The tires on your race car (or street car) will heat up from friction when you are driving hard on them. If you get into the habit of checking tire temperatures after each session you will learn to read how your tires are reacting to to your chassis set up and to the track. Understanding tire tempertures will help you to set your car up for maximum traction.
With Schmidt Racing we use a digital pyrometer to messure tempreatures on the inside, center and outside of the tire (any thermometer will work, but will not be as accurate). What we look for are significant differences in temperature across one tire. Here are some examples:
The inside of your tire is significantly hotter than the rest of the tire. This means that you are likely running too much negative camber. The oposite would be true if the outside of the tire was hotter.
The center of the tire is significantly hotter than the inside or outside. This is an indicator that you are likely running too much air pressure in that tire.
Keep in mind that each tire will likely show different heat readings, this is normal in racing. Furthermore, each race track will affect the tires differently, so it is important to check temperatures after practice and qualifying to help you fine tune your settings to the each race track and the specific weather conditions of the weekend. Finally, the way you drive the car will affect the tire temperature readings; if you are over-driving the car, the readings will be much hotter and less usefull. |
