Head Case Motorsports

[en480c4]

We just had to replace the tires on the Touareg with less than 30k miles.  I hit a piece of metal, and it was non-repairable.  But the rear edge of the inside had worn through just like the OE tires did with 25k miles, so they were already past due getting replaced.  Each time I only missed on rotation.  

 

We ended up with a different Michelin than you posted about... I'll check when I get home but I think they're the Latitude Tour HP.  They said at the shop that regardless of what we put on it, the Touaregs and the Porche platform-mates go through the rears like that regardless of alignment.  He didn't say anything about the Lexus SUVs, but said the BMW and MB SUVs have similar odd tire wear and 25-30k is to be expected.  Crazy.

 

That said, the Michelins are much better than the Bridgestones they replaced.  They are quieter, better over road irregularities and seem better planted.  
 

EDIT: Confirmed they’re the Latitude Tour HP. 

Edited December 13, 2022 by en480c4

[TMoney]

I find this guy's tire reviews to be excellent and his roundup includes a few that you named, Al. Maybe check out this video/his channel?

 

[HemiSam]

I'm a fan of Michelins.  I NEVER experience the quoted mileage on any tire, but generally Discount Tire is good for a credit albeit a half assed one when I replace tires.

Bridgestone is another good brand so I doubt you'll go wrong with either.

You'll never ever see me post that about Goodyear...spitting noises ensue...

HS

[TMoney]

9.1 second quarter mile production car? Good lord, that is fast. 

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by TMoney

[HemiSam]

2 hours ago, TMoney said:

9.1 second quarter mile production car? Good lord, that is fast. 

 

That is fast...period.

I've learned a lot about gearing over the years....eighth mile car, quarter, half and mile.  Makes a huge difference...we see a lot of bikes run out of gear at the mile, as an example.

Regardless, the power to weight it takes to go low 9's or 8's...impressive.

HS

[n_maher]

Fast

 

[robm321]

... albeit over a mile

 

[TMoney]

2 hours ago, n_maher said:

Fast

 

This is so stupidly fast that it looked fake when this car ran the Goodwood hill climb.

[naamanf]

2 hours ago, n_maher said:

Fast

 

Makes it crazier to think top fuel dragsters do it twice as fast with sub 4 second 1/4 mile times. 

[robm321]

^ And 0 to 330 mph in that 3.7 seconds. I can only imagine what that feels like. 

Edited December 16, 2022 by robm321

[HemiSam]

12 hours ago, robm321 said:

... albeit over a mile

 

I saw this yesterday and it's funky.

The guy was in it for something like 40 sec.  For context, I run a mile in what used to be my car in say 28 sec's and I ran 212mph best.

I'm not questioning the speed but the distance it was accomplished over is very questionable based  on the video.

I did get to see a different Ford GT (same model) go 300mph in the standing mile and it was glorious.  The team has since concluded it is no longer a how fast, but can it stop situation.  Despite the parachutes...  

vroom vroom....

HS

[Grahame]

 

[HemiSam]

That ‘68 is waaaaaay too sexy.  Would love to have one. 
 

HS

[TMoney]

Went to my first Porsche club cars and coffee this morning. An unbelievable number of GT3s showed up. The wealth in the Bay Area is ridiculous. Some highlights:

Loud and proud GT3 RS:

Yellow Bird!

GT3s don’t get old

Purple? Sure

Still dig the turbo body style with the rear air intakes

Um, yes please!

Any my favorite, the Boxter Spyder. I’m in love.

[Dusty Chalk]

25 minutes ago, TMoney said:

Purple? Sure

 

I don't mean to be a cliché (yes I do), but....HAWT.

[HemiSam]

I pine for a Touring...a GT3 without the wing basically.  Stick car.  Soooooo sexy.

They are like hen's teeth....very hard to find.

HS

[TMoney]

I learned a ton and had a blast at my Driver's Academy class on Saturday. There were 24 students, about 16 of the 24 were teens and young-twenty-somethings and the other 8 of us were older drivers. For the 24 of us they had 6 cars and 6 instructors, so we were four to a car plus an instructor.

The day was almost entirely cone drills and was all about car control. While car control is obviously important to the enthusiast, I really do think this is a class that anyone could benefit from. Knowing how to handle your vehicle in an emergency like a sudden lane change, slide, or emergency braking situation is something all drivers should know. Getting to learn these skills on a closed course in a safe environment rather than doing it for the first time out on the public roads under duress is tremendously valuable. I think auto insurance companies should offer discounts or subsidies towards paying for one of these types of classes. They really are that beneficial.

As an experienced driver I found that while I intellectually know what a lot of car control theory is, there is a difference between knowing it and being able to execute it while under stress. There is also a "feel" component to things that a video game or simulator just can't replace. A lot of driving at the limit is being able to feel what the rear tires are doing through the seat.

It was great to be able to ride along as a passenger while the other students were getting instruction. Not only could you soak in what the instructor was telling them, you could feel through the seat what the car was doing. The difference in feel between doing something the right way and the wrong way is really something you have to experience in person.

Most of the drills were done in normal cars. Camry, Altima, Malibu, CLA250. Tires were shitty all seasons. All drills were done with traction and stability fully off. I think the idea behind this was you can find the limit at much lower speeds than you could in some of the race cars they had. It worked great. Driving a slow car fast is a heck of a lot of fun, as always.

We cycled between three drills in a morning and an afternoon session. In the morning the drills were:

• Skidpad (my favorite!) - Go around until the car understeered, learned how to handle understeer. Then oversteer. Get a feel for how to catch it, what it is like to not catch it and spin. I was good about counter steering but I needed to learn to wait until the rear end hooked back up before correcting my steering input.
• ABS emergency brake + maneuver - Do a full ABS slow down and then maneuver to avoid hitting a "wall" of cones. I was familiar with doing ABS stops but adding the maneuver element to end was a new twist. Under full ABS all the available traction is going to braking so if you don't lift a little on the brake you are just going to understeer and plow in to the cone wall.
• Proper cornering - they had a hairpin turn set up with cones. Drill was to trail brake in, hit the apex, power out as you unwound the wheel. Hairpins are hard because everyone's natural tendency is to turn in early. The apex on a hairpin is well past the geometric center of the curve, so this drill was all about eye training and visualizing your line. It is amazing how much speed you can carry when you get the line right.

Afternoon drills were:

• Introduction to autocross - They took the hairpin in the morning session and added a bunch more corners to make an autocross course. I loved this. Taking it slow at first and then building up speed on consecutive laps felt great.
• Emergency Lane Change - Speed towards a cone wall with a lane to the left and right of it. A second before you get to the wall the instructor shouts "left" or "right" and you have to make an emergency change to that lane, then slow the car. Scariest drill of the day, as you feel like you could roll the car. Doing this kind of emergency lane change at 45mph felt extremely FAST, but we built up to it.
• Driving a Manual Transmission Car - I basically have never driven stick before ever, but I know how things are supposed to work. We did this one in the Mustang race cars they had, which was fun. After stalling once I got a feel for how heavy a race clutch is. After that it was pretty simple. I don't think I need to go out and buy a car with a stick, but I get the appeal.

On the whole, an awesome day. I feel like I learned a lot and it was the kind of learning that I only get by actually doing the thing.

As I said before, I'd recommend this kind of Driving Academy or defensive driving class to anyone. It was pricey, but worth it. Instructors were great and we got plenty of seat time.

[TMoney]

Oh yes. Car and Driver Lightnight Lap 2023.

They even lapped the Kia Carnival camera van this year.

Amazing what a difference in lap times the "R Compound" tires make! That Audi RS3 punching way above what I'd expect. The z06 vette a cold blooded killer, as expected.

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a42387169/lightning-lap-2023/

 

[TMoney]

Got another car control class on the books (with the BMW club, hopefully they accept my car 🙃) and I'm going to try my first road rally with the Porsche club.

When I thought rally I thought of sliding cars around on dirt rally stages but this isn't like that at all. It is more like a scavenger hunt that you do from your car and that rewards precision, not speed. I like it! Trying to nail down a co-driver/co-navigator (@Grahame ?).

I think maybe I'll do my first auto cross in April.

This car hobby is quite the rabbit-hole of stuff to do. It is helpful that a large portion of hobbyist motorsport seems to be organized on a single website, https://www.motorsportreg.com, making it easy to find out a good amount of what is going on nearby.

[Grahame]

It's not an SUV, it's an FU V,

Ferrari Utility Vehicle.

 

 

[TMoney]

One of my absolute favorites! Camissa and hagerty do such a good job with these. 
 

 

[HemiSam]

FU V is correct for that kind of money...LOL.

Great review.  One thing that jumped out at me, though....I REALLY struggle not having a more analog tachometer and speedometer.  I know I'm an old fart, but we have owned appliances that are all screens / touchscreens and it can end very badly when things stop working....

It's Italian after all.

HS

[TMoney]

Turning and burning with the BMW Club.

Macan is heavy and seems to eat tires, but she can really move. People said it looked quite fast but maybe they were just being nice?

[Grahame]

 

 

 

[HemiSam]

Something about video being private.  Perhaps a regional limitation?

HS