Here we go a Glen

East Coast track events during the fall months are completely subject to “weather watchers.” – Myself included. Is it going to rain? Is it going to be cold? Should I camp or get a hotel? Which tires do I bring with me? What’s my starting pressures? — YES!-NO!-MAYBE! to all those things. Its just part of the game. (Pro tip: when planning to camp, don’t forget your tent poles at home!)

Unlike last year’s bitter cold and rainy conditions, the Fall Finale event with Hooked On Driving (HOD) NorthEast was pleasant, a little chilly over night and in the morning, but track conditions warmed up perfectly so that I could test some new tires on my Beetle Turbo S. In the past, I’ve run either Toyo RA1s or the faster Nitto NT01s and have been satisfied with their performance, but with supply chain issues its become increasingly difficult to source my size at a reasonable price. And if you can find a set, they get quickly snatched up by BMW ///M3 and Miata Cup owners who run the same size. With limited options available, I opted for the new Falken Azenis RT660+ a 200 treadwear tire that was designed to compete with the NT01 and others.

At first glance, the tread pattern is reminiscent of other tires I’ve seen, but I noted that they’re cut a little larger than the 235 printed on the side. I never really worried about how much the tires are going to stick out from the fenders as the Beetle has plenty of room and it gives the car an aggressive stance. The challenge always comes in with my custom-made Team Dynamics wheels. In retrospect, we should have ordered them with an additional -5 offset, but this is easily corrected with spacers. And just for good measure, I threw my spacers on, giving me that ET30 that’s needed to clear my Koni coil-over suspension. “There’s about a flat head screwdrivers worth of space” between the sidewall and the shock, which should be fine, right? Having run a front wheel drive for many years, I have to remind myself that the wheel hub deflection is a real issue therefore keeping an eye on the inner side wall for any rubbing is massively important to the success of my weekend.

All of that aside, I took my time getting used to the new tires, going through the ritual of heat cycling and setting my hot air pressures. Being used to the Toyo/Nittos, roughly 37 PSI hot is all I need for optimal grip and wear. Not knowing these tires, I have to start from the basics… one trick, looking at the roll over on the outer sidewall to see how hot they’re getting after a spirited session. Since Watkins Glen is rather intense for the left front wheel because of all the right turns, I was seeing pressures jumping to 42 PSI which was a 12 PSI gain from my ~30s starting pressure, quickly bleeding those down the tires stabilized much like what I was accustomed to. New tires also mean building new confidence with the car, it’s like a major modification, you have to build up slowly and relearn. And each session got progressively faster and I stopped thinking about “how different” these Falken’s were and more about enjoying the lap.

“Hey! I’ve got my new shoes on, and suddenly everything’s alright…” – Paolo Nutini

Overall, I have no complaints about the weekend (or the tires). Great weather, great track, great laps… and great friends. It was nice to get together with GTM’ers like Kerwin W, John C, and others from HOD to close out the season in a positive way.

Since coming back from Texas and the “hilly” race tracks down south – LOL, I’ve taken some notes on things from the weekend that I’d like to modify on the car and will be working on that over the winter months in anticipation of seeing more of you at our next track event. Maybe I can adapt the wing from this 911 to my Beetle, no?

Until next time… be sure to catch up with me and the crew on upcoming Break/Fix episodes, hit me up on our new Facebook group for the show, or DM me on the Clubhouse chat.

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