Tko motorsports tips and track tweaks 6 19 20

[TKO MOTORSPORTS TEAM]

#533437

We had a question from one of our customers in the shop this morning that is somewhat relevant to last weeks tips and track tweeks

” should i do anything to new slicks before mounting them”

Most of the new racing tires 17″ and above dont really require you to do any pre treating before mounting. List bellow is what we do before mounting. This list is just for reference

1. Check circumference of tire. Not really necessary these days; the larger manufactures are pretty dang good. We do it because its part of our tire mounting process.
2. Inspect tire inside and out. You never know we have found cuts in the outside of tires from packaging knifes
3. If your mounting at the track mark your tires with your initials it can save you time and mix ups at the tire guy
4. If your going to mount a set of tires at the track and use them same day leave the tires out in the sun before mounting. This will get a little heat into the carcass and get you up to speed that much quicker when you put those stickers on.
5. If we know a certain type of tire is prone to excessive spinning on the rim we sometimes use maroon scotch brite on the tire bead to help reduce this. If your rims are smooth on the tire bead seat this trick is less effective.

[Shannon Whitehead]

#35820

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TRACK TIRE PRESSURE HOW, WHAT, WHY AND HOW MUCH
One of the most common questions and small talk you will hear at any track day is “what pressure you runnin’?” It’s a question with a loaded answer that is jam packed full of variables. Before we get into the nitty gritty of “tire pressures” it would probably be a good idea to go over some very basic tire slang/jargon.
Cold pressure/or starting pressure = your tire pressure before you go out onto the track, “cold tires”, “CP”.
Hot pressure = your target tire pressure when you are on the track and up in temperature, “hot pressure”, “HP”.
Contact patch = square inches of the tire in contact with the road or track surface.
Tires are your point of contact with the road or track surface. Tires provide massive amounts of information that is fed through your control arms, shocks, chassis and finally to your body. Tires also provide the mechanical grip to keep your car on the road or track surface. If the information your body is receiving isn’t clear, keeping your car on the track becomes exceedingly difficult.
COMPRESSED AIR / STRAIGHT AIR IN YOUR TIRES
You can run straight air (compressed air) in your tires… BUT you shouldn’t at the track. The biggest problem with straight air is that it’s very unstable. Straight airs instability is due to the water, which is naturally in straight air because it’s simply compressed atmospheric air. EXAMPLE: You set your tires at 26 psi cold with a hot pressure target of 32 psi. You go out onto the track and your warmup laps tire pressure goes to 32 psi. Then you start hot lapping and your tire pressure spikes to 39 psi. At 32 psi, your tires contact patch was 4 square inches. At 39 psi, your tire contact patch is now 3 square inches. A smaller and inconsistent contact patch equals poor lap times and very inconsistent handling characteristics. The compressed air in your tires with excessive fluctuating pressures is feeding you unclear and inconsistent information.

NITROGEN IN YOUR TIRES FOR THE TRACK
Nitrogen is a much more stable gas due to it being much dryer or low amounts of water (hydrogen) in it.
Same example as compressed air but now we will use nitrogen. EXAMPLE: Cold tire pressure set at 26 psi with a target hot pressure of 32 psi. You go out for your warm-up laps and your tire pressure rises to 29 psi. Then you start hot lapping and your tire pressure rises to 31-32 psi and stabilizes. Your contact patch stays consistent at 4 square inches. You are now getting clear and consistent information.
Straight air in your tires is not a bad thing as it does its job, it is readily accessible and works perfectly great for your daily driver and tootling around town. Using straight air at the track only adds to the variables and risks you encounter for any track day. Running Nitrogen in your tires for any track day is always worth the extra effort. When you’re driving your car at speed on the track you have check the boxes on the little things… the devil is always in the details.

HOW MUCH PRESSURE SHOULD I RUN?
There is no magic tire pressure number, cold or hot, when your running your car at the track. Tire manufacturers may offer technical information stating recommended tire pressures and if you have nothing else to go by it’s a good starting point. The best way to find the correct cold and hot tire pressure for you, your car, your tires and your specific application is to test it at the track.

Tire pressure is always a hot topic and we just scratched the surface. Questions and discussions are always encouraged.

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