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"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678) 10/22/2018 at 09:31 • Filed to: None

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Muhaha proper tires!

Before I detail the story about how awesome of a day Sunday was, let me start at the beginning of this adventure on Thursday night. I arrived home from my long work trip at about 10pm with a simple plan for the next day - drive the PCH Friday and track day on Sunday with whatever happens in between. Friday morning I woke up around 8am, made a quick breakfast, and got to work on prepping and packing the car. This involved a quick maintenance job swapping both my speed sensor and cam position sensor. And finally, after packing the car full of camping supplies and all of my tools, I was on the road around 1130am.

Since I left so late on a Friday, traffic sucked and it was hot almost all of the way to Santa Barbara. Once I started getting up the coast though, traffic cleared out and the temperature cooled off nicely along the water. It was the perfect top down day and made for an excellent drive. It was very clear out as well which is generally rare; no marine layer nor any forest fire smoke at that time.

The drive up the PCH was absolutely breathtaking and exactly as beautiful as I remembered from the last time that I drove up that way. But this was the first time in a convertible and more importantly in my own car. This was probably my number one goal to accomplish after moving across the country, I just had to take my Miata up the PCH to Monterey!

The sun set right as I neared my destination for the night. It was a fitting end to the day, driving off into the sunset in a Miata, traffic finally cleared out, and an open road to enjoy to my hearts content. Most of the day was spent stuck behind slow cars but it was more about the views than the drive anyways. I made it to my campground at about 8pm to set up camp, cook some dinner, and get some much needed rest.

I was up right about sunrise and went for a short hike around the campground in order to take in the views of the area. Where did I camp you might ask? WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca! This was a last minute decision but I’m so glad I did that. I was sad that I wasn’t racing there that day but at least I got to see some race cars flog the track for a bit!

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Once the novice group came on the track (the pace was apparent!) I packed up the car and got back on the road around 10am to head back down the PCH again and eventually end up in Buttonwillow to see my second track for the day. And of course get ready for my own track day on Sunday!

After a few hours of driving, I stopped for lunch in Paso Robles and then took off onto CA41 to head East to Buttonwillow. 41 is an amazing twisty Central California road and was a blast in the Miata. I got stuck behind some people at some of the best parts, but not surprising midday on a Saturday. Definitely on the list to come back soon!

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Eventually I arrived at Buttonwillow to just watch some cars race around the track, set up camp for the night, go fill up on gas, Cook some dinner, and eventually get to bed nice and early. It was going to be a long day of racing the next day so I got as much rest as possible.

My first session on the track in the morning was pretty slow compared to others. 2:28.5 is faster than my fastest time around the same track in the other direction which was good. But I knew I had more in me. Unfortunately though I managed to pick up a big rusty screw in one of my tires on the last lap!!

My tires were pretty close to done anyways but I wanted to at least make it through the end of this track day before replacing them. With only one session in and plenty of time left to shave off, I felt shorted and that there was no way I was going to let this end my weekend just like this. I plugged the tire at least so that I could make it home for sure. But I was wayyyy sketched out about driving on the track with plug, especially that close to the edge. I called many shops in the area that were open on a Sunday but only one had any tires in my size, and they only had one! It was some crappy 400tw Nexen all season that they wanted $150 plus mounting/balancing/disposal. So that was out! However, I found out that there was a tire shop right at the track. The only unfortunate part was that they only had 40TW Toyo RR. Yes, racing slicks.

Muhaha these are amazing tires! I went out for my second session after lunch and immediately shaved off 1.5 seconds from my fastest time. It was not a whole lot but I could tell that these tires had so much more grip and I was just getting started with testing them out and warming them up. They really felt like I had activated some sort of cheat code and activated magnets or something, permanently attaching me to the pavement.

After two more sessions, I was able to shave off nearly 8 whole seconds from my time!! These were wickedly fast tires and were well worth the purchase. This brought me line with other Miatas that I had talked to so I was very happy with how I was doing. Crazy what a difference tires can make.

Packing up at the end of the day was a bear but now I get to enjoy that transport tires to the track and run slicks life! Unfortunately due to the lack of planning I had to drive home on the slicks. But such is life and I’ve probably taken a track day of life out of them by doing that. I will not be driving the car again though until I get another set of wheels and tires for the street. That is later’s problem though as I have another car to rely upon and I’m getting on a flight right now back to Dallas. Until the next adventure!

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/22/2018 at 09:37

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Hot take: 200tw road tires are more fun than slicks. Sure slicks are faster but they make the car too easy to drive and punish you for overstepping the limit. Meanwhile 200tw tires let you throw the car around and really have fun pushing the limit and sliding the car. I had way more fun autocrossing  a Miata on RS4s than I did autocrossing a purpose built electric formula car on Hoosiers.

someassemblyrequired > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/22/2018 at 09:42

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Ha you have discovered that Miata with top down = capable pickup truck.   Sounds like an awesome trip - I miss the pre-kid era where Miata camping was a thing.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/22/2018 at 09:45

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driving up CPH convertible is defiantly on my bucket list. My wife wants our next vacation together to be on the west coast so I’m hoping I can make it   happen .

If we bring Jonah we’ll need a 4 seater tho so that narrows the options. Maybe IM will rent me the Sun Chaser. haha

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 10/22/2018 at 09:49

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Oh yeah I'd definitely agree in general. They are both fun, just in different ways. I don't think it's worth the hassle of dealing with slicks and after I use this set up, I'll probably go back to just one set of 200tw for everything. But since I was dealt those cards, I just went with it. Many people said they would have just ran with the plug in the tire but I'm not the "safety third" type lol. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 10/22/2018 at 09:55

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You will end up like the hundreds of others in convertible mustangs probably haha. If you fly into LAX or SFO, you would have plenty of options through Turo though. Plenty of alternative convertibles on there! 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > someassemblyrequired 10/22/2018 at 09:57

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Haha yeah at most it's ever just me and my girlfriend with the Miata so it's always easy to make it practical. The luggage rack and roll bar make carrying stuff pretty secure too. At least my stuff is tied down unlike most pickups that I see... 

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/22/2018 at 10:00

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I would prefer an e93 over a Mustang. but the dream would be a 911. altho i think Jonah’s already too big fro that back seat even with y 5'1" wife in-front of him.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 10/22/2018 at 10:05

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But children are supposed to suffer for your enjoyment. It's like a rite of passage! 

someassemblyrequired > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/22/2018 at 10:27

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Yep they will swallow an enormous amount of stuff in a pinch. I wish mine had a luggage rack, but we always made it work camping . Rear parcel shelf is the business for large items.

BeaterGT > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 10/22/2018 at 10:44

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This is how I see it with drag racing too . Putting slicks on takes a lot out of the challenge but the times obviously get quicker .

BeaterGT > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/22/2018 at 10:45

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Looks like another epic trip! The campground is next to or on the Laguna Seca grounds ?

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > BeaterGT 10/22/2018 at 15:00

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Part of the fence to the track itself is in the campground so it's as close as it can get. It's technically a county Park though so it's not on the track grounds I guess. I think the track actually organizes the camping though. 

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/22/2018 at 15:05

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Nice!

The Toyo RR is very good, but it isn’t a racing slick. They’re a DOT approved R-compound tire, which makes them a street legal race tire. Road racers in production based, fendered vehicles run tires in this class (IT cars, Touring cars, Spec Miata, ec.. t.) which are sticky, yet also constructed for heavier cars running compromised suspension geometry.  

Full slicks are an entirely different ballgame beyond R-compo unds. Lighter construction, especially sidewalls, to take advantage of lighter, lower cars running much more ideal suspension geometries . They also don’t have to have any design considerations for curb or puncture resistance like a DOT tire.

Toyo’s actual racing slick is this guy, and there are many others from other manufactures :

https://www.toyotires.com/tire/pattern/slick-tires-proxes-rs1

2-3 seconds a lap is about the right difference between street tires and R-compounds. R-compounds won’t heat cycle out on you nearly as much as the 200TW class tires. Actually they do, but they’ll usually be corded long before heat cycling takes too much performance out of them. The RR’s are a good choice, because they come molded at 4/32", which means you don’t have to shave them or otherwise sc rub them in via gentle 8- 9/10ths type driving over a couple of practice sessions before they’re ready to run hard without blistering and cording.

BeaterGT > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/22/2018 at 15:49

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That’s perfect.  I think I need to plan a West Coast trip.

MM54 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/22/2018 at 18:24

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Looks like an awesome weekend!

That said, I’ll have you know that because of your video of that guy playing ‘my sum me r car’ in your post which I watched, the rest of the series was in my suggestions. I’ve now watched most of it it seems and they’ve added enough since I looked into it (like 18 months ago) that I’ve bought the game. I blame you for this!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > MM54 10/22/2018 at 19:38

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Haha great! I think I enjoyed the video series more than the game itself but it's still an Excellent game to play while I'm on work travel. Nothing to do at the hotel anyways so it's perfect for a couple hours each night. I've got the engine in the car now, so I've made some progress for sure. I enjoy all of the things I keep discovering though, it's an excellent way to kill time. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 10/22/2018 at 21:42

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Very true! Basically anything less than 200tw is a slick to me lol. 

MM54 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/22/2018 at 21:47

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I’ve got several hours into it but haven’t even worked on the car, had to get to town and buy some food and such first. Getting lost on the way didn’t help.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > MM54 10/22/2018 at 21:52

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Once I Googled the map, it helped me a lot to figure out that there is a WAY easier way to the highway so that I stop crashing the van or truck. I also learned to not drive in the dark because it's just too dangerous. It feels way too easy to die lol. Also, note that by default permadeath is turned on. So if you die, your save file auto deletes! Meaning that staying alive is super important if you want those hours to mean anything. Make sure you buckle your seat belt since that is actually an option if you manually do it. And drinking beer while driving is actually dangerous lol. 

MM54 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/22/2018 at 22:08

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The map is on the wall above the phone too, it helps some. Still a bit of a chore to drive (especially with the keyboard) so far for things. Night is definitely sketchy; I put the back seat of the not-a-datsun in the back of the van so I can sleep on the go if needed. I have a wired xbox controller hooked up to my computer for driving, it helps since you actually have analog control over throttle and steering (instead of on-off).

I turned off permadea th when I set it up, someone coming into my lane and killing me after putting hours into the game would be a sure-fire way to get me to never play the game again. There’s a point where it just isn’t fun, and losing potentially days of work is far past it. I do use the seatbelt when I remember to, though. The beer crate is usually in the passenger’s seat...

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > MM54 10/23/2018 at 10:59

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Haha beer seems to be the best way to maintain the thirst level, especially on the go. I recently died by falling into the poop hole at one of the houses. Since I needed money to get parts for the car. I had to respawn and then drive a second vehicle and tow in the dark. That was interesting. Towing is entertaining haha. I'll have to do the same thing with the seat, that's a pretty good idea. 

MM54 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/23/2018 at 13:46

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When I first started, I spent a little time around the house then went to go into town and was hit head-on (someone passing a truck came into my lane) and died. I just started over rather than try to go find the van on the bike (since the bike would fit in the back it makes sense as a recovery vehicle).

I did waste a lot of time (over an hour) when the yellow car hit Tiemo right outside the shop before he opened one morning. I kept driving around and coming back waiting for him to open the door, turns out all I had to do was save and re-load and he had healed.

Next chance I have to waste spend some t ime on this I plan to work on the car a bit, then go pump some sewage. I’ve got I think 4 places that have called that are waiting, so it’ll be worth the trip out/around the loop to get them all.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > MM54 10/23/2018 at 20:15

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Don't fall in the sewage hole. It's really easy to do lol

MM54 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/23/2018 at 22:03

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I’ll try haha