Cutting Snow Tires? How you did that!
Posted by PeteNaz
Peter Nazarewycz Godlike Moderator Location: Alberta, Canada Join Date: 08/23/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 76 Rally Car: 96 Honda Civic Hatch |
Hey guys! So Cochrane rally is around the corner and I'm all ready for it but I was just curious about what you guys with experience would do in my position!
Its been super cold (-25degC the last 2 weeks, with some warm days here and there haha), the roads are all completely snow covered/ ice underneath (heavy traffic logging roads) Here is the catch though, Forecast for saterday and race day sunday is like plus 10degC! So I think it will be icy in the morning, and slushy/ softer in the afternoon, then icy for the evening stages. I have studded tires and a set of nokians I can pull off my daily driver. Would you cut tread blocks out for snowy/slushy/mudy events? or just leave it be? and how do I cut them? what do I cut, with what? a hot knife? will that work? Just curious on some rally pre-game thoughts 
O! and P.S. we didnt win the champion spark plugs contest...a bunch of circle dirt trackers and drag racers did. but they get way more exposure than rally. It was super fun just making a video hahaha I'm always posting on Instagram...follow me! PeteNaz Instagram My Build
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Out of this dumpster fire Mega Moderator Join Date: 08/15/2010 Posts: 1,236 |
John Huebbe Senior Moderator Location: St. Peters, MO Join Date: 08/31/2012 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 283 Rally Car: 1970 VW Beetle & 1991 Subaru Legacy |
Peter Nazarewycz Godlike Moderator Location: Alberta, Canada Join Date: 08/23/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 76 Rally Car: 96 Honda Civic Hatch |
What am I going for in terms of what to remove? Just make it look like an A034?
I'm always posting on Instagram...follow me! PeteNaz Instagram My Build
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John Vanlandingham Mega Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Peter Nazarewycz Godlike Moderator Location: Alberta, Canada Join Date: 08/23/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 76 Rally Car: 96 Honda Civic Hatch |
Just like I like my women Thanks I'm always posting on Instagram...follow me! PeteNaz Instagram My Build
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Banned Mod Moderator Location: Red Deer, Alberta Join Date: 09/13/2011 Posts: 717 Rally Car: 2002 Subaru WRX STi |
Peter Nazarewycz Godlike Moderator Location: Alberta, Canada Join Date: 08/23/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 76 Rally Car: 96 Honda Civic Hatch |
Thanks Adam! I will just use my studded then and I have a set of altimax as well with studs to use as spare. I won't be able to cut these regardless before the event so it's good to know your feed back! I was just thinking about it then started getting excited about what exactly is done haha I'm always posting on Instagram...follow me! PeteNaz Instagram My Build
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Bob Legere Super Moderator Location: Spofford, NH Join Date: 03/07/2007 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 308 Rally Car: 1971 Opel Ascona |
Worth every penny! I just got a Van Alstine V100. Oh my god, after cutting tires for 20 years with an Ideal iron it's like night and day. Instant on and cools in seconds. Plenty of heat. Super quick compared to the cheapie irons. Mucho important at my age and with a bad shoulder from a car crash a few years ago. I did this tire for my friend's sport bike last week. The pattern repeats 10 times around the circumference. Piece of cake with the Van Alstine, but I can't imagine trying it with an Ideal iron. Opel is a 4-letter word... http://www.flickr.com/photos/10498579@N07/sets/ |
Banned Mod Moderator Location: Red Deer, Alberta Join Date: 09/13/2011 Posts: 717 Rally Car: 2002 Subaru WRX STi |
Peter, how did the tires end up working out that you used? Never really got a chance to ask except earlier in the day. What were the other 2wd people competing on? Congrats on (what looks like?) 2nd in 2wd
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Peter Nazarewycz Godlike Moderator Location: Alberta, Canada Join Date: 08/23/2012 Age: Settling Down Posts: 76 Rally Car: 96 Honda Civic Hatch |
Hey yea I used the General Altimax I had because I saw that the gap was way bigger than the Federal Himalayas I had. The morning was a little icy, but the day got really muddy / slushy after the first leg!
Its hard to say if they were good or not because of lack of experience with other tires, but I felt comfortable enough I think. I enjoyed them and yes managed to grab 2nd place in 2WD. Matt Bobyn was running KW19's I believe and he beat us by quite a bit on the faster hunter valley stages (but I think I just wasn't ready to go that fast just yet, the car didn't seem as stable for me at above 140, I'll work on that!) But for the other stages we kept up when I didn't have any moments (which I had a couple) and even beat him on one stage, by only a quarter second, but still felt good because the guy is an amazing driver/person, in an amazingly setup car. Maybe he was backing off at that point which could be a real possibility as well, I know I did on the last stage because there was no way I would get first place, and the only way I would get 3rd is if I crawled down the hill or crashed. Tanveer was in the focus running A034's and he seemed to like them, he was just as fast as us and I'm sure would have beat me on the Hunter valley stages but he crashed out and had a 23 min stage. But It was fun fighting for times with him and Matt! I think this year 2WD will be really exciting with such close competition. I need more experience. But yea, all different kinds of tires, all seem to be fast for us. There was a lot of different surface conditions on every stage so it was really interesting. I'm always posting on Instagram...follow me! PeteNaz Instagram My Build
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