when conditions seemed perfect for them, one of the fast guys told me I could name my price. I balked, and then used them sometime the next year on a wet track that seemed perfect for them. Wasn't the case...think I got my butt kicked by guys that were running rains and other guys that were running slicks.
Mike

[ajax]

Both Hoosier and Dunlop make vintage Vee tires that are treaded, and work in the rain. They will not match rain tires in real wet conditions, but A set of 4 of their short tires might be faster then slicks in the wet? Anyone have experience with this option?