# Hoosier A3S04 tire life



## Andy (Jul 16, 2003)

"defcon1racing" PMed me, asking about the tire wear and tire pressures I've been running this season on my Hoosier A3S04s. After writing him back, I thought I would share this information with the rest of you.

Here's how many runs I've had on my [heat cycled] Hoosier A3S04s...

05/09/04 - OVR event - 4 runs (grippy asphalt)
05/23/04 - OVR event - 5 runs (grippy asphalt)
05/29/04 - Cendiv event - 4 runs (grippy concrete)
05/30/04 - Cendiv event - 3 runs (grippy concrete)

At this point I flipped the tires over. There were no signs of cording, however the edge of the front tires were pretty beveled and had a purpleish tint around the edge. I probably should have / could have gone one more event before flipping them over.

06/06/04 - Cendiv event - 4 runs (slick asphalt)
06/18/04 - National Tour practice - 7 runs (slick concrete)
06/19/04 - National Tour event w/ co-driver - 6 runs (slick concrete)
06/20/04 - National Tour event w/ co-driver - 6 runs (slick concrete)
07/11/04 - OVR event - 5 runs (grippy asphalt)

On 7/11 I was experimenting with running lower pressures in the front. I found that I was able to run faster times by having more grip up front, however I ended up cording one of my front tires. If I would have ran normal pressures up front, the tires would have probably lasted one more event, but not much more then that. Keep in mind, you'll wear out the outer edge waaay before the tread surface, due to lack of negative camber up front.

I just bought 2 brand new Hoosier A3S03s (yes, last year's tires). I plan to mount these up front and continue to run my existing A3S04s in the rear. The rears should last the rest of the season (I hope)&#8230; if not, I can still flip them over one more time and probably get a few more runs out of them.

The A3S03s have a stiffer sidewall and don't require quite as much air pressure in the fronts. These tires also provide better/quicker turn-in and give you a little more grip up front&#8230; from what I hear anyway&#8230; so I'm looking forward to trying these out. I will have these new tires mounted before the next event, here's what the rest of my schedule looks like&#8230;

07/25/04 - OVR event - 5 runs (grippy asphalt)
08/28/04 - Cendiv event - 4 runs (grippy asphalt).
08/29/04 - Cendiv event - 4 runs (grippy asphalt).
09/05/04 - Cendiv event - 4 runs (slick concrete).

--- Maybe flip front & rear tires at this point ---

09/19/04 - OVR event - 5 runs (grippy asphalt).
10/03/04 - OVR event 5 runs (grippy asphalt).
10/09/04 - Cendiv event - 4 runs (slick asphalt).
10/10/04 - Cendiv event - 4 runs (slick asphalt).
10/17/04 - OVR event 5 runs (grippy asphalt).

As for tire pressures, here is what I found works best for me for the Hoosier A3S04s&#8230; it's a nice combination between grip and tire life.

58/48 : grippy concrete
55/45 : grippy asphalt or slick concrete
48/38 : slick asphalt (newly sealed)

You should be able to drop the pressures in the rear a little (IMO, no more then 5 lbs) to change how the car handles. However, I would not drop the fronts much more then this, or you'll end up putting excessive wear on the outer edges.

I hope this information helps.

Andy


----------



## Andy (Jul 16, 2003)

Front driver's side...


----------



## Andy (Jul 16, 2003)

Front passenger's side (corded)...


----------



## Andy (Jul 16, 2003)

New Hoosier A3S03s...


----------



## defcon1racing (Apr 11, 2002)

Andy said:


> Front driver's side...


Thanks Andy.

That is pretty much what my fronts look like after Oscoda. I need some negative camber! 

Good luck with the rest of your autocross season!


----------



## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

Wish I'd remembered to take pictures of my corded A3S04s.

The cord was ripped away, and the steel belt was peeling away from the carcass when I finished with mine.


----------



## TeamM3 (Dec 24, 2002)

that's because you need 225's on the front 8" wheels, they will allow you to run lower front pressures without the rollover, but they haven't made the 225/40-18 S04 yet


----------

