WILLOW SPIRNGS with WEST COAST RACING Oct 22 & 23.

[PCH VIPER]

YIKES !!!

That is a SCARY sight.   

Good luck finding Kuhmo's....if you do, please let me know where.

[ViperX]

Hi Ken,

Yep, you did a number on those.

Haven't been able to find new Kumho V700's for a while.

I'm pretty sure I have a used set that I'll let you have for $50 per tire.

You could likely get a track weekend out of them, maybe more.

Kumhos are very tough tires and I'm sorry to see them go.  I've corded a couple of sets of them and while the traction fell off pretty dramatically, they always held air.

Good luck,

Dan  <2

[kenalker]

Thank you for the info.  Too bad the V700's seem to be a unavailable!  I believe I've only got a couple of weekends on mine - very unfortunate.  I got them at tire-easy.com in May, 2010 for a great price ($150?) maybe because they knew they were getting discontinued - I see that they don't have them now.  I even drove from Goleta to Long Beach to get them shaved.  I'm in Washington State for the week (amazing in today's age how we can be racing around the track one day, and in another state for totally different reasons the next; I obviously don't travel much) so I don't have any way to look things up right now to verify all this.  I'll probably be contacting you guys about used ones before Spring Mountain!  Then I'll have to decide what I want to try next; probably Toyos, although I hear they are not as predictable.  I don't know anything about the V710's - thoughts?  I REALLY liked the V700's (although I don't have any experience on anything else but 10-year-old Michelin PS2's ;-)

Oh - and I nearly went through a front set of Brakeman III pads on this event (nearly, but not all the way).  I usually get 3-4 track events on a set of these and this was only my second event (per memory) on this pair.  I guess slowing for turn 1 really eats them up.  Wow.

Attached are some more pictures of our misadventure.  It was much more complex than just switching to the pizza-cutter as one of the lug nuts was bonded to the wheel stud and it snapped when I tried to take it off (second picture).  I don't think it was cross threaded; strange!  Perhaps it is time for new studs and lug nuts all the way around as they look rusty.  Also, after putting on the pizza cutter, the only way out of the gas station was so goofy that I nearly high-sided the Viper and somehow managed to break the bead of the spare tire and let all the air out (fifth picture).  The aweful scraping sounds eminating from under the Viper when backing it up made my hair stand on end (apparently, some explicatives escaped as well).  I was sure I had ripped the exhaust system apart until I got the Viper jacked up (yet, again) and saw that huge skid plate down there (forgot about that) - thank you Dodge.

I was suprised Lena was able to get everything back into the trunk, especially after I dumped that that HUGE tire in there (third and fourth pictures).  The last picture is just to show off those huge meats up front ;-).

[redtanrt10]

Ken, what a story and I'm glad you guys got home OK.  I was real surprised at how torn up the left front was when you took it off.  As a side note, when I pulled the tires yesterday my left front was also corded at the inside edge  Mike

[ViperX]

Ken,

Replacing your wheel studs is a good idea on your car due to its age.

In the future, pick up some anti-seize, made by Permatex, at Pep Boys and put it on all of your wheel studs.  The studs and lug nuts will be much easier to remove and last much longer.

Dan  <2

[NK BREKR]

Wow Ken!  You always have a misadventure, I remember your mountain climb to get to Buttonwillow, then your 1.5 day trip back from Spring Moutain and this latest one, nothing can hold you back or keep you down!

[ViperX]

Ken and others,

The Brakeman III's don't seem to hold up very well up front once you start driving faster.

There are a few other choices that are better.

Dan

[kenalker]

Art - I forgot about the 1.5 day misadventure-you have an even better memory than I!  Although, you forgot about the one where I had to get towed from the gas station only two blocks from home after getting back from Vegas due to the oxygen sensor wiring short (hmmm... maybe that was the same trip..).  Fortunately, none of them have ended up being a big deal - I have not gotten stranded yet or needed to be towed more than a mile.  Still fun and a great learning experience!

Dan - thanks for the suggestions, as always.

[Speedtactics]

Ken,
You and Ben can start the corded tire club.  <2