SO3's and associated excitement

[dai capp]

Just had a new pair of SO3's on the rear of the Cerbie.

I'm hoping someone can utter some words of wisdom here because frankly my drive home was frightening. For example a bend I normally take at around 80 I had to straight line at around 50 - it felt like I was driving on ice.

Even pulling away from the tyre place the back end was all over the place.

However I stopped on a nice straight piece of road and floored it from a standing start and absolutely no wheel spin. So the apparent grip shortage only seems to be on bends etc which is hardly ideal.

Do these tyres need a good bedding in first - it's not something I've experienced this badly before. Or could something else be amiss...

Cheers

DC

[TVR Slag's BiL]

New tires have a release agent on the surface of the rubber. This agent has very low friction properties. This is why F1 cars often use 'Scrubbed' rubber.

I wouldn't go to mad for a few hundred miles, take it nice and steady, or do some burn-outs!

>> Edited by TVR Slag's BiL on Saturday 22 May 17:18

[FourWheelDrift]

TVR Slag's BiL said:

or do some burn-outs!

[malman]

Have you checked the pressures? Fitter could have put 60 pounds in them for a laugh

[dai capp]

Thought I'd update...

Took my life in my hands and went to the petrol station to check the pressures...

40psi they'd put in them - I wonder if that could have been anything to do with it

Drove back, they still feel a little slippy which will no doubt go with a bit of bedding in but nothing like before...

What a bunch of tw@ts - they could easily have had me in a head on yesterday when I was forced to straight line that bend ...

Cheers

DC

[shadowninja]

Um

Not bothering to galvanize the tyres then?

You're supposed to drive like a wuss for about 100 miles. The heating and cooling makes the tyres perform better.

[J_S_G]

Had a set of SO3s put on the front of my Tuscan a month or so ago. It's taken me at least 300 miles (lots of them on the motorway) to run them in... They've definitely got a hell of a lot better now. Will be having a set put on the back to replace the Toyos if I ever get the car back. Think I'll definitely be doing a few burnouts rather than wait a few hundred miles before pushing it this time.

[SXS]

Dont forget fellas, bed them in nicely, burnouts might not 100% do them justice...

[malman]

Hey only 20 pounds off not a bad guess eh?

[FourWheelDrift]

SXS said:

Dont forget fellas, bed them in nicely, burnouts might not 100% do them justice...

No burn them up as soon as possible and get some better Goodyears or Toyo's on them

[mike_e]

SO3's have taken a lot of flak if you read previous posts on the subject. They do seem to take forever to bed in properly, my dealer reckoned on 1000 miles!

I'm running on them now, first few weeks were interesting to say the least. 800+ miles now and they seem to have finally bedded in.

Mike

[bilton_d]

I was running SO3's and changed to Toyo's when the Toyo's wear out i am straight back to SO3's overall a much better tyre.

[DustyC]

I found the same with the S03s but after 2 mins driving stopped to find the tyre place had put 35psi on all round. Considering I only need 24/22* in the Griff thats a lot.

*recommend pressures for S03s is lower due to stiffer side wall.

Also note that your need to cure the rubber buy putting a few heat cycles through them. This means hard driving for 20mins follwoed by about 4 hours to cool down again. This is quite good fun maintenance in my opinion beacuse you just blat out to a country pubs on twisties, have a leisurely lunch, and then blat back again. Thats 2 lots of curing in one day!

After doing this and a couple of other runs my S03s felt fine and grip well. Not sure of the pressures for Cerbies but Mr Heath will probably put you right. It was from him I got the pressures for the Griff/S03 set up.

All this is in the Griff bible too.

[guydw]

so what are the recomended pressures ?

(excuse my ignorance, I've just gone from Chim to Cerb, and haven't checked it out yet...)

[trooper1212]

guydw said:

so what are the recomended pressures ? (excuse my ignorance, I've just gone from Chim to Cerb, and haven't checked it out yet...)

26 all round is the general concensus IIRR

[joospeed]

be careful about putting too much power through new tyres too soon .. the soap they put on the tyre to fit them easily means the tyre can spin on the wheel rim throwing out all that balancing you just paid for ..

so take it easy for a few miles first hey?

[dai capp]

guydw said:

so what are the recomended pressures ? (excuse my ignorance, I've just gone from Chim to Cerb, and haven't checked it out yet...)

The handbook says 22 front 24 rear...

thats what I've gone for now. I can definately recommend not putting 40 psi in them!

DC

[dai capp]

joospeed said:

be careful about putting too much power through new tyres too soon .. the soap they put on the tyre to fit them easily means the tyre can spin on the wheel rim throwing out all that balancing you just paid for .. so take it easy for a few miles first hey?

Top tip there, cheers...

Fortunately I've resisted the burnout urge to date!

All the best

DC

[shnozz]

ok, so whats the approved method of bedding in the tyres asap if wheelspins are no advisory?

I need 2 new rears and only like to get them the day before I go to le mans. no way on earth can I have dodgy tyres for the drive from the ferry to le mans....

[shadowninja]

Well over the weekend with my new tyres I drove down from south london to hove and then along the coast to brighton, back up the m23 then around to bluewater, then back to south london. 186 miles. good fun too.