Slicks at Mt. Washington

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linc44
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Slicks at Mt. Washington

Post by linc44 »

Hi all,

I picked up a set of Hooiser R6 tires for a song and am looking for feedback from anyone who has run any type of slicks at Mt. Washington. I have read through a couple threads that asked about using the A6 at CTTC in 2011, but no results from after that race on how it went. I have a set of street tires that I will be using as rain tires, so I am more worried about that pesky dirt section and the lower temperatures closer to the summit. Anybody have any experience/tips that they can offer? Thanks!

-Lincoln

A NOTE: These are still full slicks. I don't own a tire groover nor do I have any experience grooving tires, so these would stay full slicks for CTTC 2014 if I brought them.
Mopar 151w2
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Re: Slicks at Mt. Washington

Post by Mopar 151w2 »

I have a groover, may not be that far from you (Barnstead, NH) - tire machine here too. As far as experience - once you groove yours, you'll be experienced! I've done a few sets.....
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sachilles
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Re: Slicks at Mt. Washington

Post by sachilles »

R6's tend to take a while to get up to temp compared to A6's. I'd try them before Mt Washington.
As to the dirt section, if you are taking it easy you'd be fine.

However, my suggestion with the weather and temps usually seen there is to go with your grooved rain setup.
Sachilles
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mathersports
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Re: Slicks at Mt. Washington

Post by mathersports »

I ran a set of 4 year old R6's in 2011. We did groove them, well as much as you can groove old used tires. They were not to bad (I did ok in that event) but this year we are going with fresh A6's, grooved :-)
I guess it depends on your expectations on the hill. A lot of folks hammer the paved sections and just get through the gravel. Still a blast to drive, either way!!
It can also be tough to setup a set of tires just for one hill that only happens every couple of years.

Tim
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linc44
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Re: Slicks at Mt. Washington

Post by linc44 »

Thank you for the quick replies!

Mopar: I live in York, Maine so it's about an hour and ten drive to Barnstead. Grooving is very tempting, but I'd only need the grooved tires for one weekend.

Seth: Agreed on the weather and street tire advice. I fully expect there to be at least one section of wet road on the mountain at any given time, so I'm probably going to stick with the street tires and bring the Hoosiers along with me in case by some miracle there is a completely dry day.

Tim: My expectations are just to make it to the top on race day. Being my first time at Mt. Washington, I'm gunning purely for a weekend of fun. I'll definitely be one of those "just get through the gravel guys". Good to know that Hoosiers are manageable though.

Thanks again for the advice guys, much appreciated.
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agrabau
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Re: Slicks at Mt. Washington

Post by agrabau »

The slick will be just fine but the R6 compound is too hard. It's a road racing tire. Get some A7s or softer if you want to do really well. Don't bother grooving them. You won't make up any time on the dirt and it's a short section of hill compared to all the pavement.
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