jlvink66

I just bought a set of Hoosier R6's for my Z06 and I need to heat cycle them. I got them directly from the factory through a friend of mine, so I could not get them already heat cycled (like from Tire Rack).

This is what the Hoosier site says for heat cycling;

The first laps for the tire are critical for setting up the durability and competitive life. The first session should consist of no more than 10-15 minutes of running. The early part of the session should be run at an easy pace, with the speed gradually increased until the end of the session. The final lap should be run at the fastest possible speed. The intent is to achieve maximum tire temp on the last lap. At this point the car should be brought in and the tires allowed to cool at a normal rate.

After completing the initial run phase, the length of time the tire is allowed to set is possibly more important. The barest minimum for this process to be beneficial is 24 hours. (Not "the next day"). Any less than this is a waste of time. The best situation would allow a week before using the tire again.

So my dilemma is that if I took my car to the track, I would need to let the R6's cure afte initial heat cycling. I would have to use the first run session to heat cycle my R6's and then put my street tires back on for the rest of the day's run sessions.

Is there any other good way for me to heat cycle the tires ahead of time?
- Any shops in California that could heat cycle the Hoosiers?
- Any good way that I could heat cycle them myself, but not at a track?

Thanks,
John

Wicked Weasel

There has been many discussions about heat cycling. Some people say you need while others say you don't.

My first set of V710s I did the heat cycling and they held up great, but the 2nd set I didn't do anything to and they held up too.

I guess if you wanted to heat them up somewhat and you had some good roads then you could run them for 15mins or so. I would hate though to get a nail in a tire though

Olitho

Just give me the tires for two or three track days and I will get them heat cycled for you. Hey, what are forum member friends for???


Seriously though, I think the whole heat cycle deal is over-rated. Maybe someone else here can provided tangible scientific test data to show that heat cycling demonstrably improves tire speed and wear, but I have never personally seen it.

New tires are just plain the fastest and then they get slower. Some brand seem to get slower slower in my opinion.

You do have a good tire brand and model so enjoy.

AUTO_X_AL

I don't know if any of the new Hoosier's NEED cycling but you will want to get the mold release compund off by doing a few easy laps.

RyanZ06

It's been my experience (3-4 sets of hoohoos on my vette) that Hoosiers need no heat cycling, and they are actually the FASTEST in the first two sessions.. If you're already an experienced driver, and you're looking to check your lap times, go out there and push the tires hard, right out of the box, in two short session (about 8-10 minutes each session). After that the tires will fall off by about a second, but will remain consistant until they are close to chording..

Solofast

In our experience the new A6's really need a good heat cycle to work right. The A4's and 5's were not as sensitive, but the A6's seem to be.

I would suggest that you do it right...

jlvink66

Looks like there are people on both sides of the fence on this discussion. I might just do the compromise and heat cycle them with some agressive scrubbing one of these dry winter days out in the winding back roads. The Hoosier guys are pretty adamant about heat cycling and curing.

Thanks for the offers to heat cycle my tires.

John

RyanZ06

Heat cycling, from my understanding is more for longevity, than out-right performance.

If you want to run the fastest lap time, go out on FRESH tires... The applies to nearly all forms of slicks.

When I qualify in a race in my go kart, guess what.. I go out on "sticker" tires..

freefall

From what I've seen at DEs, the tires will get hard before they cord.

dmwhite

this is why they NEED heat cycling...R6's dont fall off nearly as fast if they are properly heat cycled...after running several sets of R6's this year, i've found that they dont seem to have the "golden laps" as much as older hoosiers did...if you follow what hoosier recommends for break in (they are the tire experts, right?), they will be faster for longer...

if you correctly heat cycle R6's (and store them for at least a day), they will last for several heat cylcles before falling off...i ran old (10-15 heat cycle) hoosiers in practice this past weekend at roebling, they were within 1/2 second of my fastest lap on fresh hoosiers...

note: i really dont recommend buying new hoosiers for DE driving...they're pricey and just dont last as long as other options...not worth it, imo...

dmwhite

dmwhite

brand new hoosiers arent slippery like most other tires (like full depth toyo RA1's), you can "go hot" on them very quickly...

Dale Vickers

New to the track. Have C6Z06 and bought some A6's. Can you run the A6's on a 2.9 road course (Texas Workd Speedway). Temp is forecasted to be 50-70 this weekend. I do not want to damage the tires if they can't stand that length. Please advise if you know.

Thanks,

Dale

John Shiels

I wish I had that problem.

rasrboy

Heres my .02 cents worth. I go out on the V710's and run 2 med laps and 2 hard laps and come in and take them off the car and let them sit overnight.(if you can) This mends the compounds in the tire and cures them. I don't have much experience on other brands, so really can't help ya there.

Aaron Quine
Kumho Tire (Motorsports Division)

jlvink66

Thanks for sharing your experience and insight.