[vincesanity82]

Stu Grant, a Goodyear racing boss said that the company is completing an extensive analysis, including "all internal aspects of tire design and manufacturing," and that the company is talking with NASCAR officials, team owners, drivers and crew chiefs to get as much insight as possible. Grant also says that a larger tire, as Goodyear had once proposed for NASCAR to consider for the car-of-tomorrow, is back under consideration. -- Winston-Salem Journal



NASCAR Notebook

[NASCAR Gnome]

Anyone here watch the F1 race this weekend? I did and what I noticed was how big those tires are compared to the car! No wonder those race cars can run like they do...

Of course they need a different wheel for this car! Duhhh!!! I'm not an engineer but I know that if I'm driving a minivan versus a Dodge Viper, I certainly won't try to use my Viper wheels/tires on the minivan (unless I'm totally pimpin' my ride... but why pimp a minivan?!?)

Goodyear is CONSIDERING bigger tires? What century are these fools living in? Anyone notice that Goodyear is not in IRL or F1? Heck, at my local track, all I see are Hoosiers... I wonder why? Wouldn't they have to RE-TOOL, at their expense, all their assembly plants to go to a different tire size? Why do that when they can continue to shove their product up NASCAR's throat and make a KILLING financially?

[bob101]

I saw it a few days ago about going to larger tires. One thing I noticed was the possibility of a larger bead diameter. I'm sure cup teams are really pushing NASCAR to adopt this.

If they go up on the bead diameter and thus a larger diameter wheel - that means they can run a larger diameter rotor on the brakes. Now they are constricted by the wheel diamter/bead diameter of the tire.

I'm sure teams really want to add the braking capability on some courses and have repeatidly said that the limiting factor now is diamter of the rotor.....or maybe they change wheels and NASCAR mandates the same brakes as now.

The interview I read said Goodyear had gone to NASCAR several times in the last decade to go to a bigger tire but NASCAR decided to stick to the current tire. Changing tire size is a HUGE impact on the car. Not only for handling/tire wear and braking - but also you have to change the car itself even if only the fender cut outs.

Also a larger tires requires the car to be raised taller for a tire change. It's minor but it's not as simple as saying I want to use a bigger tire.

The biggest reason F1 cars can do so much is they weight 1/2 as much and race on a tire 2x as wide. They also generate enough down force at speed they could run upside down and stick to the track if made upside down and not fall - literally if they had a way to get up there.

[Gillette Young Gun]

If this will prevent "competition cautions", then I'm all for it. The yellow flag doesn't need to be waved unless there's a reason for it or the track is wet.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by bob101

Also a larger tires requires the car to be raised taller for a tire change. It's minor but it's not as simple as saying I want to use a bigger tire.

Some more differences a bigger diameter tire would make would be.
A difference in fuel mileage
They'd have to rethink their rear end ratios
An entirely different spring and shock package

You're right, it wouldn't be a simple thing to change. I ran into this same problem, but in reverse years ago when I swapped my 670/15 tires on my '49 Chevrolet with 800/14 from a '59 Impala. It also screwed up the speedometer but that's something the stock car drivers won't have to worry about.

[DOF_power]

Originally Posted by NASCAR Gnome

Anyone here watch the F1 race this weekend? I did and what I noticed was how big those tires are compared to the car! No wonder those race cars can run like they do...

Of course they need a different wheel for this car! Duhhh!!! I'm not an engineer but I know that if I'm driving a minivan versus a Dodge Viper, I certainly won't try to use my Viper wheels/tires on the minivan (unless I'm totally pimpin' my ride... but why pimp a minivan?!?)

Goodyear is CONSIDERING bigger tires? What century are these fools living in? Anyone notice that Goodyear is not in IRL or F1? Heck, at my local track, all I see are Hoosiers... I wonder why? Wouldn't they have to RE-TOOL, at their expense, all their assembly plants to go to a different tire size? Why do that when they can continue to shove their product up NASCAR's throat and make a KILLING financially?

The F1 tires are 14 rear and 13 rear inch wide but they're grooved/threaded witch reduces they contact patch by ~30%. So a 14 inch grooved/threaded tire really has the contact patch of a 10 inch slick tire.

F1 had really big wide (rear) tires in the 70s where 21 inch (or more) was the standard making the "cars" look like dragsters.




As for the racing, the best formula would be fat tires combined with torquey engines and little downforce.
Because when the tires where reduced the aerodynamic downforce became more and more important in making the cars stick to the track. But after that they were constantly reduced in size. So now ff the downforce was reduced the cars became too instable, and if they had downforce they had a lot of dirty air/traffic issues (much like NASCAR today). If both the tire and aero grip were reduced (and the electronics banned) then almost any atemp to overtake would fail and/or result in an accident/crash/collision (this was the case in 96 and 98; ).



So I personally agree with wide(r) tires and think the racing could improve.
How about some dragsters rubber ?!




hmn

[oncea3fan]

I ran into this same problem, but in reverse years ago when I swapped my 670/15 tires on my '49 Chevrolet with 800/14 from a '59 Impala.

Ah a 49 chevy, I tried the same with some 73 nova really wheel, they hit the steering arm on my 49.

anyhow, this would be rocket since for the teams, give enough advanced warning and 1 test, the team should have much trouble getting close.

[Nevadastars]

I say forget bigger tires, dump about 500 lbs off those overweight pigs.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by oncea3fan

I ran into this same problem, but in reverse years ago when I swapped my 670/15 tires on my '49 Chevrolet with 800/14 from a '59 Impala.

Ah a 49 chevy, I tried the same with some 73 nova really wheel, they hit the steering arm on my 49.

anyhow, this would be rocket since for the teams, give enough advanced warning and 1 test, the team should have much trouble getting close.

I dig it. You used the wide rally wheels. I used stock '59 rims. The 800/14 (stock for a '59-remember those days when it was east to tell the width of a tire?) just missed the steering arm by about 1/2 inch.

I always figured that if GM hadn't have wanted me to do it then why did they have the 14" rim holes match up with the '49 studs?

Oh, to return to those days. I could do just about anything on that engine with a 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 7/8", slot screw driver, vise grips and a pair of pliers! The biggest problem I had was, like 95% of every '49 and'50 Chevie I ever saw, the bushing was out in the shifting linkage. It would lock in 2nd gear and I'd have to get out, raise the hood, physically lift the rear shifting arm on the column, then drive it for an undetermined length of time before it happened again.

Those were the days, my friend.

[vincesanity82]

these should do it..