Dunlop Admits Tyre Construction Faults

[GTRMagic]

Dunlop Admits Tyre Construction Fault

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Originally Posted by The Article, Mr Dunlop...

Extensive analysis at the Victorian circuit has highlighted an area for improvement within the construction of the tyre, with the firm confident of a resolution, according to Dunlop Australia boss Kevin Fitzsimons.
The soft tyres will return to action at October’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

“We’ve got a very good handle on what’s the cause of the failure, it is in the tyre construction itself, so we’ll just nut our way through it and go from there,” Fitzsimons told Speedcafe.com.

“I’ll be onto the factory first thing on Monday and speak to the engineers over there and send them reams of photographs and emails and we’ll nut it out and get to the bottom of it.

Dozens of Parts & Materials warranty claims c/- Dunlop HQ?

[Damien_White]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Dunlop Admits Tyre Construction Fault

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Dozens of Parts & Materials warranty claims c/- Dunlop HQ?

If they can establish "a very good handle on what’s the cause of the failure" before they've even left the circuit on Sunday night, it doesn't say much for the factory engineers who, with time on their side, couldn't get it right through the design and construction phase!

The fact there's an admission they've got to talk to the factory, assess the "reams and reams" of team supplied info, look at data, better understand the heat generation and flex on a hot tyre all points to them having absolutely no idea the cause yet.

That they have to "nut our way through it and go from there", and and "we’ll nut it out and get to the bottom of it" does not instill confidence either; certainly not for this fan anyway. That kind of language to describe the process, in what appears to be a major problem, should cause alarm. A couple of mates working on their Holden HQ in the backyard might nut out a problem, but with such high stakes I would hope for more.

If I was in charge, I'd be instructing those with some influence to be less concerned about social media commentary and be more focused on ensuring that, come Bathurst, the drivers, the equipment and the event is not compromised ... at all... in the slightest way ... zero... zilch ... naddah

[chavez]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Dunlop Admits Tyre Construction Fault

:



Dozens of Parts & Materials warranty claims c/- Dunlop HQ?

Do the teams buy the tyres or are they supplied free of charge?

Can't remember.

[ForumNick]

Ohh... they PAY for them !

[Trevor]

what about the sheep stations that were lost,how are they going to be re-couped

[Armco Bender]

I liked the exploding tyre concept,maybe the could make it interactive with the fans?,turn about a Holden then a Ford..

[Langers]

Saturday was pretty much a game of V8 Mario kart

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by chavez

Do the teams buy the tyres or are they supplied free of charge?

Can't remember.

The teams pay for them, however VASA pay on behalf of the teams out of their REC income.

Interestingly, I recently spent about as much buying road tyres for my Honda Accord as a set of Supercar Dunlops costs. And have already done several thousand kilometres on them, and I havent had one pop..

Did I get ripped off, or should VASA be demanding a better tyre, even if it was for more money.

[Backagain]

It will be interesting to see what happens at Barbagallo which is known to be very abrasive but does not have the very fast corners such as turn one at P.I.

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

The teams pay for them, however VASA pay on behalf of the teams out of their REC income.

Interestingly, I recently spent about as much buying road tyres for my Honda Accord as a set of Supercar Dunlops costs. And have already done several thousand kilometres on them, and I havent had one pop..

Did I get ripped off, or should VASA be demanding a better tyre, even if it was for more money.

probably means you drive like an old man.

[Backagain]

Originally Posted by peckstar

probably means you drive like an old man.

Whoa, careful there.
Are you putting a slur on old men ?
I'm an old man and I give my P Zeros a hell of a workout at every opportunity .

[V8 Fireworks]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Interestingly, I recently spent about as much buying road tyres for my Honda Accord as a set of Supercar Dunlops costs.

That's not a like-for-like comparison.

A closer comparison would be that could buy a set of road-legal Nankang AR-1 80-treadwear R-Compound tyres for about the same price as the set you bought... They review very well for the price -- great for trackdays, super sprints and hillclimbs, but of course they would heat cycle out if used for highway use excessively (and dangerous in the rain due to little tread). China make some great tyres these days.

AR-1s are significantly cheaper than the Hankook Z221 R-compound that were the mandatory tyre in the Bathurst 6 hour.

I wouldn't mind seeing an emerging brand like Federal or Nankang as the Supercars tyre supplier (or even more established Korean brands like Kumho, Nexen etc... DTM use Hankook as their tyre supplier).

However, overall Dunlop seem to do a good job.

[GTRMagic]

Should we revisit the aquaplaning problem with the Dunlop wets, and any impact (quite literally) they may have had in the Symkons Plains wreck?

[Umai Naa]

Probably doesn't help that what we know as 'wets' are in fact only intermediates.

There is an actual SC-spec full wet, but it is not utilised.

[GTRMagic]