Goodyear Tires performance at Fontana

ChexOrWrex

ChexOrWrex

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How do you feel about the 20ish laps lifespan of these tires? It reminded me alot of Indy a few years ago where NASCAR threw a competition caution every few laps because the tires were so bad. Personally, I dont think relying on tire dependability is true racing. It takes the racing away from the skill of the driver and puts it on the hands of praying for a tire not to blow. Sure, it added drama to the race but it just felt cheesy to me. What are your thoughts?
 
TexasRaceLady said:
I can't put all the blame on Goodyear for this one. Watching those cars literally bounce down the back stretch and those tires flexing/wrinkling like crazy tells me the teams had best work on better setups and get the stress off the tires.
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So you're saying 43 teams stacked with the best stock car racing engineers in the world couldn't find a setup to have tires last at least for a fuel mileage window?
 
TexasRaceLady said:
I can't put all the blame on Goodyear for this one. Watching those cars literally bounce down the back stretch and those tires flexing/wrinkling like crazy tells me the teams had best work on better setups and get the stress off the tires.
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i agree. i've been to too many short track races on dirt where the teams have more than one tire option and the majority always go too soft and create tire issues. very little difference in today's race. the teams knew the tires they were getting and still chose to go extreme on setups.

i was almost hoping gordon would win because his team seemed to take a conservative approach making him fast at the end of long runs. unfortunately for them, it went badly at the end with multiple tire failures.

by the way, kudos to nascar for NOT throwing the yellow for cars with flats once on the apron. black helicopter: they were trying to get jeffy the win!!!:D

rewind: anyone remember the goodyear/hoosier tire wars? it was ugly, with both tire manufacturers and race teams putting drivers at risk. at some point teams will realize to finish first, first you have to finish. if radical setups are going to be used, then make them race on hockey pucks. but i don't want to see another ernie irvan or ricky craven.

jmo.
 
According to many drivers it was the bumps on the back stretch that ultimately destroyed the tires.
 
Setup or track issue. Same tire as last year. Drivers that were more conservative had no issues.

Dale Jr said tire wear wasn't an issue either.

I think it was a combination of both setup and track surface issues
 
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Goodyear needs to work more with the teams obviously.. they're off in the way the new setups affect tire wear... there has to be a happy medium. I think a lot of it has to do with the back stretch being ground down as well.
 
I prefer todays tire results to the rocks that do not degrade. The complexion was changing and different drivers were on different cycles.

The track came to different drivers at different times. If Nascar would be a little more judicious and withhold some unnecessary cautions and just let racing happen, we would enjoy more of this kind of racing.
 
Not a whole lot of teams ran even 10+ consecutive laps during practice on Saturday (eighteen in each session). Maybe if they had, some of today's issues could have been avoided. There weren't a boatload of blowouts last year here and Goodyear brought the same tire, so perhaps some work on the setups is in order.
 


I remember when drivers you to drive to save their tires. Hell Dale Sr was one of the best. He taught Bobby Labonte how to save his tired at Rockingham and he went onto win the race that weekend. Maybe that is why drivers like the Labonte and Burton don't keep up anymore. These young guys just run every lap like Cole Trickle. The difference is the tires don't fall off like they use to. These drivers now a days wouldn't be able to run 20 years ago.
 
After what the teams seen today i will bet that if they ran this race again tomorrow you wouldn't see hardley any blown tires. I bet they would start with changing the camber, tire air pressure, springs and shocks. They might be a tad slower but i bet they would get from pit stop to pit stop without blowing the tires. These guys are not stupid they just didn't know they had a problem until it was to late.
 
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klemmabyna said:
i agree. i've been to too many short track races on dirt where the teams have more than one tire option and the majority always go too soft and create tire issues. very little difference in today's race. the teams knew the tires they were getting and still chose to go extreme on setups.

i was almost hoping gordon would win because his team seemed to take a conservative approach making him fast at the end of long runs. unfortunately for them, it went badly at the end with multiple tire failures.

by the way, kudos to nascar for NOT throwing the yellow for cars with flats once on the apron. black helicopter: they were trying to get jeffy the win!!!:D

rewind: anyone remember the goodyear/hoosier tire wars? it was ugly, with both tire manufacturers and race teams putting drivers at risk. at some point teams will realize to finish first, first you have to finish. if radical setups are going to be used, then make them race on hockey pucks. but i don't want to see another ernie irvan or ricky craven.

jmo.
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Awesome post!
 
TexasRaceLady said:
I can't put all the blame on Goodyear for this one. Watching those cars literally bounce down the back stretch and those tires flexing/wrinkling like crazy tells me the teams had best work on better setups and get the stress off the tires.
Click to expand...
It was a combination of low tire pressure, hell some teams were starting out 10psi under what was recommended, add a bumpy track, and the aggressive set-ups. Then add the fact this is very high speed track, tires are bound to fail. I wouldn't be surprised if the backstretch is re-paved by next year.
 
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If you know that a caution is going to fall often why would you ever set up for long runs. Setting up to get everything it has to offer in less than 25 laps is playing the odds, getting the full 100 % use from the material, confident that a convenient caution resets your abuses with regularity.

Goodyear and the drivers just play the game the way it is managed. Keep that yellow flag tucked away and teams will start setting up more conservativly for long runs.

When cautions are thrown often and for little more than farts, you know a long run is a fantasy that they will not allow to materialize. It is an upside down world, it is only a 500 mile race set up for the mechanical components.
But you had best be set up for many short little heat races and the short runs deceptively mean a lot more.

The problem is not one created by Goodyear, they are only responders.
 
It's no secret the track has bumps. Goodyear knows it.
I won't say it's all Goodyear's fault, but they are partly to blame for the 20 lap limit on the tire.
 
Kyle18fan said:
But werent you the one that wished for quick wearing tires :rolleyes:
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Goodyear has a tough job. There was a tweet from Jimmy Vasser that pissed me off today - saying how glad he was that they have Firestone. IRL doesn't put half the stress on the tires as NASCAR. To quote Days of Thunder, "..now the cars weigh twice as much and the tires are half as wide. And you're burning them up".

Teams want tires that wear, but they want them to last. Teams take their setups to the extreme. And those bumps down the backstretch are severe.

I'm sure Goodyear will come with a harder tire or something next time. Racing might not be as good but at least they'll make a full fuel run.
 
ColeTrickle said:
Goodyear has a tough job. There was a tweet from Jimmy Vasser that pissed me off today - saying how glad he was that they have Firestone. IRL doesn't put half the stress on the tires as NASCAR. To quote Days of Thunder, "..now the cars weigh twice as much and the tires are half as wide. And you're burning them up".

Teams want tires that wear, but they want them to last. Teams take their setups to the extreme. And those bumps down the backstretch are severe.

I'm sure Goodyear will come with a harder tire or something next time. Racing might not be as good but at least they'll make a full fuel run.
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Yep this "problem" wont be around for the next race at this track IMO
 
Kyle18fan said:
But werent you the one that wished for quick wearing tires :rolleyes:
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lol Silly boy.

Teams asked for tires they have to manage, and they got that today. Some didn't manage things too well. Unfortunately, those teams decided the race outcome.
 
ColeTrickle said:
Goodyear has a tough job. There was a tweet from Jimmy Vasser that pissed me off today - saying how glad he was that they have Firestone. IRL doesn't put half the stress on the tires as NASCAR. To quote Days of Thunder, "..now the cars weigh twice as much and the tires are half as wide. And you're burning them up".

Teams want tires that wear, but they want them to last. Teams take their setups to the extreme. And those bumps down the backstretch are severe.

I'm sure Goodyear will come with a harder tire or something next time. Racing might not be as good but at least they'll make a full fuel run.
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I hope that doesn't happen. I would rather see nascar set a minimum tire pressure so they don't fail and stick with tires that wear.
 
FenderBumper said:
lol Silly boy.

Teams asked for tires they have to manage, and they got that today. Some didn't manage things too well. Unfortunately, those teams decided the race outcome.
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What was it u were wishing for, besides a Joey win and uhhhhhh....................... tires that wore out quickly :p
 
How long can Fontana go with those severe bumps on the backstretch? Don't get me wrong, I love worn tracks, but I think that's a pretty serious problem when the cars are riding through bumps that are THAT severe. That's what seemed to be a pretty big contributor to the flats.

Maybe they should pave the straightaway and leave the corners alone.

Repaves are a necessity at one point or another - they just need to look at their process. A way to repave the track, but at the same time make it abrasive and not smooth.
 
FenderBumper said:
lol Silly boy.

Teams asked for tires they have to manage, and they got that today. Some didn't manage things too well. Unfortunately, those teams decided the race outcome.
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teams wanted more adjustments in set ups.........they got it !
now all tha "boo-hoos " an big kleenex box comes out w/ fans .
teams knew "exactly " what they risked in race...... kez had 4 flats in practice.
same tire...same bumps...just diff set ups / car ...than last yr.
risk / reward pays off both ways !

i like that added element !
beats tha hell outa 1 guy----green ta checkers race .
 
I think Goodyear gave a bull****t explanation of why their product failed today. I think Goodyear showed up with a junk tire and tried to save face.
If the issue was a result of running less than recommended pressures, wouldn't teams make pressure adjustments in an effort to increase tire longevity?
IMO, tire failures seen this weekend were not a result of creative tire pressures, nor a result of aggressive camber settings. Tire failures were a result of Goodyear showing up with the wrong compound. Would Goodyear ever admit? No. They want the contract. Goodyear failed at ACS 2014.
 
when teams bind suspension ...ta keep nose down on track .....plus bigger spoiler / downforce.....
..........guess where suspension travel occurs ?

----on tire who's patch has been ****ed over on shoulder .....w/ camber. skew too in rear.

hi speeds down straights w/ bumps killed tire...... w/ setup i mentioned .....
......tire was tha shock / spring !
.......which is why so many were able ta pull ta apron ....didn't hit wall.

who supplied nns tires saturday ? hoosier
 
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PushRodV8 said:
Same track as last year. Same tire as last year. How is Goodyear partly to blame?
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same track same tire... different car. Goodyear failed to change the tire to match the stronger downforce of the car. Seeing those guys blow tires one after another in the closing laps before the caution was a complete joke.

What Brad said in the article was perfect.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
How do you feel about the 20ish laps lifespan of these tires? It reminded me alot of Indy a few years ago where NASCAR threw a competition caution every few laps because the tires were so bad. Personally, I dont think relying on tire dependability is true racing. It takes the racing away from the skill of the driver and puts it on the hands of praying for a tire not to blow. Sure, it added drama to the race but it just felt cheesy to me. What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...


Its better than having a tire last for the entire fuel run. Tire wear makes racing fun and unpredictable.
 
DanicaFreak said:
Its better than having a tire last for the entire fuel run. Tire wear makes racing fun and unpredictable.
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There's a HUGE difference in tire wear making racing fun and interesting and tire wear making a race a countdown to every 20 laps and guess who's gona blow a tire first... Tire's can wear without blowing out and THAT is what makes for great racing...when handling comes into play and the driver has to wheel it..... Not a caution every 20 laps so we can have 15 4 wide restarts. Yeah sure the restarts were exciting.. but the best car didn't win. All it came down to was who's tire blew first. To me that is not how tire's should affect a race.

Just my opinion.

I've never heard teams in the cup series wondering if they would have enough tires to finish the race.... here's your sign.
 
BobbyFord said:
I think Goodyear gave a bull****t explanation of why their product failed today. I think Goodyear showed up with a junk tire and tried to save face.
If the issue was a result of running less than recommended pressures, wouldn't teams make pressure adjustments in an effort to increase tire longevity?
IMO, tire failures seen this weekend were not a result of creative tire pressures, nor a result of aggressive camber settings. Tire failures were a result of Goodyear showing up with the wrong compound. Would Goodyear ever admit? No. They want the contract. Goodyear failed at ACS 2014.
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Mark your calendars, I agree with Bobby!
 
So, when will the track be re-paved?
When will Hoosier return?
 
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