Heat in the tires?
Heat in the tires? Hey guys,
I understand there are a lot of variables involved here, however I would be curious to hear about some of your experiences with the amount of time it takes to get an adequate amount of heat in your tires on cold track days.
Most of my time on track has been on warmer days so I have a decent feel for how long it takes to get to an ideal operating temp. Obviously that's going to take longer if it's 30 degrees outside. I would imagine much of this is going to come down to feel when on the track, however just wanted to solicit advice from those more experienced at driving on cold days.
Anything I should be more mindful of than any other track day?
I understand there are a lot of variables involved here, however I would be curious to hear about some of your experiences with the amount of time it takes to get an adequate amount of heat in your tires on cold track days.
Most of my time on track has been on warmer days so I have a decent feel for how long it takes to get to an ideal operating temp. Obviously that's going to take longer if it's 30 degrees outside. I would imagine much of this is going to come down to feel when on the track, however just wanted to solicit advice from those more experienced at driving on cold days.
Anything I should be more mindful of than any other track day?
Had a great day out at Road Atlanta yesterday and got some great tire advice along the way. Most of this is elementary level education, but I'd never had good instruction on tire temps/pressures so it was sound advice for me.
1. Spend the money on a decent tire pressure gauge. I picked up a nice Longacre gauge from a vendor on site and it's so much easier to dial in accurate pressures on each tire. I will be glad to throw my AutoZone gauge away!
2. I started a log book with conditions, pressures and handling feedback. Was helpful to note both cold and hot pressures and what the heat/wear marks looks like on the edge of the tire.
3. The temps ranged from 25* - 40* on track all day and it took a good 2 laps to get the tires to warm up and respond well. No surprise, if I could find space to get on the brakes hard in the warm up lap that worked nicely to help speed up the process.
1. Spend the money on a decent tire pressure gauge. I picked up a nice Longacre gauge from a vendor on site and it's so much easier to dial in accurate pressures on each tire. I will be glad to throw my AutoZone gauge away!
2. I started a log book with conditions, pressures and handling feedback. Was helpful to note both cold and hot pressures and what the heat/wear marks looks like on the edge of the tire.
3. The temps ranged from 25* - 40* on track all day and it took a good 2 laps to get the tires to warm up and respond well. No surprise, if I could find space to get on the brakes hard in the warm up lap that worked nicely to help speed up the process.
Last edited by Midnight02; Jan 12, 2015 at 09:36 AM.
A common error that other people making is trying to scrub the tires to add heat. As you know, that doesn;t work, and just wears out your tires faster. Acclerating and decelerating adds heat quickly. Tough to do in a pack.
You'll find that a tire temp gauge will really help dial in your set up. Even more than the pressure gauge.
On a cold day, it will take me 2-3 laps to get the tires warm enough to stick well. Kinda the down fall of a light weight, high powered car.
You'll find that a tire temp gauge will really help dial in your set up. Even more than the pressure gauge.
On a cold day, it will take me 2-3 laps to get the tires warm enough to stick well. Kinda the down fall of a light weight, high powered car.
I was also noticing that it took at least 2 laps to get enough heat in the tires to stick. With my current traction woes and going into my first cold (but dry) track day, this weighed heavily on my mind. It was nice to just get out there, try different things and get a good feel for the amount of time it takes for the tires to respond.
