Just got home from a late-night autocross (that's how we do it in the summer, here in the land of 110+ degrees in the shade)...
My Hoosier's have good tread left, but methinks they're about done, cycled out. I came to this conclusion twice tonight - once while telling myself the course is awefully dusty or something 'cuz grip isn't what it should be, then overhearing a couple other drivers talk about how sticky it was, lol. Second and more definate time, while pulling out of a 3k or so RPM in 2nd gear right hander into a long (by Solo II standards) straight; more wheelspin than I'd like and STILL spinning at over 45 mph with the wheel straight, LMAO. I can't do that on the stock 'lops!!! Insult to injury: My align,ent's off, and the shop that did it couldn't get me in yesterday or today. Grrr.
Finished 2 seconds behind where I needed to be and over 1 second off the time I thought I could pull. I could have done better under different conditions even with these tires, but not 2 seconds better, wheras with new A6's, I bet I could have found over a second even under the substandard conditions. She was pushing like crazy even with heavy trailbraking all night.
Best STS time (national-level driver) was a 40.3xx, I needed to be within .170 of him to beat him in PAX, and would've been ecstatic coming within 1 second of him. Best run was a 42.571 no matter what I did, got into the 42's and that was all she wrote for the night, even with a re-run (downed cone right before the finish, gotta love it - on what would have been my worst run, too, LMAO). I'll be lucky to make top 20 PAX with that, much less the top 10 I always shoot for here (I've been as high as 5th).
*sigh* - Koni Yellows, $650. 245/45/17 A6's or similar, approx $230 EACH. I'd throw in another $1500-1600 for lighter wheels, too - IF ANYONE MADE ANY!
Still - $1,800 that I can't spare for shocks and tires and mount/balance, etc, is gonna hurt.