Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

It's like driving on a slick dirt track or a tacky track. The good drivers will be up front when their sliding around and lose grip and everyone is fast if you have grip. This is bringing it back to the drivers talent. I'll take the top 5 from Atlanta over any other 5. At least they didn't blow out the right front and slam the wall.

Drivers agree Atlanta tire wasn't great, but Stewart went overboard in complaints

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

After Tony had the balls to speak his mind, it's easy to be politically correct (i.e.Gordon) and criticise Stewart.

The week before Tony was injured when a Badyear blew out and hit the wall so he wasn't feeling too great.

"Just the facts ma'am", Sgt. Joe Friday, Detective, 
LAPD

When tires only last 10 laps Houston we have a problem. Everybody was slipping and sliding. Try driveing like that for 500 miles.

Lets not get stuck on STUPID

Ernie Irvan -Michigan-1994

Let us not forget

If the drivers are the only ones who complain and the rest of the world says shut up and drive, then how do we make that up when someone dies just because of a tire that helps the show?

I believe Goodyear is only building what NASCAR tells them to. They have the contract, but it is possibly going to cost them more if the tire situation stays like it is.

I believe Goodyear's downfall in sprint cars started when they moved there tire production down to South America. The tires that were coming in were not the same so people started to look for other options.

Anyone care to blame the COT with a lack of downforce and tires that were asked to be used on both the Nationwide (downforce) and COT (400 pounds or whatever the number is) and you are asking for trouble.

Tony should not have thrown just Goodyear Tire Company under the bus and suggested to the public to (buy) or mount Japanese tires Bridgestone/Firestone on their personal tires especially considering the economy and the sentiment of Toyota (foreign make) entering an American dominant series.

Goodyear has been good for racing for many years, and maybe they came with a bad tire combination on this weekend, but MAYBE NASCAR came with an even worse race car, anyone think about that with the bad aero, and the horrible suspension with bump stops.

Racing is not perfect, drivers make mistakes, mfgs make mistakes, and I even recall Tony's beloved and sacred dirt track in Ohio having some MAJOR PROBLEMS with the TRACK last year. OF all people, Tony should not throw a racing company a bridge, what's that saying about people living in glass houses throwing rocks at other people.

Everything Tony said may be true, BUT YOU JUST DON"T SAY THEM WITHOUT reprecussions.

Call me crazy but this might have a little bit to do with it. The accidents that I saw from blown tires looked to happen when the car would have been transfering weight to the right front. I am not an engineer in no way.

I like Tony speaking his mind, but in this case he really came off not making much sense. If the tire manufacturer errors on the hard side every now and then that is better than watching in horror when the right fronts are popping sending the cars at a hard angle into the fence. With Atlanta being the fastest track on the circuit it makes sense to me that the tire manufacturer would tend to error on the hard side there instead of sending them into the wall blowing right fronts. Is that what tony would prefer? J.M.O.

later,

Shoes

Tire issues were pretty bad with the old cars too especially at Charlotte. Seemed the 'cookie cutter

tracks were the worst to show these problems.

I'll agree partly with that. I think it very could be a bad combination of that new car and the tire they used. no one can rule it out...........

but man I think people go overboard on this toyota thing - the more opinions I here on that - coupled with the presidential voting demographics really suggest the majority of this country is made up of racist biggots. but that is highly aside from the point...........

and for the most part - I'm even taking back my critical views of foreign manufactorers. because I think my opinion in the past was out of line. and I'm really starting to think that the foreign made companies and their products can only be criticized to a certain extent. why is so much other foreign made stuff ok - but yet foreign manufactorers can't throw their hats into the racing ring? not as if I would know personally - but if Toyota or other foreign manufactorers have a better product at a more affordable price - it ain't their fault.

many folks - myself included - have in the past knocked on these same foreign companies. when the real issue isn't with them. the real issue is LAWMAKERS and VOTERS. and since we vote them in - you get the idea. if Toyota and other foreign builders products are sound - then thats it. if someone has a problem past that - then they should join the ever shrinking minority of americans that do their freakin homework before they vote. I think it's a good thing for their to be competition in everything. the problems appear to be that domestic companies are held to standards that foreign ones are not - but yet we eat their products up massively. again - thats not foreign manufactorers faults. thats voters of america. it would serve us all well if we held the same standards on our imports as we do our domestic products. to me that is the bottom line...........and I think it would help domestic products keep up with foreign - or at least narrow the gap. and that is not so much an issue with quality - as it is what it costs to produce and maintain it. you could have 2 different products - 1 domestic and the other foreign - of the same exact quality - but as we say across the board - the foreign made is cheaper because it was cheaper to produce. not only standards - but much of the time labor - are the deciding factors here. so think what could be done to help domestic - with fairness in mind with the foreign as well. to me that answer is - hold same standards to domestic and imports. everything in this paragraph - is more a problem with everything else we buy than with racing related parts. wal-mart offers the fine example for that - not racing.

and race related - if we want to look at quality............. the toyota cars have done well so far in nascar. and more pertinent to this forum - many teams runnin foreign made sprint car chassis are having a lot of success as well. and most everyone seems more than satisfied with the product they bought. especially in racing - there isn't any real proof that foreign stuff is inferior. for upteenth time - I think the main difference is the cost to produce it.

How much would could a wouldchuck chuck if a 
wouldchuck could chuck would

The primadonnas of Nascar will complain about everything. One groove tracks, two grooves, weather, rulings, penalties, tires, red flags, black flags, other drivers, wives of other drivers, TV coverage, fights, teams, owners, team mates, motors, makes of cars, weeping tracks, officials, fans and every other thing you can think of. Always something every race, its part of the show. Keep the interest up with controversial issues, bitching and sniveling complaints. One thing they all don't complain about....their sponsors.

Toyota pays a damn good wage and benefits to their workers. Good enough in fact, to keep the UAW out of their US facilities. They also build damn good cars. They last longer and get better fuel mileage than most American makes, which is why they are having record sales while GM and Ford struggle. It's no big secret. Thank God at least Chevy has come up to the plate with a 100,000 mile warranty in recent years. All the more reason to root against Toyota I figure. That Toyota has Kyle Busch and Stewart on board only makes it that much easier to root against them...lol. The only one I'm willing to look the other way for is Blaney. The best news I've heard all year however is that Communist China is struggling even more than we are right now. Here's still to hoping TripleX goes belly up. They better start looking to India...lol.

ABC News: Is China Losing It's Competitive Edge?

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

Tony and his tire views are not a new subject. What Tony dislikes more is the fact that he/they are mandated to run a specific tire at each track and don't have the luxury to pick and choose one. Not the manufacturer but the hardness like the decision that crew chiefs make regularly in our sport.

Years ago when Tony was fairly new to NASCAR it was something we talked about on more than one occasion. He hated the fact that in CUP racing everybody ran the same stuff and it was such a controlled sport, originality was frowned upon. At the same time I always thought that this made driver ability even more important and always felt that Tony would rise above which history tells us has happened.

Whereas tires have won a sprint car driver many an A-Main over the years it sure would be nice to see an option for the boys on Sunday afternoons also, now more than ever. Go get 'em Tony and under no circumstance do not, Take It Easy.....

In the 80s it seemed like the tires wore out more often than blew.

Downforce? Those old cars had less downforce then too.

A better tire is a possibility, so much in fact that I am convinced the good tire-bad tire ratio is so out of shape that it brings a sense this could be on purpose or a result of such actions from recent years. Maybe the recipes got off course so much it is hard to find the right combination. The engineered unpredictability of it all has an undertone of professional wrestling antics.

Goodyear loses a touch of credibility when a tire pops, yet still the tires keep coming. Fault of NASCAR? I sense a lack of respect for true competition.

Had this issue been the cause of Earnhardt Sr.s fatal wreck, the issue would have been closer to being resolved since the public would not have been quiet about it.

Who's gotta die to force the change? My driver or yours?

OkCF, when you say the main diffrence in the product is the cost to produce it, are you saying we need to toss out all union workers in the factories producing our Fords, Chevies, and Dodges? How about those who build 100% of the Fusion in Mexico? should we toss them too? This thing gets complicated ! As for your opinion as to Toyota being a better built car, I wonder about that statment. Many will argue with that one !

I am like many who are passionate about racing. If its going in a circle and fast, I want a grandstand seat ! However......... Toyota has completely dominated recent years of the truck races and I dont believe thats healthy for the sport and worry that the same will happen in the whatevercup.

Support our troops. Either get behind them or in front of them.

Larry

I can't give you any first hand Toyota quality story ... but lets talk Honda, my niece had to have a Honda Accord because the "net" said great gas mileage and great quality. She bought a one owner 1998 with under 50K on it several years ago. She calls me as her dad knows nothing about cars. Timing belt at around 75K ($500.00) Sunroof quit opening about the same time (estimate was astronomical and it still is not fixed to this day) Ignition switch $200.00 it had to be ordered from Holmes in Des Moines part only, labor $160.00 Air conditioning compressor (rebuilt $1,100.00 including parts and labor and refrigerant) Starter (400.00 parts and labor) another timing belt at 125K the list goes on and on. Brakes and struts are wear and tear items so I don't mention them other than they're not cheap either . No tranny or lower end engine repair yet (as she approaches 150K) she keeps the car serviced at a local small foreign car repair shop in Newton as he does her repair work too. My point is I don't think many "foreign" car drivers stop and think that repairs on non foreign made (read G.M. Ford and Chrysler) vehicles are much less expensive due to supply and demand both new and used for their parts and many repair shops won't touch a foreign car but will work on a "Big 3". I know the apples to oranges story but her dad had a ignition switch put in his old Chevy pick up that he bought at NAPA for 30 bucks including 2 new keys and the same repair shop mentioned above put it in for 50 bucks. Foreign made vehicles quality ??? better .... perhaps when new ....down the road ... better hang on to your wallet. Oh ... btw she has sworn off ever owning another Honda

R.A.

S.H.S.

thanks for the respectful criticism.

man I understand it is way more complicated than I - or most of us - will ever understand. but I do think that holding importers to same overall standards not just in product quality but even in work conditions could even things up a lot. all the time people in this country are wondering why so many corp's are packin up and moving overseas and it is obviously because it's more profitable to do so. universal standards only go so far - if overseas they had to have the same work conditions and pay wages as here now that would really raise cost of their production - and even things up.

I'm not sure any one company having domination is ever a good thing. not just in racing. but like the wal-mart effect - take all the product profit that many family owned businesses had in the past - roll it all up into a few folks making billions - thats wal-mart. and what for? 11 cents off a product? sorry to stray from the point again.

I think there should be competition in all racing series. but its hard because it does lean so damn favorable towards foreign manufactorers - so until laws are enacted to even things up - it all comes with a high price in the end. I used to really hate all this foreign stuff. now I'm a bit more moderate in views - but just as passionate in the thought that the odds need to be evened by universal standards for domestic and foreign/import parts. under the current way - domestic companies have less and less a chance day by day.

I think in racing as well as every other facet of things - whether it be energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, the internet - and EVERYTHING - steps should be taken to keep things fair and balanced. as it is now and has been for years - monopolies are not just allowed but promoted and rewarded in mutiple ways. we see it in racing too. with heads, tires, etc. because if there are 3 different tire makers bidding to be a title sponsor of a certain track or series - the largest bidder will usually get it. it's like this everywhere in everything...............

but since I can't give precise stats of most of what I think - I'm probably only talking out of my ass in the end........

How much would could a wouldchuck chuck if a 
wouldchuck could chuck would

On XM Radio it was reported that Goodyear conceded they needed a tire specifically for each

series, Craftsman Truck, Nation and Sprint Cup.

Sincerely,

Larry Otani