Post by bjornbsrkr on Feb 10, 2010 11:47:19 GMT -5
Ah, I see the problem. Don't think Forester XT, but 1985 Subaru XT with a 1.8l turbo. Ice racing is the place that old Subarus go to be abused and die! (There is one old Loyale wagon that make an appearance now and then that has 14 years of racing on it after being retired from the street.)
Tire width is a consideration, but ice is really fickle when it comes to compound, patterns, tire pressure, amount of tractionizing, temperature, sunshine, wind, the class that ran before our race, and the phase of the moon. It is not unusual to start a 12 lap race on a track with a particular amount of traction and have it be a completely different track at the end (or in every corner!)
Throw in a bit of "snow dust" on the ice and I will bet you my 155's against a wider tire any day. Yes, I use up to 185's on the front depending on the conditions. I usually stick with the 155's on the rear.
My Justy power oversteers under most conditions and can be "flicked" into an oversteer in neutral throttle or braking conditions. It is one of the easiest cars to "drift" (on ice) that I have ever driven.
The class I run is limited to rubber tires only. There are classes for both a "street studs" spec tire and a "race stud" spec tire. Both classes would be pretty much useless to run in a Justy because of the lack of power. While we hit between 80 and a 90 km/h on a "sticky" track, the race studs are well over 130 km/h on the straights. Their corning speeds are pavement-like fast. On a bad day, we corner at glacial speeds!
Here is a bit of video from last year's street studs to give you an idea: vimeo.com/7060789
Tire width is a consideration, but ice is really fickle when it comes to compound, patterns, tire pressure, amount of tractionizing, temperature, sunshine, wind, the class that ran before our race, and the phase of the moon. It is not unusual to start a 12 lap race on a track with a particular amount of traction and have it be a completely different track at the end (or in every corner!)
Throw in a bit of "snow dust" on the ice and I will bet you my 155's against a wider tire any day. Yes, I use up to 185's on the front depending on the conditions. I usually stick with the 155's on the rear.
My Justy power oversteers under most conditions and can be "flicked" into an oversteer in neutral throttle or braking conditions. It is one of the easiest cars to "drift" (on ice) that I have ever driven.
The class I run is limited to rubber tires only. There are classes for both a "street studs" spec tire and a "race stud" spec tire. Both classes would be pretty much useless to run in a Justy because of the lack of power. While we hit between 80 and a 90 km/h on a "sticky" track, the race studs are well over 130 km/h on the straights. Their corning speeds are pavement-like fast. On a bad day, we corner at glacial speeds!
Here is a bit of video from last year's street studs to give you an idea: vimeo.com/7060789