As a normal SCC reader, you've no doubt bounced around the thought of buying stiffer springs or coilovers (if you don't have some already). But changes in ride height and set-up will affect stock alignment settings, altering toe and camber settings and ruining your once-stellar handling. Much like with ECU tuning, you've come to realize that you may need two different alignment settings, one for the street and a much more aggressive one for the track.
Nobody likes visiting the local tire shop and paying $70 to $100 each time a suspension change is made, only to receive an unbalanced guess job the day before a track event. The best way to ensure the work is done correctly is to take the monkey out of the equation-SPC Performance's adjustable FasTrax camber/caster gauge seeks to do just that.
The FasTrax gauge is a simple three-pegged aluminum 'T' with a bubble level built in. The design doesn't require any magnets, strings, wheel adaptors, or attachment devices. SPC calls the FasTrax 'hands free' and, while you still need to use your mitts when measuring, it really is quite easy to use.
The FasTrax is zeroed out by SPC and comes ready to use on any even surface. If you're like us, then your garage floor is obviously not level, but the FasTrax can be zeroed at any time. Once ready to go, just extend the top portion of the FasTrax to fit it onto your wheel. The gauge will function with any wheel from 13 to 18 inches in diameter.
Three protruding pegs fit either just on the inside of the wheel lip, or just on the outside. The bubble level has been designed by SPC to show proper increments of camber, and displays in degrees, with markings for every quarter of a degree. If you share our tendency to be anal, you'd like to see the gauge broken down at least into 0.10-degree increments, but the spacing on the level is large enough to figure out relative increments.
To measure caster, turn the front wheel out at a 15-degree angle, zero the FasTrax gauge, then turn the front wheel in at a 15-degree angle, in order to get the caster reading. The Fastrax has a specially cut 15-degree tip to it, so turning the wheels the correct amount is just a simple matter of lining up the tip parallel to the side of the car.
Although not included with the FasTrax, SPC does sell a toe attachment kit to measure and set toe-in/out. Using it is as simple as attaching it to the FasTrax and measuring the distance to a scribe line or plate resting against the tire on the other side of the car. Measure once in front of the tire and once behind the tire, the difference will be the amount of toe.
The kit is perfect for making quick toe adjustments at the track. But it will only really function if the toe was initially set with a four-wheel alignment, because the SPC toe kit doesn't factor in the toe setting relative to the true chassis centerline.
All these measurements can be done without hand tools and that's exactly what makes the FasTrax so easy to use. Alignment changes can be done in the comfort of your own home to your exact settings, or trackside in a pit area. Run mild alignment settings for your daily drive, then slam in maximum camber settings as dictated by the heat across your race tires.
There are now many different portable options for measuring camber and caster on the market, some even cheaper than the FasTrax, but none pack the same combination of solid construction, simplicity, ease of use and price. Alignment settings should not be overlooked on any performance car, and with a portable measuring device such as the FasTrax, you can custom tailor your suspension set-up for the street, the track, and back again.
Americans don't juggle two sets of wheels and tires, one for winter and one for summer, as the Europeans do. Call us lazy, but it has forced performance tire manufacturers to completely rethink our market and the tires developed for it, which is the reason behind the new BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S (all-season).
It's been several years since we've heard from BFGoodrich in the world of high performance tires. The company has secretly been developing a new line of rubber for the enthusiast. Replacing the KD, KDW and KDWS tire lines, the new g-Force Sport is claimed to offer a more affordable and practical option for the average gearhead.
The Super Sport A/S offers a grippy UHP (ultra-high performance) tire that not only sticks impeccably in the dry and wet, but also offers some semblance of light snow traction for those who want a performance tire all year round. Obviously, you can't have your cake and eat it too, but this comes pretty damn close. Rotation-specific and semi-symmetric, it uses lessons learned from the KDW and KDWS tires and combines them. The tread pattern and multi-compound construction is clearly of KDW origins, while the updated construction, plus the added rain and snow sipes, allow the tire to grip in the snow.
Super Sport A/S tires are constructed from three different compounds, set into three circumferential zones. On the outside and inside shoulders (#1) is the soft, dry-grip compound, molded in large shoulder blocks to give solid cornering feel. It is, however, broken up by wide snow and thin rain sipes, interspersed at random to minimize tire noise. Although the sipes on the large outer tread blocks add tread squirm and threaten to compromise ultimate grip, they're necessary for competent all-season traction. To compensate, the dry compound is built on an exceptionally stiff sub-tread reinforcement layer (#4), which adds cornering feel past the limits and also helps maintain even tire wear with the other compound zones. The rounded shoulder profile transitions to a solid sidewall, giving the Super Sport A/S the same trademark progressive breakaway feel of other BFG tires.
Inboard of the outer shoulders are the two super-soft snow/cold compound zones (#2) for snow traction. To take advantage of the soft compound, small squiggly rain sipes (used to break water surface tension) are designed to interlock and act as a solid tread block under cornering loads. The continuous center ring (#3) is the hard high-silica compound. It provides traction in the wet while at the same time increasing tire life and on-center feel. All zones are connected by a semi-symmetric water tread design that provides lateral channels and a path for water to evacuate under cornering. The non-symmetric design also helps in noise reduction. The Super Sport A/S will be offered in 29 performance-oriented sizes ranging from 205/50/15 to 255/35/20.
We tested the g-Force Super Sport A/S in the wet-mounted on an Audi A4-and in the dry, on a Lancer Evolution IX. The tire has a respectable amount of grip for an all-season item and almost the same steering feel, response and initial turn-in bite of the A046 max-grip tires-with a hell of a lot more wet traction than any other tire with the same dry grip. Plus, it's a lot quieter than most aggressive and sticky summer tires. n
Americans don't juggle two sets of wheels and tires, one for winter and one for summer, as the Europeans do. Call us lazy, but it has forced performance tire manufacturers to completely rethink our market and the tires developed for it, which is the reason behind the new BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S (all-season).
It's been several years since we've heard from BFGoodrich in the world of high performance tires. The company has secretly been developing a new line of rubber for the enthusiast. Replacing the KD, KDW and KDWS tire lines, the new g-Force Sport is claimed to offer a more affordable and practical option for the average gearhead.
The Super Sport A/S offers a grippy UHP (ultra-high performance) tire that not only sticks impeccably in the dry and wet, but also offers some semblance of light snow traction for those who want a performance tire all year round. Obviously, you can't have your cake and eat it too, but this comes pretty damn close. Rotation-specific and semi-symmetric, it uses lessons learned from the KDW and KDWS tires and combines them. The tread pattern and multi-compound construction is clearly of KDW origins, while the updated construction, plus the added rain and snow sipes, allow the tire to grip in the snow.
Super Sport A/S tires are constructed from three different compounds, set into three circumferential zones. On the outside and inside shoulders (#1) is the soft, dry-grip compound, molded in large shoulder blocks to give solid cornering feel. It is, however, broken up by wide snow and thin rain sipes, interspersed at random to minimize tire noise. Although the sipes on the large outer tread blocks add tread squirm and threaten to compromise ultimate grip, they're necessary for competent all-season traction. To compensate, the dry compound is built on an exceptionally stiff sub-tread reinforcement layer (#4), which adds cornering feel past the limits and also helps maintain even tire wear with the other compound zones. The rounded shoulder profile transitions to a solid sidewall, giving the Super Sport A/S the same trademark progressive breakaway feel of other BFG tires.
Inboard of the outer shoulders are the two super-soft snow/cold compound zones (#2) for snow traction. To take advantage of the soft compound, small squiggly rain sipes (used to break water surface tension) are designed to interlock and act as a solid tread block under cornering loads. The continuous center ring (#3) is the hard high-silica compound. It provides traction in the wet while at the same time increasing tire life and on-center feel. All zones are connected by a semi-symmetric water tread design that provides lateral channels and a path for water to evacuate under cornering. The non-symmetric design also helps in noise reduction. The Super Sport A/S will be offered in 29 performance-oriented sizes ranging from 205/50/15 to 255/35/20.
We tested the g-Force Super Sport A/S in the wet-mounted on an Audi A4-and in the dry, on a Lancer Evolution IX. The tire has a respectable amount of grip for an all-season item and almost the same steering feel, response and initial turn-in bite of the A046 max-grip tires-with a hell of a lot more wet traction than any other tire with the same dry grip. Plus, it's a lot quieter than most aggressive and sticky summer tires. n
As a normal SCC reader, you've no doubt bounced around the thought of buying stiffer springs or coilovers (if you don't have some already). But changes in ride height and set-up will affect stock alignment settings, altering toe and camber settings and ruining your once-stellar handling. Much like with ECU tuning, you've come to realize that you may need two different alignment settings, one for the street and a much more aggressive one for the track.
Nobody likes visiting the local tire shop and paying $70 to $100 each time a suspension change is made, only to receive an unbalanced guess job the day before a track event. The best way to ensure the work is done correctly is to take the monkey out of the equation-SPC Performance's adjustable FasTrax camber/caster gauge seeks to do just that.
The FasTrax gauge is a simple three-pegged aluminum 'T' with a bubble level built in. The design doesn't require any magnets, strings, wheel adaptors, or attachment devices. SPC calls the FasTrax 'hands free' and, while you still need to use your mitts when measuring, it really is quite easy to use.
The FasTrax is zeroed out by SPC and comes ready to use on any even surface. If you're like us, then your garage floor is obviously not level, but the FasTrax can be zeroed at any time. Once ready to go, just extend the top portion of the FasTrax to fit it onto your wheel. The gauge will function with any wheel from 13 to 18 inches in diameter.
Three protruding pegs fit either just on the inside of the wheel lip, or just on the outside. The bubble level has been designed by SPC to show proper increments of camber, and displays in degrees, with markings for every quarter of a degree. If you share our tendency to be anal, you'd like to see the gauge broken down at least into 0.10-degree increments, but the spacing on the level is large enough to figure out relative increments.
To measure caster, turn the front wheel out at a 15-degree angle, zero the FasTrax gauge, then turn the front wheel in at a 15-degree angle, in order to get the caster reading. The Fastrax has a specially cut 15-degree tip to it, so turning the wheels the correct amount is just a simple matter of lining up the tip parallel to the side of the car.
Although not included with the FasTrax, SPC does sell a toe attachment kit to measure and set toe-in/out. Using it is as simple as attaching it to the FasTrax and measuring the distance to a scribe line or plate resting against the tire on the other side of the car. Measure once in front of the tire and once behind the tire, the difference will be the amount of toe.
The kit is perfect for making quick toe adjustments at the track. But it will only really function if the toe was initially set with a four-wheel alignment, because the SPC toe kit doesn't factor in the toe setting relative to the true chassis centerline.
All these measurements can be done without hand tools and that's exactly what makes the FasTrax so easy to use. Alignment changes can be done in the comfort of your own home to your exact settings, or trackside in a pit area. Run mild alignment settings for your daily drive, then slam in maximum camber settings as dictated by the heat across your race tires.
There are now many different portable options for measuring camber and caster on the market, some even cheaper than the FasTrax, but none pack the same combination of solid construction, simplicity, ease of use and price. Alignment settings should not be overlooked on any performance car, and with a portable measuring device such as the FasTrax, you can custom tailor your suspension set-up for the street, the track, and back again.
Americans don't juggle two sets of wheels and tires, one for winter and one for summer, as the Europeans do. Call us lazy, but it has forced performance tire manufacturers to completely rethink our market and the tires developed for it, which is the reason behind the new BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S (all-season).
It's been several years since we've heard from BFGoodrich in the world of high performance tires. The company has secretly been developing a new line of rubber for the enthusiast. Replacing the KD, KDW and KDWS tire lines, the new g-Force Sport is claimed to offer a more affordable and practical option for the average gearhead.
The Super Sport A/S offers a grippy UHP (ultra-high performance) tire that not only sticks impeccably in the dry and wet, but also offers some semblance of light snow traction for those who want a performance tire all year round. Obviously, you can't have your cake and eat it too, but this comes pretty damn close. Rotation-specific and semi-symmetric, it uses lessons learned from the KDW and KDWS tires and combines them. The tread pattern and multi-compound construction is clearly of KDW origins, while the updated construction, plus the added rain and snow sipes, allow the tire to grip in the snow.
Super Sport A/S tires are constructed from three different compounds, set into three circumferential zones. On the outside and inside shoulders (#1) is the soft, dry-grip compound, molded in large shoulder blocks to give solid cornering feel. It is, however, broken up by wide snow and thin rain sipes, interspersed at random to minimize tire noise. Although the sipes on the large outer tread blocks add tread squirm and threaten to compromise ultimate grip, they're necessary for competent all-season traction. To compensate, the dry compound is built on an exceptionally stiff sub-tread reinforcement layer (#4), which adds cornering feel past the limits and also helps maintain even tire wear with the other compound zones. The rounded shoulder profile transitions to a solid sidewall, giving the Super Sport A/S the same trademark progressive breakaway feel of other BFG tires.
Inboard of the outer shoulders are the two super-soft snow/cold compound zones (#2) for snow traction. To take advantage of the soft compound, small squiggly rain sipes (used to break water surface tension) are designed to interlock and act as a solid tread block under cornering loads. The continuous center ring (#3) is the hard high-silica compound. It provides traction in the wet while at the same time increasing tire life and on-center feel. All zones are connected by a semi-symmetric water tread design that provides lateral channels and a path for water to evacuate under cornering. The non-symmetric design also helps in noise reduction. The Super Sport A/S will be offered in 29 performance-oriented sizes ranging from 205/50/15 to 255/35/20.
We tested the g-Force Super Sport A/S in the wet-mounted on an Audi A4-and in the dry, on a Lancer Evolution IX. The tire has a respectable amount of grip for an all-season item and almost the same steering feel, response and initial turn-in bite of the A046 max-grip tires-with a hell of a lot more wet traction than any other tire with the same dry grip. Plus, it's a lot quieter than most aggressive and sticky summer tires. n
Americans don't juggle two sets of wheels and tires, one for winter and one for summer, as the Europeans do. Call us lazy, but it has forced performance tire manufacturers to completely rethink our market and the tires developed for it, which is the reason behind the new BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S (all-season).
It's been several years since we've heard from BFGoodrich in the world of high performance tires. The company has secretly been developing a new line of rubber for the enthusiast. Replacing the KD, KDW and KDWS tire lines, the new g-Force Sport is claimed to offer a more affordable and practical option for the average gearhead.
The Super Sport A/S offers a grippy UHP (ultra-high performance) tire that not only sticks impeccably in the dry and wet, but also offers some semblance of light snow traction for those who want a performance tire all year round. Obviously, you can't have your cake and eat it too, but this comes pretty damn close. Rotation-specific and semi-symmetric, it uses lessons learned from the KDW and KDWS tires and combines them. The tread pattern and multi-compound construction is clearly of KDW origins, while the updated construction, plus the added rain and snow sipes, allow the tire to grip in the snow.
Super Sport A/S tires are constructed from three different compounds, set into three circumferential zones. On the outside and inside shoulders (#1) is the soft, dry-grip compound, molded in large shoulder blocks to give solid cornering feel. It is, however, broken up by wide snow and thin rain sipes, interspersed at random to minimize tire noise. Although the sipes on the large outer tread blocks add tread squirm and threaten to compromise ultimate grip, they're necessary for competent all-season traction. To compensate, the dry compound is built on an exceptionally stiff sub-tread reinforcement layer (#4), which adds cornering feel past the limits and also helps maintain even tire wear with the other compound zones. The rounded shoulder profile transitions to a solid sidewall, giving the Super Sport A/S the same trademark progressive breakaway feel of other BFG tires.
Inboard of the outer shoulders are the two super-soft snow/cold compound zones (#2) for snow traction. To take advantage of the soft compound, small squiggly rain sipes (used to break water surface tension) are designed to interlock and act as a solid tread block under cornering loads. The continuous center ring (#3) is the hard high-silica compound. It provides traction in the wet while at the same time increasing tire life and on-center feel. All zones are connected by a semi-symmetric water tread design that provides lateral channels and a path for water to evacuate under cornering. The non-symmetric design also helps in noise reduction. The Super Sport A/S will be offered in 29 performance-oriented sizes ranging from 205/50/15 to 255/35/20.
We tested the g-Force Super Sport A/S in the wet-mounted on an Audi A4-and in the dry, on a Lancer Evolution IX. The tire has a respectable amount of grip for an all-season item and almost the same steering feel, response and initial turn-in bite of the A046 max-grip tires-with a hell of a lot more wet traction than any other tire with the same dry grip. Plus, it's a lot quieter than most aggressive and sticky summer tires. n
As a normal SCC reader, you've no doubt bounced around the thought of buying stiffer springs or coilovers (if you don't have some already). But changes in ride height and set-up will affect stock alignment settings, altering toe and camber settings and ruining your once-stellar handling. Much like with ECU tuning, you've come to realize that you may need two different alignment settings, one for the street and a much more aggressive one for the track.
Nobody likes visiting the local tire shop and paying $70 to $100 each time a suspension change is made, only to receive an unbalanced guess job the day before a track event. The best way to ensure the work is done correctly is to take the monkey out of the equation-SPC Performance's adjustable FasTrax camber/caster gauge seeks to do just that.
The FasTrax gauge is a simple three-pegged aluminum 'T' with a bubble level built in. The design doesn't require any magnets, strings, wheel adaptors, or attachment devices. SPC calls the FasTrax 'hands free' and, while you still need to use your mitts when measuring, it really is quite easy to use.
The FasTrax is zeroed out by SPC and comes ready to use on any even surface. If you're like us, then your garage floor is obviously not level, but the FasTrax can be zeroed at any time. Once ready to go, just extend the top portion of the FasTrax to fit it onto your wheel. The gauge will function with any wheel from 13 to 18 inches in diameter.
Three protruding pegs fit either just on the inside of the wheel lip, or just on the outside. The bubble level has been designed by SPC to show proper increments of camber, and displays in degrees, with markings for every quarter of a degree. If you share our tendency to be anal, you'd like to see the gauge broken down at least into 0.10-degree increments, but the spacing on the level is large enough to figure out relative increments.
To measure caster, turn the front wheel out at a 15-degree angle, zero the FasTrax gauge, then turn the front wheel in at a 15-degree angle, in order to get the caster reading. The Fastrax has a specially cut 15-degree tip to it, so turning the wheels the correct amount is just a simple matter of lining up the tip parallel to the side of the car.
Although not included with the FasTrax, SPC does sell a toe attachment kit to measure and set toe-in/out. Using it is as simple as attaching it to the FasTrax and measuring the distance to a scribe line or plate resting against the tire on the other side of the car. Measure once in front of the tire and once behind the tire, the difference will be the amount of toe.
The kit is perfect for making quick toe adjustments at the track. But it will only really function if the toe was initially set with a four-wheel alignment, because the SPC toe kit doesn't factor in the toe setting relative to the true chassis centerline.
All these measurements can be done without hand tools and that's exactly what makes the FasTrax so easy to use. Alignment changes can be done in the comfort of your own home to your exact settings, or trackside in a pit area. Run mild alignment settings for your daily drive, then slam in maximum camber settings as dictated by the heat across your race tires.
There are now many different portable options for measuring camber and caster on the market, some even cheaper than the FasTrax, but none pack the same combination of solid construction, simplicity, ease of use and price. Alignment settings should not be overlooked on any performance car, and with a portable measuring device such as the FasTrax, you can custom tailor your suspension set-up for the street, the track, and back again.
As a normal SCC reader, you've no doubt bounced around the thought of buying stiffer springs or coilovers (if you don't have some already). But changes in ride height and set-up will affect stock alignment settings, altering toe and camber settings and ruining your once-stellar handling. Much like with ECU tuning, you've come to realize that you may need two different alignment settings, one for the street and a much more aggressive one for the track.
Nobody likes visiting the local tire shop and paying $70 to $100 each time a suspension change is made, only to receive an unbalanced guess job the day before a track event. The best way to ensure the work is done correctly is to take the monkey out of the equation-SPC Performance's adjustable FasTrax camber/caster gauge seeks to do just that.
The FasTrax gauge is a simple three-pegged aluminum 'T' with a bubble level built in. The design doesn't require any magnets, strings, wheel adaptors, or attachment devices. SPC calls the FasTrax 'hands free' and, while you still need to use your mitts when measuring, it really is quite easy to use.
The FasTrax is zeroed out by SPC and comes ready to use on any even surface. If you're like us, then your garage floor is obviously not level, but the FasTrax can be zeroed at any time. Once ready to go, just extend the top portion of the FasTrax to fit it onto your wheel. The gauge will function with any wheel from 13 to 18 inches in diameter.
Three protruding pegs fit either just on the inside of the wheel lip, or just on the outside. The bubble level has been designed by SPC to show proper increments of camber, and displays in degrees, with markings for every quarter of a degree. If you share our tendency to be anal, you'd like to see the gauge broken down at least into 0.10-degree increments, but the spacing on the level is large enough to figure out relative increments.
To measure caster, turn the front wheel out at a 15-degree angle, zero the FasTrax gauge, then turn the front wheel in at a 15-degree angle, in order to get the caster reading. The Fastrax has a specially cut 15-degree tip to it, so turning the wheels the correct amount is just a simple matter of lining up the tip parallel to the side of the car.
Although not included with the FasTrax, SPC does sell a toe attachment kit to measure and set toe-in/out. Using it is as simple as attaching it to the FasTrax and measuring the distance to a scribe line or plate resting against the tire on the other side of the car. Measure once in front of the tire and once behind the tire, the difference will be the amount of toe.
The kit is perfect for making quick toe adjustments at the track. But it will only really function if the toe was initially set with a four-wheel alignment, because the SPC toe kit doesn't factor in the toe setting relative to the true chassis centerline.
All these measurements can be done without hand tools and that's exactly what makes the FasTrax so easy to use. Alignment changes can be done in the comfort of your own home to your exact settings, or trackside in a pit area. Run mild alignment settings for your daily drive, then slam in maximum camber settings as dictated by the heat across your race tires.
There are now many different portable options for measuring camber and caster on the market, some even cheaper than the FasTrax, but none pack the same combination of solid construction, simplicity, ease of use and price. Alignment settings should not be overlooked on any performance car, and with a portable measuring device such as the FasTrax, you can custom tailor your suspension set-up for the street, the track, and back again.
Americans don't juggle two sets of wheels and tires, one for winter and one for summer, as the Europeans do. Call us lazy, but it has forced performance tire manufacturers to completely rethink our market and the tires developed for it, which is the reason behind the new BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S (all-season).
It's been several years since we've heard from BFGoodrich in the world of high performance tires. The company has secretly been developing a new line of rubber for the enthusiast. Replacing the KD, KDW and KDWS tire lines, the new g-Force Sport is claimed to offer a more affordable and practical option for the average gearhead.
The Super Sport A/S offers a grippy UHP (ultra-high performance) tire that not only sticks impeccably in the dry and wet, but also offers some semblance of light snow traction for those who want a performance tire all year round. Obviously, you can't have your cake and eat it too, but this comes pretty damn close. Rotation-specific and semi-symmetric, it uses lessons learned from the KDW and KDWS tires and combines them. The tread pattern and multi-compound construction is clearly of KDW origins, while the updated construction, plus the added rain and snow sipes, allow the tire to grip in the snow.
Super Sport A/S tires are constructed from three different compounds, set into three circumferential zones. On the outside and inside shoulders (#1) is the soft, dry-grip compound, molded in large shoulder blocks to give solid cornering feel. It is, however, broken up by wide snow and thin rain sipes, interspersed at random to minimize tire noise. Although the sipes on the large outer tread blocks add tread squirm and threaten to compromise ultimate grip, they're necessary for competent all-season traction. To compensate, the dry compound is built on an exceptionally stiff sub-tread reinforcement layer (#4), which adds cornering feel past the limits and also helps maintain even tire wear with the other compound zones. The rounded shoulder profile transitions to a solid sidewall, giving the Super Sport A/S the same trademark progressive breakaway feel of other BFG tires.
Inboard of the outer shoulders are the two super-soft snow/cold compound zones (#2) for snow traction. To take advantage of the soft compound, small squiggly rain sipes (used to break water surface tension) are designed to interlock and act as a solid tread block under cornering loads. The continuous center ring (#3) is the hard high-silica compound. It provides traction in the wet while at the same time increasing tire life and on-center feel. All zones are connected by a semi-symmetric water tread design that provides lateral channels and a path for water to evacuate under cornering. The non-symmetric design also helps in noise reduction. The Super Sport A/S will be offered in 29 performance-oriented sizes ranging from 205/50/15 to 255/35/20.
We tested the g-Force Super Sport A/S in the wet-mounted on an Audi A4-and in the dry, on a Lancer Evolution IX. The tire has a respectable amount of grip for an all-season item and almost the same steering feel, response and initial turn-in bite of the A046 max-grip tires-with a hell of a lot more wet traction than any other tire with the same dry grip. Plus, it's a lot quieter than most aggressive and sticky summer tires. n
Americans don't juggle two sets of wheels and tires, one for winter and one for summer, as the Europeans do. Call us lazy, but it has forced performance tire manufacturers to completely rethink our market and the tires developed for it, which is the reason behind the new BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S (all-season).
It's been several years since we've heard from BFGoodrich in the world of high performance tires. The company has secretly been developing a new line of rubber for the enthusiast. Replacing the KD, KDW and KDWS tire lines, the new g-Force Sport is claimed to offer a more affordable and practical option for the average gearhead.
The Super Sport A/S offers a grippy UHP (ultra-high performance) tire that not only sticks impeccably in the dry and wet, but also offers some semblance of light snow traction for those who want a performance tire all year round. Obviously, you can't have your cake and eat it too, but this comes pretty damn close. Rotation-specific and semi-symmetric, it uses lessons learned from the KDW and KDWS tires and combines them. The tread pattern and multi-compound construction is clearly of KDW origins, while the updated construction, plus the added rain and snow sipes, allow the tire to grip in the snow.
Super Sport A/S tires are constructed from three different compounds, set into three circumferential zones. On the outside and inside shoulders (#1) is the soft, dry-grip compound, molded in large shoulder blocks to give solid cornering feel. It is, however, broken up by wide snow and thin rain sipes, interspersed at random to minimize tire noise. Although the sipes on the large outer tread blocks add tread squirm and threaten to compromise ultimate grip, they're necessary for competent all-season traction. To compensate, the dry compound is built on an exceptionally stiff sub-tread reinforcement layer (#4), which adds cornering feel past the limits and also helps maintain even tire wear with the other compound zones. The rounded shoulder profile transitions to a solid sidewall, giving the Super Sport A/S the same trademark progressive breakaway feel of other BFG tires.
Inboard of the outer shoulders are the two super-soft snow/cold compound zones (#2) for snow traction. To take advantage of the soft compound, small squiggly rain sipes (used to break water surface tension) are designed to interlock and act as a solid tread block under cornering loads. The continuous center ring (#3) is the hard high-silica compound. It provides traction in the wet while at the same time increasing tire life and on-center feel. All zones are connected by a semi-symmetric water tread design that provides lateral channels and a path for water to evacuate under cornering. The non-symmetric design also helps in noise reduction. The Super Sport A/S will be offered in 29 performance-oriented sizes ranging from 205/50/15 to 255/35/20.
We tested the g-Force Super Sport A/S in the wet-mounted on an Audi A4-and in the dry, on a Lancer Evolution IX. The tire has a respectable amount of grip for an all-season item and almost the same steering feel, response and initial turn-in bite of the A046 max-grip tires-with a hell of a lot more wet traction than any other tire with the same dry grip. Plus, it's a lot quieter than most aggressive and sticky summer tires. n
As a normal SCC reader, you've no doubt bounced around the thought of buying stiffer springs or coilovers (if you don't have some already). But changes in ride height and set-up will affect stock alignment settings, altering toe and camber settings and ruining your once-stellar handling. Much like with ECU tuning, you've come to realize that you may need two different alignment settings, one for the street and a much more aggressive one for the track.
Nobody likes visiting the local tire shop and paying $70 to $100 each time a suspension change is made, only to receive an unbalanced guess job the day before a track event. The best way to ensure the work is done correctly is to take the monkey out of the equation-SPC Performance's adjustable FasTrax camber/caster gauge seeks to do just that.
The FasTrax gauge is a simple three-pegged aluminum 'T' with a bubble level built in. The design doesn't require any magnets, strings, wheel adaptors, or attachment devices. SPC calls the FasTrax 'hands free' and, while you still need to use your mitts when measuring, it really is quite easy to use.
The FasTrax is zeroed out by SPC and comes ready to use on any even surface. If you're like us, then your garage floor is obviously not level, but the FasTrax can be zeroed at any time. Once ready to go, just extend the top portion of the FasTrax to fit it onto your wheel. The gauge will function with any wheel from 13 to 18 inches in diameter.
Three protruding pegs fit either just on the inside of the wheel lip, or just on the outside. The bubble level has been designed by SPC to show proper increments of camber, and displays in degrees, with markings for every quarter of a degree. If you share our tendency to be anal, you'd like to see the gauge broken down at least into 0.10-degree increments, but the spacing on the level is large enough to figure out relative increments.
To measure caster, turn the front wheel out at a 15-degree angle, zero the FasTrax gauge, then turn the front wheel in at a 15-degree angle, in order to get the caster reading. The Fastrax has a specially cut 15-degree tip to it, so turning the wheels the correct amount is just a simple matter of lining up the tip parallel to the side of the car.
Although not included with the FasTrax, SPC does sell a toe attachment kit to measure and set toe-in/out. Using it is as simple as attaching it to the FasTrax and measuring the distance to a scribe line or plate resting against the tire on the other side of the car. Measure once in front of the tire and once behind the tire, the difference will be the amount of toe.
The kit is perfect for making quick toe adjustments at the track. But it will only really function if the toe was initially set with a four-wheel alignment, because the SPC toe kit doesn't factor in the toe setting relative to the true chassis centerline.
All these measurements can be done without hand tools and that's exactly what makes the FasTrax so easy to use. Alignment changes can be done in the comfort of your own home to your exact settings, or trackside in a pit area. Run mild alignment settings for your daily drive, then slam in maximum camber settings as dictated by the heat across your race tires.
There are now many different portable options for measuring camber and caster on the market, some even cheaper than the FasTrax, but none pack the same combination of solid construction, simplicity, ease of use and price. Alignment settings should not be overlooked on any performance car, and with a portable measuring device such as the FasTrax, you can custom tailor your suspension set-up for the street, the track, and back again.
As a normal SCC reader, you've no doubt bounced around the thought of buying stiffer springs or coilovers (if you don't have some already). But changes in ride height and set-up will affect stock alignment settings, altering toe and camber settings and ruining your once-stellar handling. Much like with ECU tuning, you've come to realize that you may need two different alignment settings, one for the street and a much more aggressive one for the track.
Nobody likes visiting the local tire shop and paying $70 to $100 each time a suspension change is made, only to receive an unbalanced guess job the day before a track event. The best way to ensure the work is done correctly is to take the monkey out of the equation-SPC Performance's adjustable FasTrax camber/caster gauge seeks to do just that.
The FasTrax gauge is a simple three-pegged aluminum 'T' with a bubble level built in. The design doesn't require any magnets, strings, wheel adaptors, or attachment devices. SPC calls the FasTrax 'hands free' and, while you still need to use your mitts when measuring, it really is quite easy to use.
The FasTrax is zeroed out by SPC and comes ready to use on any even surface. If you're like us, then your garage floor is obviously not level, but the FasTrax can be zeroed at any time. Once ready to go, just extend the top portion of the FasTrax to fit it onto your wheel. The gauge will function with any wheel from 13 to 18 inches in diameter.
Three protruding pegs fit either just on the inside of the wheel lip, or just on the outside. The bubble level has been designed by SPC to show proper increments of camber, and displays in degrees, with markings for every quarter of a degree. If you share our tendency to be anal, you'd like to see the gauge broken down at least into 0.10-degree increments, but the spacing on the level is large enough to figure out relative increments.
To measure caster, turn the front wheel out at a 15-degree angle, zero the FasTrax gauge, then turn the front wheel in at a 15-degree angle, in order to get the caster reading. The Fastrax has a specially cut 15-degree tip to it, so turning the wheels the correct amount is just a simple matter of lining up the tip parallel to the side of the car.
Although not included with the FasTrax, SPC does sell a toe attachment kit to measure and set toe-in/out. Using it is as simple as attaching it to the FasTrax and measuring the distance to a scribe line or plate resting against the tire on the other side of the car. Measure once in front of the tire and once behind the tire, the difference will be the amount of toe.
The kit is perfect for making quick toe adjustments at the track. But it will only really function if the toe was initially set with a four-wheel alignment, because the SPC toe kit doesn't factor in the toe setting relative to the true chassis centerline.
All these measurements can be done without hand tools and that's exactly what makes the FasTrax so easy to use. Alignment changes can be done in the comfort of your own home to your exact settings, or trackside in a pit area. Run mild alignment settings for your daily drive, then slam in maximum camber settings as dictated by the heat across your race tires.
There are now many different portable options for measuring camber and caster on the market, some even cheaper than the FasTrax, but none pack the same combination of solid construction, simplicity, ease of use and price. Alignment settings should not be overlooked on any performance car, and with a portable measuring device such as the FasTrax, you can custom tailor your suspension set-up for the street, the track, and back again.
Americans don't juggle two sets of wheels and tires, one for winter and one for summer, as the Europeans do. Call us lazy, but it has forced performance tire manufacturers to completely rethink our market and the tires developed for it, which is the reason behind the new BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S (all-season).
It's been several years since we've heard from BFGoodrich in the world of high performance tires. The company has secretly been developing a new line of rubber for the enthusiast. Replacing the KD, KDW and KDWS tire lines, the new g-Force Sport is claimed to offer a more affordable and practical option for the average gearhead.
The Super Sport A/S offers a grippy UHP (ultra-high performance) tire that not only sticks impeccably in the dry and wet, but also offers some semblance of light snow traction for those who want a performance tire all year round. Obviously, you can't have your cake and eat it too, but this comes pretty damn close. Rotation-specific and semi-symmetric, it uses lessons learned from the KDW and KDWS tires and combines them. The tread pattern and multi-compound construction is clearly of KDW origins, while the updated construction, plus the added rain and snow sipes, allow the tire to grip in the snow.
Super Sport A/S tires are constructed from three different compounds, set into three circumferential zones. On the outside and inside shoulders (#1) is the soft, dry-grip compound, molded in large shoulder blocks to give solid cornering feel. It is, however, broken up by wide snow and thin rain sipes, interspersed at random to minimize tire noise. Although the sipes on the large outer tread blocks add tread squirm and threaten to compromise ultimate grip, they're necessary for competent all-season traction. To compensate, the dry compound is built on an exceptionally stiff sub-tread reinforcement layer (#4), which adds cornering feel past the limits and also helps maintain even tire wear with the other compound zones. The rounded shoulder profile transitions to a solid sidewall, giving the Super Sport A/S the same trademark progressive breakaway feel of other BFG tires.
Inboard of the outer shoulders are the two super-soft snow/cold compound zones (#2) for snow traction. To take advantage of the soft compound, small squiggly rain sipes (used to break water surface tension) are designed to interlock and act as a solid tread block under cornering loads. The continuous center ring (#3) is the hard high-silica compound. It provides traction in the wet while at the same time increasing tire life and on-center feel. All zones are connected by a semi-symmetric water tread design that provides lateral channels and a path for water to evacuate under cornering. The non-symmetric design also helps in noise reduction. The Super Sport A/S will be offered in 29 performance-oriented sizes ranging from 205/50/15 to 255/35/20.
We tested the g-Force Super Sport A/S in the wet-mounted on an Audi A4-and in the dry, on a Lancer Evolution IX. The tire has a respectable amount of grip for an all-season item and almost the same steering feel, response and initial turn-in bite of the A046 max-grip tires-with a hell of a lot more wet traction than any other tire with the same dry grip. Plus, it's a lot quieter than most aggressive and sticky summer tires. n
As a normal SCC reader, you've no doubt bounced around the thought of buying stiffer springs or coilovers (if you don't have some already). But changes in ride height and set-up will affect stock alignment settings, altering toe and camber settings and ruining your once-stellar handling. Much like with ECU tuning, you've come to realize that you may need two different alignment settings, one for the street and a much more aggressive one for the track.
Nobody likes visiting the local tire shop and paying $70 to $100 each time a suspension change is made, only to receive an unbalanced guess job the day before a track event. The best way to ensure the work is done correctly is to take the monkey out of the equation-SPC Performance's adjustable FasTrax camber/caster gauge seeks to do just that.
The FasTrax gauge is a simple three-pegged aluminum 'T' with a bubble level built in. The design doesn't require any magnets, strings, wheel adaptors, or attachment devices. SPC calls the FasTrax 'hands free' and, while you still need to use your mitts when measuring, it really is quite easy to use.
The FasTrax is zeroed out by SPC and comes ready to use on any even surface. If you're like us, then your garage floor is obviously not level, but the FasTrax can be zeroed at any time. Once ready to go, just extend the top portion of the FasTrax to fit it onto your wheel. The gauge will function with any wheel from 13 to 18 inches in diameter.
Three protruding pegs fit either just on the inside of the wheel lip, or just on the outside. The bubble level has been designed by SPC to show proper increments of camber, and displays in degrees, with markings for every quarter of a degree. If you share our tendency to be anal, you'd like to see the gauge broken down at least into 0.10-degree increments, but the spacing on the level is large enough to figure out relative increments.
To measure caster, turn the front wheel out at a 15-degree angle, zero the FasTrax gauge, then turn the front wheel in at a 15-degree angle, in order to get the caster reading. The Fastrax has a specially cut 15-degree tip to it, so turning the wheels the correct amount is just a simple matter of lining up the tip parallel to the side of the car.
Although not included with the FasTrax, SPC does sell a toe attachment kit to measure and set toe-in/out. Using it is as simple as attaching it to the FasTrax and measuring the distance to a scribe line or plate resting against the tire on the other side of the car. Measure once in front of the tire and once behind the tire, the difference will be the amount of toe.
The kit is perfect for making quick toe adjustments at the track. But it will only really function if the toe was initially set with a four-wheel alignment, because the SPC toe kit doesn't factor in the toe setting relative to the true chassis centerline.
All these measurements can be done without hand tools and that's exactly what makes the FasTrax so easy to use. Alignment changes can be done in the comfort of your own home to your exact settings, or trackside in a pit area. Run mild alignment settings for your daily drive, then slam in maximum camber settings as dictated by the heat across your race tires.
There are now many different portable options for measuring camber and caster on the market, some even cheaper than the FasTrax, but none pack the same combination of solid construction, simplicity, ease of use and price. Alignment settings should not be overlooked on any performance car, and with a portable measuring device such as the FasTrax, you can custom tailor your suspension set-up for the street, the track, and back again.
