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09-07-2007, 03:37 AM
In addition to dialing in the pressures by taking tire temps acrossed the tire, you may want to try filling with nitrogen. It will decrease the variance between hot and cold pressures.
Keep in mind, street tires generally need more pressure than a race/dot track tire due to their softer sidewalls. You may also want to chalk the sidewall and around the thread shoulder to see how far the tire is rolling under. The idea is to keep them off the sidewalls with pressure, but not so much as to loose grip. The roll under issue typically doesn't come into play until you start pushing the limits, however. If you're just starting out, concentrate on getting the car balanced from a handling standpoint. Just be careful not to go too low with the pressures. An under-inflated tire will run hotter. With street compounds, they tend to "grease" when they get too hot. It will feel like the track got oiled down all of a sudden. Not good, if you're honkin' on it. Best advice, baby steps.
Keep in mind, street tires generally need more pressure than a race/dot track tire due to their softer sidewalls. You may also want to chalk the sidewall and around the thread shoulder to see how far the tire is rolling under. The idea is to keep them off the sidewalls with pressure, but not so much as to loose grip. The roll under issue typically doesn't come into play until you start pushing the limits, however. If you're just starting out, concentrate on getting the car balanced from a handling standpoint. Just be careful not to go too low with the pressures. An under-inflated tire will run hotter. With street compounds, they tend to "grease" when they get too hot. It will feel like the track got oiled down all of a sudden. Not good, if you're honkin' on it. Best advice, baby steps.