Goodyear Blue Streaks for Road Use?

Kevin M · 03-20-04, 10:55 AM

Does anyone have any experience running 15" Goodyear Blue Streak Tires as road tires? If so, what were your experiences? How long do they last? Does road use heat cycle them enough that they go off after a couple of months, etc?

Thanks,

Kevin

dave harris · 03-20-04, 11:44 AM

First question, are you talking about the blue streak "slicks" racing tires?

if yes, then I have "driven" them on the street - - was ok for a lark, but there are extreme problems with this as an all-of-the-time thing -

first to your question about heat cycle, yes you can if you dirve them hard enough. If you plan to use these tires for street and then go to an autocross or track day, you might get away with it for one cycle thru a full track day and street use, but the next time at the track you will find they have "gone away". To get top performance, most race tires only get 4 (or for DOT race tires maybe 6) good heat cycles before they change dramatically. Also, slicks do not perform as you expect until you DO get some heat into them so you may just find that high performance street tires actually grip better in far more conditions.

Now for street use - the tires are so soft and roads are SO DIRTY that you pick up everything and then throw it up under your wheel wells with a tremendous amount of force!!! Even the rubber that is scrubbed off during "normal" driving can turn into problems. Fiberglass, even when coated underneath, does not respond well to this kind of treatment (stars in paint, web cracking etc).

Another problem is that they are trecherous in any wet - - even if you only drive on sunny days, you'd be surprised at how much water you will find (if only from people watering their lawns!), along streets, cross streets, when you make sharp rights and it's in the gutters, and when you accelerate = instant spin.

lastly, general roads are covered in dust (which is like water to slicks) and road grease from all of the cars (again like water). It's very nasty environment for true race slicks.

sorry for the ramble - hope some of this helps

dave

Kevin M · 03-20-04, 12:02 PM

Dave,

Thanks, it was helpful and about what I expected. The Blue Streaks I have seen had tread. I keep hoping to find a good answer to the 15" tire problem. The BFG Radial TAs are in no way even remotely a performance tire and I have never been able to find a good alternative for street use. The 15" wheels look so much more correct on the cars that I would be willing to put up with a fair amount to get them, but I would not be willing to use a tire with no grip and a 112 MPH speed rating (BFGs) on a car like this.

If anyone has found a solution (Hoosiers?), please say so.

Kevin

Fred/Belgium · 03-20-04, 02:52 PM

Kevin,

There was a geat article in the official magazine of the GTD40 club in the UK from Andrew Fordyce on Avon tyres.
Knowing Andrew, his knowledge on quality for the GT is certain.
He mentionned the Avon CR6ZZ type for 15'
Front: 215/60R15 94V A29 CR6ZZ
Rear: 245/60R15 101V A29 CR6ZZ

He also gave a ctc in the UK
Cooper Avon Tyres
Melkham/Wiltshire
Email avonracing@coopertire.com
W: www.avonracing.com

Hope this helps you,I would recommend evaluating as I have Racing Dunlops and for road it is not allowed and I would take the Avon next.

Rgds
Fred [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Scott · 03-22-04, 08:55 PM

Roger Kraus Racing distributes a bunch of different tires, including some vintage treaded race tires. Most aren't DOT, but they might work...

http://www.rogerkrausracing.com/tires.html

Scott

Bill · 01-14-09, 10:52 PM

In the 60's and 70's, I used to run them. I had them recaped by Bruce's Tires in Oakland with different compounds and tread patterns depending on the use. I know recaps sound funky but they held up well for me and many others on the track as well as the street.
I have no idea if Bruce's is capable of the same quality work now as they were back then but it is something to think about.

Bill

Mike Pass · 01-15-09, 11:26 AM

If using 15" wheels I would use the Avons as they are road legal, fairly grippy, reasonable in breakaway and not lethal in the wet. They don't have much tread pattern and thus don't like deep water on the surface. However the historic GT40 race guys use them as wets!
I have some and find them OK on the road but pretty soft and wear much faster than normal road tyres. The blue streaks need to be hot to work - I have a video of a GT40 locking up all 4 in a big cloud of blue smoke when braking for a 180 left on cold tyres. The Avons were much quicker in the same conditions.
Cheers
Mike

Lee Patterson · 01-17-09, 11:09 PM

Not a street tire - they are not at all suitable for the street - I ran a set of Avon grooved race tires on the street for a few weeks - they were ridiculously scary

Dean Lampe · 01-18-09, 09:30 AM

I ran the Goodyear Cobra tires, The ones with the deep tread and they were fine. I thought they drove nice. I think they are made in the same sizes as the Blue Streaks.

Pirelli makes a big fat 15in tire. 345/45-15 I think. The PZero system.

Currently Available Prices and Sizes

Ron Earp · 01-18-09, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmcgowen

Thanks, it was helpful and about what I expected. The Blue Streaks I have seen had tread. I keep hoping to find a good answer to the 15" tire problem. The BFG Radial TAs are in no way even remotely a performance tire and I have never been able to find a good alternative for street use.

I'm having this very same problem but for a different car, my 72 Gran Torino. Jeff Young and I have been discussing 15" alternatives for it and his car, a 72 Charger. We want to use 15" wheels (NASCAR Aero wheels) but can't find any rubber that is suitable. We are not limited as to what we can run on these cars for the street - both are registered as antiques so neither have to pass a safety inspection in NC. Both cars are planned to be used for track days, street use, and scaring the natives.

Anyhow our short list included:

Toyo R888s - None large enough, 225 is as big as Toyo offers.

Hoosier's DOT race tire - proper sizes but will tolerate no moisture at all.

BFG TA - might as well be rolling on pieces of wood. Wood would have as much traction as last longer.

I checked Kuhmio and Hankook, neither offer a treaded DOT race tires in sizes larger than 225 on 15" wheels. We're trying to avoid the Avons and Bluestreaks, after all it is 2009 and there isn't a good reason I can see that I shouldn't be able to have modern radial sticky rubber - other than the fact nobody makes the 15" tires!

Dean, these Cobras, what sort of tire are they? I'll check the site out.

Ron

EGLITOM · 01-18-09, 10:55 AM

Dean

actually the pirelli is a 345 / 35 / 15

Diameter is 631 mm; this ia a pic of them on 12"rim. THey have a fitting 225/50/15 for the front

This is what they look like from the rear

TOM

Julian · 01-18-09, 01:07 PM

The 345/35/15 Pirelli has a minimum recommended rim width of 11", good for the flared Le Mans cars, but most GT40's are running a 10" rim on the rear.

I understand that Pirelli has committed to continue this tire for as long as necessary to meet demand from Countach owners where its is original equipment. They run a batch every so often, so it pays to get your name on a list somewhere, as they disappear very quickly.

Apparently Toyo has also ceased the Proxes ST in the 295/50/15 size and hence stock of that tire is also becoming harder to find.

I'm planning to get a set of Vintage Wheels BRM's for my GT40 and really want to retain the period correct 15" look, but with tire options the way they are I'm seriously considering the 17" option.

Dean Lampe · 01-18-09, 02:49 PM

Let me know if you go with 17's. I have a set that I am not using. You would still need the adpters and spinners but the rims are like new. I even have some tires that you could use.

Martin Weigold · 01-18-09, 04:24 PM

The Avon CRZs are fine for road use. In the GTD40 car club, a lot of us (including me) use them for racing in the wet as well as for general road use. I have driven on them from England to the Le Mans Classic and back 3 times now and had no problems at all. They also look right on the car. The first photo below is a picture of me racing at Gurston Down hillclimb on the Avons.

In fact I even use them on hillclimbs in the dry as I find the Blue Streaks pretty treacherous unless they are used on a circuit - in which case they are great.

I think the video referred to above is of me on the Blue Streaks racing at Lhergy Frissell (the longest hillclimb in the UK). The car was tramlining on the Blue Streaks as I approached the first corner and then skipped offline just before the braking point, forcing me to straighten up first before braking (and after I had missed the braking point of course). Fortunately I made it round the hairpin still but I changed the tyres over for the Avons on the next run and was 5 seconds quicker.

The second photo shows what the car looks like on the Blue Streaks (this time I was racing at the Brighton Speed Trials). The third photo shows the "tread" on the Blue Streaks....as you will see, they are effectively a slick even though they have some tread on them.

One final point is that the Blue Streaks are not legal for road use in the UK and I would be very surprised if they were in the US.

Tim Kay · 01-18-09, 04:36 PM

What about this......(picked this off another thread last week I think). Looks like the Hoosiers could be grooved for those wanting a street tire and not so dangerous in the wet.

RKR Hand Grooved Tire Treading

Personally, I've posted before, my experience with the Hoosiers has been great. Pros: grip, appearance, reasonably priced. Cons: longevity, DOT questionable, wet, pick up lots of small rocks.

Rich E. · 01-18-09, 07:10 PM

Has anyone had experience with the 800-15 G-7. It's the "semi-treaded" Goodyear cobra tire. Dean, are these the ones you were referring to? I'm also in the same dilemma and have actually considered trying a drag radial from BFG or Nitto. Both make a 325/50/15. Both are poor in the wet but they sure do look the part.

Rich.

Jim Rosenthal · 01-18-09, 07:12 PM

You might look at Yokohamas. I think my Kirkham Cobra has those on it from the factory, and their 427 cars have comparable power and wheel size to GT40s. I've also heard good things about the Avons. They are the only company that seems to have gone out of their way to make tires available in the sizes we need and the performance envelope we are interested in.

Dean Lampe · 01-18-09, 07:43 PM

Rich, the G-7 is a Blue streak like in Martin's picture. I don't have a picture but they are refered to as "cobra" tires on the Kraus website. GOODYEAR RACE TIRES

Ron Earp · 01-18-09, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aladinsane

RKR Hand Grooved Tire Treading

Personally, I've posted before, my experience with the Hoosiers has been great. Pros: grip, appearance, reasonably priced. Cons: longevity, DOT questionable, wet, pick up lots of small rocks.

Thanks for that Tim, that solves my problem. I wanted Ho hos from the get go but wanted some rain shedding capability. This RKR grooving will provide that feature and allow one to run a modern sticky radial tire. Grooved Ho ho R6s will be the ticket.

Ron

Al Jones · 01-18-09, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joules5

The 345/35/15 Pirelli has a minimum recommended rim width of 11", good for the flared Le Mans cars, but most GT40's are running a 10" rim on the rear.

I understand that Pirelli has committed to continue this tire for as long as necessary to meet demand from Countach owners where its is original equipment. They run a batch every so often, so it pays to get your name on a list somewhere, as they disappear very quickly.

Apparently Toyo has also ceased the Proxes ST in the 295/50/15 size and hence stock of that tire is also becoming harder to find.

I'm planning to get a set of Vintage Wheels BRM's for my GT40 and really want to retain the period correct 15" look, but with tire options the way they are I'm seriously considering the 17" option.

Just a postscript on the Toyo Proxes.I am told they are pretty much gone.I had a specialized dealer scouring the country for them for a while. You may find them by happening on a dealer who may have a few due to a stocking error(not shown in inventory) but that's a roll of the dice. A.J.