WTF are used RA-1s so hard to find/buy?

I've been wanting to buy a set to run on my street car for a few months and it's near impossible to find people to sell em to me.

Some people actually want to sell me a set for MORE than the $120 per tire I can get for NEW tires. WTF?

 

Generally people will run R's right till they cord. Especially the RA-1 which doesn't seem to heat cycle and fall off with age like the 710 or Hoosiers. So you don't see them up forsale very often.

I ran a set of used RA-1 (about 3/32 to 4/32 of "tread" left on the street for a summer. I wouldn't do it again. They pick up a lot of road debris and are ******* nuts in any amount of standing water.

 

Also I wouldn't pay more than $30-50 per tire if they have much wear. They start out at 8/32. At 4/32 they have nothing but 4 grooves. At about 2/32 they have 1-2 grooves visable.

When you run them on the street at 4/32 or less they look completely bald from a distance. You might get extra attention from the cops.

 

The trick is to go to an SCCA race and visit the tire truck. There you can pick through everybodys' take-offs and the tire guys don't care since they've been paid to dispose of them, so you're just "taking out the garbage". It's a bit of work because there are usually a lot of tires to dig through, and it requires a bit of luck. But it can work- I did it back when I autoxed. That's where a lot of the smaller used race tire guys get there stuff. Others have deals setup with teams.

 

thanks for the heads up on that.

 

Thanks also for that tip.

 

$30~$50 sounds reasonable to me. I'd pay that. I had a guy who wanted $155 each for a shaved set that was a "take-off" WTF???

As for attention from the LEOs, if the supercharger whine doesn't do it, I doubt the condition of my tires would. lol

 

I might have a set of used 710 up for sale. They are past their stickyness for autox (prob close70 runs). Would be nice for track. I'll let you know if I order new r-cmps

 

i have 3 year old (to me) vitroracers in 14" sitting in my basement, never got a chance to mount them.

 

What size?

I wonder how they'd drive on the street?

 

Likewise, I wonder how they'd drive on the street? Oh and what size?

 

www.nasaforums.com I have seen alot of them there not long ago. Can't say there are many now if their are. Race season is starting so I think everyone is hanging on to their stuff now.

 

the 205 size in 15's I forget how tall they are off the top of my head.

All depends on if I get new r-compounds soon. I would have bought some by now but I just bought a really fly Calvin Klein suit

 

Definetly go to local SCCA, Nasa, Iscc, spec miata races if you want RA-1's. Check the truck but also hit guys up in the pits if they aren't too busy. I just found 6 Bfg r compounds on craigslist I paid $100 for the pile. These should get me through HPDE days for the next year or two. Deals are out there. Easy if you're lucky, or do the smart thing and hit the track with amateur racing going on.

 

dont remember, got them from a buddy in Richmond who replaced them after a season, i planned on using them, too lazy to unmount my falkens, and sat in my basement for years now.

 

NASAforums.com

There are a far amount of them there, atleast in the off season....

 

When's the off season?

 

december - january... unless you're in FLA there is none. But a lot of these guys are ditching the tires after a race.