Now that the first Majors on the new tires is history, how about sharing thoughts on tire performance and wear?

Also, thoughts on the recommended set up given for Gen 3. Any major changes? For those Gen 2 drivers, was there a need to make changes to the suggested Gen 3 setup? Thanks!

Pat

Yes, please. Let's hear it. And keep it coming, post Sebring too.

I actually liked the Goodyears, but the new Hoosiers are much better. I found the first cycle to be a bit odd - not consistent from lap to lap but not bad. After the first cycle they were very consistent throughout the run and phenomenal under braking. Also consistent from run to run. Great feel and more g's. They are not as progressive at the edge of adhesion but they are not going to bite you. However, they do not reward bad behavior. An unscientific estimate of about 2 seconds faster at Sebring. Not enough cycles to comment on longevity. On my third session they felt like an old friend. The early verdict is a great tire.

Thanks for the comments, Neil.

Is there anyone who ran the same set through both the last two Florida weekends? How are they holding up?

Any experience with the rain tires yet?

Do tell!

Neil, thanks for giving us your thoughts on the tires and hopefully others will do likewise. Looking at the lap times, one thing I noticed was that the times seem to be pretty consistent throughout the race and in many cases actually were better. Can we assume the suggested set-up, tire pressures etc, is a good place to start? There are still a number of Gen 2's that will be competing and it would be nice if someone would share some information for Gen 2.

Pat

My quick feedback on the tires.
For Gen3, the baseline set up is likely right around where you'll end up. We played a bit on either side of it and lo and behold, we ended up back near the middle I think.
We had terrible wear initially but I think that was due to a myriad of things. New car (gen3) + new track + new tires was a difficult equation and I got myself a bit wrapped around the axle trying to find the balance at Homestead.

Once we started to get things dialed in we are now seeing much better tire wear. At Homestead and Sebring it still looked like all the front runners were going out for qual/race on new or 1 cycle tires (I didn't) so we haven't really yet settled on how long they stay competitive. That will work itself out on an individual basis I believe based on track, driving style, weather, etc.

My only real feedback to provide is that they will take some getting used to if you were very comfortable on the Goodyears.
The way I'd describe it is this.
Brake, enter a corner:
Goodyear: "hey, feels good... ok I'm thinking about sliding a bit... yeah here we go... niiiice yep dial in some steering, yeah I like that... ok straighten her out and let's go"
Hoosiers: "hey, feels good.. ok I'm thinking about quick catch me! yeah that's it... catch me again! not bad, ok straighten her out and let's go"
It's not a wicked edge by any stretch, but these tires don't give you as smooth a warning at the edge. The Goodyears didn't care if you slid them, really. In fact I think they kinda liked it. The Hoosiers just punish you more for doing so. At least that's my .02.
They'll take some getting used to but they actually feel very solid once you get the car where you want it.
Just remember that you're on radials now as opposed to bias and that you have much less front tire than we've had for years and you'll get it figured out.
(says the guy who's still working on figuring it out...)

Enjoy!

On the rain tires I just have this feedback:

Hoosier rains >>>>>> Goodyear rains.
And I liked the Goodyear rains.
The Hoosiers are consistent and move water well. That's all I really care about in a rain tire: don't spin me when I drive through water in a straight line. These meet that criteria.
Absolutely no clue how they'll wear on a drying track.

Any estimates about how much brake bias change is needed with the Hoosiers? I'm guessing that it needs to move toward the rear from a Goodyear setting, but by how many turns?

It depends on the track but if I recall, I dialed a bunch of rear bias in initially based on the same thought process and ended up taking much, if not all, of it back out. I think I'm probably near where I was on the GY's but I'm not certain.

Thanks Denny. Sounds like starting where I'm at and adjusting by feel is a good plan.