Re: stock tires do not suck(oh yes they do)

[Bill Hussey <vfrboy@home.net>]

"George Turner, Jr" wrote:

> So are you saying that you take a *virtually stock* auto jetta and run it at
> the track and your friends are impressed with it?

I did not buy this car as my everyday car, this was the best car for me and mom
to go half and half on at the time since I got an incredible deal on it fully
loaded.   Am I impressed with the car on the track ... no, not necessarily, it
has it's strong points, and its got one glaring week point, the engine powers
the wrong wheels.  What my point was, was that the stock GA's do not suck, they
are perfectly capable road tires.  I have no problem with people who want more
performance, I have a problem with people who blame their own driving problems
on tires.

> What kind of car are your friends driving?

club-race spec E30 M3
Z3 M-roadster
GTI-VR6
300ZX
to name a few ...

> Surely you must be joking?  T1's on a stock jetta will out perform GA's in
> every aspect.

EVERY aspect?  Price??  Wear??  Under consistant hard driving conditions ..
there is no way you will get T1's to outlast the GA's.  They would be shredded
in no-time and you would've paid twice for them what you paid for the GAs.

>  If you claim the other tires you have ran on have less
> feedback, then you may need to take the time out to actually learn the
> characteristics of those tires.  If you did that, them you would not be
> making remarks on how well GA's are.  The GA may be the best tire for YOUR
> specific need, but they are by far not the best all around tire.

They are the best all around tire that VW could've put on this car.  From a
price/performance/comfort standpoint, they should do well for all types of
people.  Pure enthusiasts make up what??? ... 10% of Jetta owners.  Better
(read: More expensive) tires would go to waste under the hands of the average
Jetta owner.

>  Once one
> has taken the time to learn the patterns and characteristics of other tires
> then you dare not to mention GA again.
> Who told you -1 degree chews up tires?

No-one .. nor did I say it.  What I said was that you should use more for track
days, but don't leave it like that (more than 1 degree), or you will chew up
tires on straight roads.  This was my bad .. I should've written that sentence
better.  Personally I think 1 degree is just fine for everyday driving if you're
sporting about it.

>  I have been running that set up for
> about 2 years now, and it has never chewed up any tire I have had or
> shortened the life span either. The only way a -1 deg. set up will chew up
> your tires is if you continuously drive in a straight line (or never play
> around in your car).  If you do that... then I wonder about your credibility
> concerning track racing in a stock auto jetta.

Never did track-racing .. this isn't a race car, and you're fooling yourself if
you think it is.  But have I taken it to the track to flog the hell outa it ..
shit yeah.

>     And which camber plates are you referring to??? for an 8v or VR6?  I
> have been looking for some but can not seem to find any that survive on
> California streets... and Cali streets have some of the smoothest streets in
> the states.

Got a real Albert Einstein here .... let me repeat, my Jetta is stock.  I'm not
referring to any camber plates.  Camber is camber, any decent high quality
adjustable plate will do just fine.  I have 2 motorcycles in the garage, and one
CBR on order, and a 323Ci on order that I'm taking European delivery of .... at
this point in time I do not have my own car.  My mom needed something to commute
with and I didn't mind having a car to use when the weather got especially
cruel.  I have no plans to transform this car into anything but what it is, a
decent commuter (gas mileage sux) with some real fun potential.

>   If you get a lot of flack on the VFR list, there is a reason
> why.  Maybe you should stay over there and not bring that to this list.

Bring what to this list??  My comments .. well then maybe you should keep your
mouth shut too??  One person writes in about the exceptional performance he/she
gets from high-performance tires, and how the stockers pale in comparison.
That's fine.  But then everyone else has to jump on the bandwagon and all of a
sudden the stock rubber sux.  I'm simply arguing that, while the stock rubber
may not suit you the best, they are very good tires and I can see completely why
VW made them OEM equipment.

Bill
'98 GLX