Yes, the M1 HP wheels are the same with 305 up front. It looks like I will stick with the PS4's for my cup 2 replacements. Thanks again.
I don't track my car, but I've had the Indy500's just over a year and I love them. My only complaint is there is a noticeable decline in ride quality below 60*, however that improves after a few miles of driving to warm the tires up.
No, it was Mike K. Older gentleman with the BMW Motorsports club.was your instructor's name Louis by any chance?. I was doing HPDE as well, in fact driving in novice group and first time on track type of experience.
Too bad the rep took such a hit when the Explorers had issues with the Firestone tires. Ford historically had a close relationship with Firestone and that must have hurt both.
Actually, it was both companies that contributed to the problem. There was 1 Firestone plant that made the Wilderness A/T differently than the other plants (it was found that it was primarily tires from that plant that failed). However, the other issue was Ford's spec of 26 psi air pressure with a tire that was Temperature C rated (worst resistance against heat). Interestingly, the same model year Chevy S10 Blazers used the exact same tires (size and model) and had absolutely ZERO problems with blow-outs or rollovers. The key difference is that the Blazers had air pressure specs of 35 psi. Both SUVs are close in weight and size so clearly the 9 psi difference generated substantially more heat in the tire carcass in the Explorers that contributed to the tire failing. Ford could've avoided the problem by doing one of 2 things; either inflating the tires to 35 psi as it should have been, or selecting a tire that was Temperature rated A or B rather than C. From what I've read, the reason Ford went with 26 psi was because during track testing, they found that at 35 psi there was a greater tendency for the Explorer to want to roll over on turns and deflating the tires to 26 psi greatly reduced that tendency. Interestingly, the later model Explorers became wider and shorter in height to the top of the roof from the ground.
I've had 4 different mustangs and used them on my previous 3. They are a great performing tire for the price.I know a few on the board have reviewed and mentioned the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires, and they are relatively cheap, so, not a lot of track feedback. (understandable). But, I found myself in a "pinch" recently (couldn't get my preferred tires in time for an HPDE day), but, my tire shop recommended I try these Firehawk's as they were readily available in my sizes and promised me they would suit me well at the track.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by how well they held up. We did a full HPDE track day (7 x 30min sessions) at CMP in Calabogie, ON (Ottawa area) recently. The track was warm (Air temp was 28C - or 82 degrees F) and I was running 34psi hot (measured as soon as we got off track) at all four corners. I was in the faster run group (years of previous track experience), but even my coach (I'm working at getting signed off for racing) commented how "quiet" and predictable the tire feedback was throughout the day. By the final sessions, we were really pushing my car "hard" (approaching race pace in many corners) and the tires were still not past their limit. This is very impressive for a street prepped heavy car (my car is a fully loaded 401A PP manual car) on a 300TW rated tire. My setup for this event (on my street wheels) was 275/35 front and 305/35 rears. (I have Apex EC-7 wheels, square set up on order for track duty - I will run 285/35/19 all around).
Anyway, the results have me re-thinking spending more on 200TW (or less) tires in the future. I've attached pictures to show just how well the tires held up. This was at the end of the day..... still look very decent after what we put them through (tires were brand new prior to track day). Would recommend to anyone just looking for a great (and cheap) high performance street tire with occasional track days.
I have nothing to back this up so it could be purely rumor but I thought Ford reduced the tire pressure on the rears to eliminate a vibration on the rear axel that showed up late in development. Things tested fine at the specified pressure but customers being customers they would ignore the tires for most of their life and let them get down to a pressure that was too low to not overheat. When regular people ignore a 35 psi tire it only goes down to 26-28 psi so it isn't that bad. Ignore a tire that starts at 26 psi and it gets dicey.
