Just for advice sake: Tire Groovers
Posted by 1fastben
Ben Hetland Super Moderator Location: Utah Join Date: 09/12/2007 Age: Settling Down Posts: 297 Rally Car: None, right now |
John Vanlandingham Mod Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
I've used the cheaper ones, they'll work just not as fast and easy..gotta push more. (in before the "whaaaaaa! whaaa! they're rubbish! you need a the $475 with the LCD screen and digital readout self propelled tire groover at a minimum, or you'll DIE!!!!" 
Get extra blades and think what you'll typically want to do. Ie how wide. Oh yeah, a note on the confusing terms for the forms of racing: if we just call the one "Grass-o-cross" it instantly clarifies whatcha mean. John Vanlandingham Sleezattle, WA, USA Vive le Prole-le-ralliat www.rallyrace.net/jvab CALL +1 206 431-9696 Remember! Pacific Standard Time is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. |
Aaron Luptak Professional Moderator Location: SLC Join Date: 02/15/2008 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 776 Rally Car: Civic... |
///be cool everybody, this is a threadjack... are these the tires you're talking about? 
While I can't say I've followed the extreem(tm) rallycross stuff, my impression was that almost everybody was using either dedicated rallycross tires or full depth r-compounds or 'super-duper' summer tires (same vein as those falkens you used to have). Coincidentally, a full-depth treaded r-comp (something like the nitto nt-01 or the toyo ra-1) or summer tires would be my personal recommendation if we put together this event - it's certainly not pristine tarmac like you'd find on track at miller, but it's not _that_ bad. A little gravelly in places, but after two passes of recce in each direction, it'd probably be pretty clean. //on topic - having a groover to open up a treaded r-comp or summer tire would probably be prudent, however... |
Ben Hetland Super Moderator Location: Utah Join Date: 09/12/2007 Age: Settling Down Posts: 297 Rally Car: None, right now |
Sweet, I'll probably pick one up, in that case.
I honestly don't know if the Datsun would even be fun on tarmac, with how beastly the steering is on it with no-PS. Once I get it back to being roadworthy, I'll to some fun tarmac testing and see what I think. 
You're probably very right on the Falken summers I had. I really liked them, so a set for the Datsun would probably be good. Whatever I end up with, they'll likely be used so I can get them cheaper. |
Wilson von Kessler Professional Moderator Location: Lookout Mountain, GA Join Date: 02/28/2006 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 1,127 Rally Car: Colts are in Finland; now '87 325i, '89 325i |
Aaron Luptak Professional Moderator Location: SLC Join Date: 02/15/2008 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 776 Rally Car: Civic... |
It can't be any worse than a civic with a clutch diff, non-ps 2.3 turns lock-to-lock rack, and marginally sticky tires. (By which I mean to say - once you're moving faster than 5mph the steering effort will be pretty low.) |
Sean Medcroft Junior Moderator Location: Edmonds, Washington Join Date: 02/12/2009 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 1,802 Rally Car: Building a Merkur |
Bob Legere Senior Moderator Location: Spofford, NH Join Date: 03/07/2007 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 310 Rally Car: 1971 Opel Ascona |
I used a cheapo Ideal grooving iron to prep the tires for my friend's hillclimb car (Mt. Washington). It's a LOT of work if you're doing more than a few grooves. I changed one blade per tire. Took me about 40 minutes to do one tire. I'd guess that with a Van Alstine or Rillfit groover you could knock 20-25 minutes off that time. Fatigue was definitely a factor for me! But for just a few tires, the cheapy will work. 
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Banned Ultra Moderator Location: the end of the universe Join Date: 02/12/2006 Age: Ancient Posts: 1,432 Rally Car: 1980 Opel Ascona B |
I picked up a used Rillfit like this:
 off of Ebay for $150. It was much much better money spent than the $70 I paid for one of those cheapo groovers. My advice is to keep searching Ebay. Cheap used Van Alstines and Rillfits do come up from time to time.Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2011 03:48PM by Doivi Clarkinen. |
Jason McDaniel Godlike Moderator Location: Dallas, TX Join Date: 12/14/2007 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 401 Rally Car: 1963 SAAB Historic, 1995 Impreza Open Light totaled at WRC Mexico, 2005 STi Pikes Peak winner |
I used the cheapie to tune-up the skinny vintage rally tires on the SAAB 96 and to groove the hillclimb tires for the Subaru. At Pikes Peak this year I ended up completely grooving 16 slicks in 8 hours. And the blade cut was still cutting as well on the last one as it did on the first one. I did some more grooving during practice the next morning. The only issue was I had tennis elbow after all that pushing.
I've got no issues with the cheap groover. The only issue I'm worried about is eventually breaking off the plastic handle. 
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Dan Norkus Elite Moderator Location: Goldsboro, NC Join Date: 01/10/2010 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 290 Rally Car: 94 Integra |
Aaron Luptak Professional Moderator Location: SLC Join Date: 02/15/2008 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 776 Rally Car: Civic... |
(emphasis mine) Aren't you a co-driver? 
Both the tires I mentioned meet the letter of the rules - both have something resembling a real tread pattern, the RA1 is molded at 8/32, the NT01 is molded at 6.3/32 - while they're looked down upon by lots of the 'SRS BZNS' road racers, I'd wager they're still going to be faster than any "true" street tire. (as of right now, it's all a moot point, because the soonest I'll be planning a tarmac event will be 2013...) |
Banned Mod Moderator Location: Calgary, AB Join Date: 03/27/2009 Age: Ancient Posts: 1,798 Rally Car: (ex)86 RX-7(built), (ex)2.5RS (bought) |
John Vanlandingham Mod Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Banned Mod Moderator Location: Calgary, AB Join Date: 03/27/2009 Age: Ancient Posts: 1,798 Rally Car: (ex)86 RX-7(built), (ex)2.5RS (bought) |
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