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BMW Club of Canada | |
| Club Racing Views | ||
by Phil Abrami (514 487-4646, pabrami@alcor.concordia.ca)
I'm home today after a very soggy day of racing at Lime Rock Park. The New Jersey chapter once again hosted what is one of the largest club race events on the calendar. Monday was damp and there was drizzle at times but we were able to use Hoosiers for the qualifying race. There was no hope of this on Tuesday as the day started wet and got worse as things progressed. From a high of almost 50 entries, the field twindled to just 20 cars, 10 in the stock and slower prepared classes and 10 in the faster prepared and modified classes. Canadian racers were well represented and did well too. Mike Booker, Bob Munro, Dominic Valois, and yours truly all made the trip and raced in the wet too. Unfortunately, Frank Gray was a last minute scratch due to mechanical problems.
On the wetness scale there's damp, rain, and pouring rain. This was pouring rain.
It was the day those folks who had Hoosier Dirt Stickers finally got to use them and waved as they shot by.
It was the day you had to read the standing water like a sailor reads the waves for where to sail.
It was the day for Rim shots, the Slide for Life, and the Canals of Venice.
It was the day for rooster tails so big even Rain-X didn't help.
It was the day where leaving early was a wise decision if you didn't have GREAT rain tires or didn't want to risk it.
It was the day you put your trust in CR officials and competitors and used every ounce of skill and concentration to race.
It was the day that EVERYBODY was a winner.
In Club Racing Views #12 "The g-Force to be Reckoned With", I gave you some of my experiences and those of a few other club racers during the 1999 season with the BF Goodrich g-Force T/A R1 competition tire. As promised, I sent my report to the good folks at BFG/Michelin Canada and they have been kind enough to reply. What I received from Ms. Christine Rouleau of Consumer Relations appears below.
During our April school at Mosport, I also had the pleasure of working with Don Salama and Will Turner who came to our event to get a little seat time in preparation for the World Challenge Touring Race on May 20th where they will be running Turner Motorsport 328is' in the series. We chatted briefly about their experiences with the g-Forces which was the spec tire last year and will be throughout the 2000 season.
The new generation g-Force, which at the time of our discussion they had one race experience with, seems to be significantly quicker than the first generation(s) g-Force. Don and Will reported they were two seconds a lap quicker on the new tires compared to the old ones. Unfortunately, there's a price to pay for the quickness. As you might guess, the compound is softer to increase grip and the new tires appear to wear significantly faster than the old ones. The speed potential and wear of the new generation tires would seem to match those of the Hoosier DOT-R competition tire, a favorite among club racers.
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Laval, April 19, 2000 Mr. Phil Abrami Dear Mr. Abrami, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your excerpt for the BMW Club magazine. It is evident that you have done a lot of research, and have many sources of information and commentary on the performance of the g-Force T/A R1. BFGoodrich constantly strives to improve the performance of our tires and as such, there is a possibility that there are slight on-going changes in a particular model of tire. In your article, you call these changes "generations" of R1. In actual fact, we now have two generations (or models) of g-Force T/A R1, however the 2nd generation tire (R1-A) was never sold in Canada in 1999. The main difference between the 2 models is the casing design, as indicated on the enclosed table. During the 2000 season, only the 18" sizes will be true 2nd generation g-Force T/A R1-A. The rest of the g-Force T/A R1 line up will only be available in the current lst generation model, however as stock becomes available in the new R1-A (2nd generation) we will be replacing our inventory. The chart attached will give you a good explanation of the type of vehicles that are best suited for each type of R1. Regards, |
R1: 1st Generation Tire: 3 steel Belts
R1-A: 2nd Generation Tire: Fiberglass & Steel Belts
| Suggested Tire | Vehicle Type | Tire Section Width Used | Tire Aspect Ratio Used | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | FWD, Stock Springs/Shocks All 50 & Above (Including "Trunk Kits") | All | 50 & Above | High Center of Gravity, lots of body roll, abuse one tire. |
| R1 | RWD, Stock Springs/Shocks, Light Weight, Balanced F/R Weight Bias | Up to 250 | 50 & Above | Narrow tire with high aspect ratio, lots of body roll. |
| R1 | RWD, Stock Springs/Shocks, Heavy, High F/R Weight Bias | Up to 255 | 40 & Above | Lots of body roll, lots of weight transfer to one tire. |
| R1-A | FWD, Race Prepared Suspension All A11 (World Challenge) | All | All | Stiff, limited body roll, lots of neg. camber, work all tires. |
| R1-A | RWD, Stock Springs/Shocks, Low CG, Balanced F/R Weight Bias | 225 and Above | Up to 50 | Good suspension geometry, work all tires. |
| R1-A | RWD, Race Prepared Suspension (World Challenge) | All | All | Stiff, limited body roll, lots of neg. camber, work all tires. |
The above suggestions are general cases. There will be exceptions to these recommendations.
Generally speaking, cars that are hard on tires, like cars with limited negative cambers that transfer a lot of load to one corner or side of the car, will benefit from the 1st generation (R1) tire.
Cars that are well balanced, with good suspension geometries that work tires more evenly, will benefit from the 2nd generation (R1-A) tire.
