VVT-i

Nice car Xpditor, the shinny blackj TL looks awesome,but I like the garage. I mean that's the car guy's garage for sure. I want a small frig. and a small LCD TV in my garage and I'm all set... ,Sorry about the off topic..

You and meowcat bring in a good knowledge about the Acura and car in general...

MCV20

Can someone plz post the link of the Video ?

xpditor

http://www.xanga.com/TL_Type_S

xpditor

Thanks. I have a TV on my workbench custom built for me by a carpenter friend as a housewarming gift. I can see it well from my recliner. I've got lots of shelf space but, like hard disk space, no matter how big it is, you will fill it up.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

You're not getting what I mean. We don't know the track temperature, so we really don't know which compound was working best. Oh, wait, yes we do, the one on the TL-S was definitely working best.

Had they all been on the SAME tire, it would have been a far more valid test.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Tires are the single largest difference between cars at the track. Tires trump horsepower, because horsepower can't help you carry speed through a turn, it can only help you accelerate (and even then, the tires dictate how quickly you can accelerate.) It is obvious to me the tires on the TL-S were working better than the competition on this day at Willow Springs. Had they all been on the SAME tires, we could really judge the differences in power, suspension, and handling. As it sits, the winner had the best tires for the day. I've done enough racing to know you can't win if you are not on the best tires for the day at the track. Two seconds per lap from a car with more weight and less power underscores the difference between tires and nothing more.

newr

We don't know which car had the best tires. You are just assuming that the TL-S had the best time because it had the best compound.

Agree

newr

Again, you are assuming the TL-S had the best tires. Tires alone do not determine the outcome of the races

Best tires and crappy suspension setup do not win races.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

I'll take best tires and crappy suspension over crappy tires and best suspension any day. And I'll definitely finish better. I've seen it many times over. Had the day been a typical 110F Willow Springs summer day, the result might have been quite different.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

I didn't say anything about compound. I couldn't care less about compound. I'm looking at lap times. I know Willow Springs big track. It is a tire track. The best tires for the day will produce the best times. Tires ARE the biggest differentiator on any race day. Why do so many series run spec tires? Because ANY advantage in tires will almost guarantee beating the competition.

I've said many times, if you put a racing series together and want fierce competition, just specify the tire and rim width, the maximum track and minimum weight of the vehicle. Leave out any rules regarding equipment (except safety for the drivers) and you will have a fiercely competitive series. Why? Too much power will kill the tires too quickly. Too much of anything will kill the tires too quickly. And everyone will be working with the same amount of grip. So the racing will be all about setup, driver skill, and strategy. For instance - look at F1 the last time they had tire wars. If you weren't on Michelins, you were battling for the best mid-pack finish you could get. Bridgestone just didn't have the right stuff to compete with Michelin, and all the Michelin teams had a significant advantage for almost the entire season. It was the first time Schumacher had real trouble getting to the front in his entire career.

Do I think the TL-S had the best tires (for Willow Springs, on the day they tested)? Yes, I certainly do. Do those tires test comparably to the tires on the other cars? Probably not on any given day, but on THIS day, they were the tire to run.

xpditor

Some valid points are being made about the importance of tires.

I repeat: The TL-S was wearing its bone stock all-season OEM tires that come on all 6MT TLs. High Performance or summer tires is an option but this TL-S did not have them.

The IS350 comes standard with high performance or summer tires.

The G35 comes with the same tires as the TL-S unless they, too, were upgraded to high performance tires.

newr

In any competitive series, everything else is pretty much equal except for suspension setup, tires and driver skills. They are all important but we are not here to talk about real race cars in competitive racing situations. We are here talking about 3 different production cars built very differently so there are so many more variables involved than just tires.

If everything else was being equal... same cars, same suspension setup, same weight, same driver skills, same power, and etc... The only thing different on these cars were the tires. Then I agree with you that the fastest cars had the best tires.

opinon does not equal fact. See below

The test wasn't done on a rainy day where the all-season tires probably would excel.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

The IS350 comes with 17" tires standard. Summer tires are optional.

So, what tires did the IS350 wear that day?

OH SNAP! All Season tires? Pure BS. How about Bridgestone RE 030s in 235/45/17 sizes? That's what's in the video.



How about this:

All Season my behind!@

Sounds to me like the car on the best tires won. Period.

Incendiary

TL-S: High-Performance P235/45/R17 All-Season tires are standard, and High-Performance summer tires are also available.

IS350: 225/45VR17 all-season tires front, 245/45VR17 all-season tires rear standard, 225/40YR18 summer tires front, 255/40YR18 summer tires rear optional.

G sedan: G35, G35 Journey, G35x AWD: 225/55R17 V-rated all-season performance tires; G35 Sport, G35 Sport 6MT: 225/50R18 (front), 245/45R18 (rear) W-rated summer performance tires.

As for what shoes these cars were actually wearing, I'd let someone who reads Japanese tell you instead of assuming anything.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

How about looking at the video screeshot above...