My first track day was yesterday. For most of the morning and afternoon, I had NO confidence in my car as my tires felt very unstable/wiggly and loose. I couldn't push it throught the turns or sweepers...I was very frustrated.

Without checking my tire pressure, my friend automatically told me to drop it 5 psi.

My pressure was at 38. I dropped it 2 psi and went for another session. A little better but still I had no confidence.

checked the pressure again and it was at 42 psi. this time i dropped it 6 psi down to 35r/36f while hot.

the difference was phenomenal, I had more confidence to push it through turns.

My question is, what PSI should I be running at the track when my tires are cold/warm/hot?

2nd question, my friend says the indication of contact should reach the tip of the triangle (arrow) that indicates where the wear indicator bars are. before lowering my pressure, my contact was about 3/4 cm above the tip of the triangle (arrow) and after dropping it 6 psi, it was at the tip of the triangle (arrow). Is this correct?

Thanks,

Jeff

 

Jeff, do a search. There are dozens of threads on this subject.

To help you understand the results of the search, tire pressure depends on many things, including track layout, track surface, suspension mods, engine mods, weight of the car, driving style, and (most of all) the size and construction of the tire in question.

As for the little triangles, your friend was correct. If the tire is scuffing to the point of the triangles, that is one useful indication.

 

i typed in "tire pressure track" in the search field and the first 2 pages of results did not help.

 

Because you are not asking a specific enough question. I tried to give you a hint. Did you notice that in your first post you didn't even mention what kind of tires you were using?

 

I did more searching and I guess my goal is to aim for 37/36 psi HOT. However, it felt its best at 35/36 HOT, but results of my search said that 40 psi hot is what I should aim for for street tires.

I'm running street tires, Hankook R-S2 Z212.

 

i guess i'll start out at 32psi COLD and see how high it gets after a session and adjust accordingly.

Question, how do I use the chalk/crayon method correctly? Just swipe a line on the sidewall up to the tread area and see how low it wears down?

 

What works for other street tires may be totally wrong for Hankooks. Your best bet is to do what you are already doing -- try different pressures and see what works best for you.

 

thanks.

any tips on the proper use of the chalkcrayon method and its purpose?

 

Just mark the tire at the edge of the tread in 4 or 5 places. Mark a few of the triangles that you mentioned. The crayon makes determining tread useage easier. Getting your tread wear down to the tip of the triangle is one measure of full tread usage. Even tire temperatures across the width of the tread is another.

The tire on the right is a Victoracer V700 that has some crayon/white shoe polish marks on the edge.

 

thanks