Dumb question of the week re tires

[kthacher]

So you guys that have a set of tires for the track, and another for everyday, how do you go about changing them? Do you have all the equipment to do this yourself, or do you pay someone to change them all the time? Do you change at the track, and if you do, how do you get all the tires and equipment there to make the change?

Finally, for someone that tracks once or twice a year, and otherwise uses the car as a DD, what would you recommend once the OEM tires need replacing?

[mngolfer]

My $0.02 worth...

I have friends in the MNAUDI club that haul my tires to the track. At the track I use a floor jack with a long reach to jack the car up. (do NOT use the suicide jack that can be purchased or provided by your dealer. This fits into the space under your front storage compartment. It has this name for a reason.) There are jack point locations on the front and back of the car to jack the car up. Loosen the nuts very slightly prior to raising the tires off the ground. Jack up the car so the tires clear ~1/2", remove lug nuts, insert guidance stud, put on track tires and reverse the procedure. Torque the wheels when done. It is very simple to do. I have two sets of OEM tires and one set of R compound tires. I have been told R compound tires in the wet can kill you in a blink. That is one of the reasons why you change tires at the track.

I have been warned/told by many on this forum to use OEM tires until my skill level is high enough to be signed off by multiple instructors before going to R compound tires. Most people in the US use Hoosier R6 compound tires on the track AFTER they have a high enough skill level.

Mothertucker on this forum is a great source for advice on tracking your car. He is a nationally certified instructor for Audi, BMW, and Porsche.