Kim Peterson SPF road test article?

Hey Kim,

Your car was road-tested for a major magazine (Car & Driver I think?) a few months back, and I've been eagerly waiting to hear when the article will be printed. But it's all gone quiet. What's the status?
 
Re: Kim Petersen SPF road test article?

Mike:

I'm told by the editor of Car & Driver that the article will be printed in the March edition of the magazine. That means it will hit the newsstands in February. Of course, that's what I've been told – we'll have to see what actually happens!

Kim
 
Okay--keep us posted!

I would assume they would be good enough to send you complimentary advance copies? It would be nice if they would also send you the article in PDF format so that it could be posted for public consumption....
 

Ron Earp

Admin
send you complimentary advance copies? It would be nice if they would also send you the article in PDF format so that it could be posted for public consumption....

Please don't post it here unless you have permission from C&D or their publisher. GT40s.com doesn't need problems with the copyright/property police.

Thanks,
Ron
 
Guys:

I'll find a way to get the article circulated that doesn't land any of us (Ron, in particular) in hot water.

I'm told it will be a favorable piece of up to four pages. The car had just been completed by Olthoff Racing and there were a couple of issues with the engine that had to be sorted out, so we'll have to see how the writer treated that. We were fortunate that Dennis actually delivered the car to the Chrysler Test Facility and was there for the entire road test.

For those of you that may have missed my earlier post, when he returned from Michigan Dennis provided the following test results:

CAR & DRIVER TEST RESULTS (OFFICIAL)
0-60 mph: 3.8 seconds
1/4 mile: 11.7 seconds at 126 mph
Skid Pad: 1.01g

Here are some recent photos of P/2192:
 

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what kind of tires were the tests run on?
the crappy SUV tires we get with the car, or something grippier?
thanks
 
Hi Mike:

It's my understanding that the tires are entirely the buyer's choice with the SPF (or if you abstain from selecting, that of whomever completes your car). In my case, I chose the Avon CR6ZZ series tires in 295(r) and 215(f). They look authentic and have worked out well in the dry. After a couple of events at Sebring, they still have good tread on them. (In the wet, however, they are more than frightening ...)

Kim
 
Hi Mike:

It's my understanding that the tires are entirely the buyer's choice with the SPF (or if you abstain from selecting, that of whomever completes your car). In my case, I chose the Avon CR6ZZ series tires in 295(r) and 215(f). They look authentic and have worked out well in the dry. After a couple of events at Sebring, they still have good tread on them. (In the wet, however, they are more than frightening ...)

Kim

hi kim
the spf cars at my dealer all come with tires. (otherwise they would all be sitting on blocks) however the tires they come with are usually goodyears that you see on SUVs.
ill look into the avons youre running as i dont know much abt them.
thanks
 
Kim, was that 295/50 and 215/60 series in the Avons? If yes, amazing to be able to hit the 1.0g + mark with 50 and 60 series rubber usable on the street.
 
Re: Kim Petersen SPF road test article?

Kim, was that 295/50 and 215/60 series in the Avons? If yes, amazing to be able to hit the 1.0g + mark with 50 and 60 series rubber usable on the street.

Yep. Can you imagine if it had been running with modern rubber on 17" wheels? The fact that these performance figures rival modern Ferraris, Porsches, and Corvettes really makes you appreciate the GT40's exceptional 40-year old design.

Kim
 
sorta off topic, but since we are talking abt tires, maybe someone can help...
about the avons mentioned, are they R compounds?
also, im thinking of going to 17" wheels with pilot sports, 335 in the rears and 275s up front. will this setup grip better than the avons or no?
(im thinking if the avons are R compounds they may grip better despite the narrower size.)
thanks
 
Kim,
I think your car is the best looking I've seen. If I ever get around to getting one, I will likely have it painted the same. I just need to build another garage. Don't hesitate to post any more pictures.
 
sorta off topic, but since we are talking abt tires, maybe someone can help...
about the avons mentioned, are they R compounds?

>>>This sort of question really should be posed within the context of a new thread, rather than randomly dropped in here. That's because in the future, it will be very difficult to look back with the search function and find what might be said here about this unrelated topic, and also because people who may have valuable input for you might not be reading this particular thread.

Having said that, with respect to your question, they are dedicated vintage race tires that happen to be nominally road-legal. "R compound" sounds like marketing hype; you know how in the past few years, whenever a ricer manufacturer wants to impress the kids, he slaps an "R" onto whatever he's selling, i.e. the Honda Civic Type R, and so forth. If you are thinking along those same lines with respect to tires, then yes, one could say that the Avons are an "R compound".

also, im thinking of going to 17" wheels with pilot sports, 335 in the rears and 275s up front. will this setup grip better than the avons or no?

>>>In a word, no. However, the tires you are talking about may be optimized for dry weather work, but they are at least functional in the wet. By all reports, the Avons are downright frightening in the wet.

(im thinking if the avons are R compounds they may grip better despite the narrower size.)
thanks

Without having experienced them directly, I can't say for sure, but I'd be shocked if the Avons weren't substantially better than high-performance but 'ordinary' road tires under dry weather conditions--probably just a few hairs down from pure racing slicks.
 
Having had a set of Avon's on a GTD a few years ago I have first hand knowledge of the tyres and how they behave.
When you first but the tyres they work fantastically both in the dry and the wet. After pushing the car hard and getting the tyres hot they then change. Once hot the wet capability changes for the worse with a massive loss of grip. The other problem is the tyres ability to move water and aquaplaning which for me was a nightmare when hitting standing water even at low speeds.
Hope this info helps.
 
Just a comparisson from my motorcycle experience.

I used to race the AVON AM22 and AM23 in "R compound" they had a good grip ( i thought). Than changed to DUNLOP KR´s (KR 124 and KR 164; still old construction and design concept with "r Compound") they gripped significantly better than the AVONs. Because of a availability issue on the KR´s i had to change the rear one to a modern radial ( still 18") Bridgestone BT090 R ( which is a modern high silica sport compound. THey grip like hell in the dry(none of the other mentioned tires are even close) and they also can be used in wet or mixed conditions ( which is a absolute nogo with the AVONS and the DUNLOPS).
I expect any modern sport tire to be fare above the grip levels of these old design tires, due to construction and compound development. The issue is availability in terms of dimensions and they are usualy heavier.

TOM
 
Kim,

Beautiful car. Great color combination. Quick question... can you see around and behind you well enough with your side mirror set-up? I looks vintage, but do they work? Also, are your wheels powder-coated or painted? Sorry for swaying off the topic.
 
Beautiful car. Great color combination. Quick question... can you see around and behind you well enough with your side mirror set-up? I looks vintage, but do they work? Also, are your wheels powder-coated or painted? Sorry for swaying off the topic.

Thanks for the kind remarks. The mirrors work great, but bear in mind that they are both convex, so they provide a wider viewing area. I've found that this is a perfect setup and am very pleased with the result. The wheels were powder-coated, with the entire process handled by Dennis Olthoff prior to my pickup of the car. Hope that helps!

Kim
 
Re: Kim Petersen SPF road test article?

Hey Guys:

The article on my Superformance GT40 has appeared in the March edition of Car and Driver. It's on the newsstands now and is very positive about the car. Perhaps because it's Car and Driver and not Road & Track, the author refers to my Mk.I as a Mk.II, along with some other historical gaffs.

Here are the official C/D Test Results:
0 to 60 = 3.4 sec
0 to 100 = 6.8 sec
0 to 150 = 15.7 sec
Standing 1/4 mile = 11.2 sec @ 131 mph
Skidpad = 1.00 g
Curb weight = 2458 lbs.​
Unfortunately, the test was done within days of the car having the engine and transmission installed, so there was a glitch with the ZFQ that kept them from testing the brake distances. But, all in all, it wasn't a bad showing.

Kim
 
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