The Road Course Tire Dilemma

[mlcraven]

PeeWee: this the most entertaining thread on BS.com in a long time -- I thought crap like this only happened to me, it's good to know others have crazy adventures in tireland (and freestuffland too). Best of luck with the road course. Stay safe.

[pdub]

PeeWee: this the most entertaining thread on BS.com in a long time -- I thought crap like this only happened to me, it's good to know others have crazy adventures in tireland (and freestuffland too). Best of luck with the road course. Stay safe.

Thanks Michael, if we couldn't laugh we'd all go insane.

And today....I dropped Superman off at his fixit store and his Vette was inside a bay, up on the rack. They had already called him to say the car was ready, come get it, but the car was still in a bay. He was getting out and I said better check all's well before I drive away. He checked, thumbs up, thanks for the ride to the shop.

Turns out, when SM's Vette was parked outside the shop before they got to working on it, in that time they had SIX people pull into the parking lot wanting to buy it right then and there. A 1980 smog-model Corvette, the prettiest one of those you'll ever see. They left it in the bay so folks on the street would leave them alone about it. HAHAAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, it's pretty, it really is, every square inch of it. A show car he's not afraid to run on a race track. And it WILL run, and he knows how to drive it.

[pdub]

Road course. Hey y'all, watch THIS. I mean, watch THIS....jimminy crickets

https://www.facebook.com/TheVomitorium/videos/1002815169810173/

[Deaf Bob]

So...are you loaded up and ready to go?

[pdub]

So...are you loaded up and ready to go?

Darned right ready to go, but not loaded up. Down South, you've gotta pace yourself. It's a heritage tradition.....

We got Red back this morning with round wheels. Tire Guy said, "We ran it up to about 85, it rides real smooth." I'm thinking, I'll bet you did. "We." Tire store ruffians...

I've got some minor car decorating to do ahead of time, and check the torque on the lugs (air wrenches at the tire store) and now's the time. Will post up the decorations when I'm done - I've been waiting a reasonably long time to do this.

[pdub]

Unit's already rehearsing with her new helmet:



And here ya go Perry. Never mind the tank of gas, we'll suck up about three of those during the day on the track. Just bring a six-pack of Coors Light to the Gear Head Inn, and we'll be square as far as advertising expense. More than glad to do it!

[pdub]

Lord have mercy, those tire goobers have their air wrenches set to 110 pounds of torque. I know that because I called them in anger just now....WTH. I can't get a wheel off of that car on the side of the road jumping up and down on a real long pull bar. That's ridiculous. And they're in the tire business.

I hope my air wrench will do it, I dunno...godalmighty. I thought we'd gotten to the fun part by now. Geez. Are we there yet? SHIT.

[DanStokes]

They SHOULD be using either a torque stick or doing the final tightening with a real torque wrench. Either way they either don't have the right equipment or the Neanderthals in the shop aren't using the equipment they've been given. I'd be sure the boss knows of your plight - 'tain't right.

Dan

[corvettedad]

Unit's already rehearsing with her new helmet:

[ATTACH]n1091040[/ATTACH]

And here ya go Perry. Never mind the tank of gas, we'll suck up about three of those during the day on the track. Just bring a six-pack of Coors Light to the Gear Head Inn, and we'll be square as far as advertising expense. More than glad to do it!

[ATTACH]n1091041[/ATTACH]

OH HECK YEAH PEEWEE COORS IT'LL BE!!!!
Wait till I show Robert. We're gonna be FAMOUS!!!!
Peewee your my idol!

[pdub]

Torques set at 90. Air wrench actually busted them loose.

Perry, glad you like. it's all fun, all of it. It SHOULD be. And it is, when we get there.

[pdub]

I'd be sure the boss knows of your plight - 'tain't right.

Dan

There seems to be no boss there, I talked to one of the bosses on the phone and he was real proud of 110 pounds of torque. He said that's what the chart shows for this particular car (Red). That's bullshit.

Unit and I have collectively decided, serious business right here, that we are never ever never in a hundred floods of time, are we ever going to patronize that tire store again. Done. We've sworn to it. Taken a vow, sworn. There's gotta be another tire store where the odds are at least slightly better. Slightly.

Anyhow, let's go racin' boys! Yeeehaw!

[Deaf Bob]

Yep! Different tire store!
Maybe your car is supposed to be torqued to 110 or whatever it was...
Real question is ar your RIMS supposed to be at 110#?

If I install tires with an impact, be it air, electric or battery powered, I always final tighten with a breaker bar.. Mags on the 57 get the torque wrench at 85.. Not sure where or why I reached that figure..

Have fun.. Stay away from walls
Have no flats!

[nesabo]

do you check the lug torque once you get to the track as well?

[DanStokes]

Neal raises a good point. That's a good thing to check along with tire pressure, oil level, coolant (after Red's cooled down a bit), blinker fluid - anything that's easy. It'll probably be hunky-dory but it only takes a minute and you'll feel better about it (at least I do). And Mutt is trailered to the track!

Dan

[pdub]

do you check the lug torque once you get to the track as well?

Yes. And you gotta check them before you run again, check them after a run, after they cool off. Lug nuts come loose on a road course, they DO. I've gotten half a turn on them after a run, yes they work loose. I don't know why, the physics of it, but they back out. So much heat, so much lateral force. And by all accounts, if a wheel comes off of your car, it will pass you. And you will see it - Hey, that looks like my wheel! And you'd better be in a straightaway when that happens.

Just sayin.