To be honest, unless something happens, no one is going to look at the tyres, unless something else happens or you get stopped for another reason. I take it these tyres have ‘For Competition Use only’ or ‘Not for Road Use’ on the sidewall, which will be the giveaway for a someone making a closer inspection, otherwise they look like tyres. I do not think any youthful officer nowadays would have a clue what Crossply Tyres are anyway?
But is it worth the risk, just for that period look on the road? Will no doubt make your insurance invalid, as well a points for every incorrect tyre under Construction and Use Regulations -
911hillclimber wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 2:53 pm
I suspect you all know AVON Tyres close the end of this year, certainly no hillclimb tyres from Dec 2023 or a few months before.
Are Cooper Tyres closing down as well? (I believe they're the same company as Avon.)
I think it is AVON's owner, Cooper, who have pulled the plug.
It leaves a very real threat to future classic race cars and esp hill climb cars that use a very special set of compounds, hence very low production numbers.
Pirelli are also pulling out of hillclimb tyre supply end of this year.
Possibly Dunlop will be the last man standing in this specialized market place. AVON employs 350 people right now, so only a substantial player could pick up the business and take it forward.
This could mean we race on Dunlops with circuit compounds (relatively rock hard). This is why I have an interest!
Lots of hillclimb race (only) cars run on 13" rim diameter, nice and light, but big enough for big brakes.
I think it would be 3 points per tyre if stopped and with the car on 'Racing only' tyres. Quick way to 12 points in one go.
73T 911 Coupe, road/hillclimber 3.2L
Lola t 492 / 3.2 hillclimb racer
Boxster 987 Gen II 2.9
911hillclimber wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 5:44 pm
I think it is AVON's owner, Cooper, who have pulled the plug.
It leaves a very real threat to future classic race cars and esp hill climb cars that use a very special set of compounds, hence very low production numbers.
Pirelli are also pulling out of hillclimb tyre supply end of this year.
matteo68 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 6:23 pm
Come on Dunlop, make 13” and 15” with E markings then!!!
The road legal ones (16" & above Dunlop racing R5, R1, 3-stud & 5-stud pattern Dunlop Racing Tyres) use the same '204' compound as the L and M tyres. It's unfair.
I’ve tried Dunlop Ms on the road and they are horrible. They follow the camber and are frankly dangerous in wet / greasy conditions. Avons are much better.
Keep the Dunlops for the track where they are a hoot. They are designed to be driven at high slip angles which generates heat and makes them sticky.
The elan GTS on Dunlops is a hoot. But there's definitely a point where more sideways is slower. In fact the elan is set up so that tidy is fast. On a different note, the quality of the Dunlops is shocking.
911hillclimber wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 2:53 pm
I suspect you all know AVON Tyres close the end of this year, certainly no hillclimb tyres from Dec 2023 or a few months before.
Are Cooper Tyres closing down as well? (I believe they're the same company as Avon.)
Just to add some info here. Cooper bought Avon some years ago and now Goodyear have bought Cooper Avon.
The problem for the Avon tyres and especially the historic/specialist/race tyres is that the production of them is unsustainable. The machines are largely original from the 50s or 60s, very labour intensive and impossible to maintain. The factory cannot make historic tyres at a profit. The radials made are less troublesome but still subscale in the volumes that make sense for a proper tyre producer. I suspect overall even though Avon race tyres go around the world, the whole thing doesn't make sense. That's why the factory is closing. I have got my info from BMTR who sell their tyres in the UK and know then very well. There may be some chinese whispers in it, but I think it is reasonably close to the truth! The factory is attempting production for the whole of 2023, but I can't see anything other than chaos there as people around the world will want to order loads to make them last as long as poss. If a race category had a season's worth of tyres at the end of 2023, they could use them for the 2024 season for example. For Avon if they can manage to keep going, they could have a massively bumper year! Also we don't know about the radial tyres that Caterhams use for road cars and race cars alike. I think they may be going too.
I was at Combe on Friday and they are tied to Avon owing to their location. The sign says something like they have been sponsored by Avon since I think 1952!
Strangely there are some rays of hope. Firstly, Hoosier make bias-ply (how quaint the merkins are!) race tyres and seem to have some suitable size and compound slicks that will fit our historic FF2000 race cars. Then Goodyear (strange) announced an investment in making historic F1 and F2 race tyres. They have also announced an all weather appendix K race tyre (equiv of Dunlop L and M perhaps). Dunlop are also bolstering their range although I don't know what that means yet. https://www.discountmags.com/magazine/a ... sue/158466
So that's what I know. I really really hope we don't end up trying to convert our race cars to run on radials.
