Balancing with Tire Pressures
#16
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Alignment definitely does a great deal in helping eliminate understeer. My first event, I ran on stock settings, which was off specs, towards 0 camber. I understeered like crazy, so I'd try fixing that with more tire pressure. This only made me slide around the tracks even more.
The next event, I went with a more agressive alignment setting of -1.8 fronts, -1.0 backs (camber). This helped tremendously, cuz I could lower the tire pressures and get more grip, without gaining understeer. Tire pressure at 37/34 are ideal with this setting, but I'm still experimenting. Just keep checking the pressures after each run, because they will continuously rise.
Keep in mind, this is all on a stock car.
The next event, I went with a more agressive alignment setting of -1.8 fronts, -1.0 backs (camber). This helped tremendously, cuz I could lower the tire pressures and get more grip, without gaining understeer. Tire pressure at 37/34 are ideal with this setting, but I'm still experimenting. Just keep checking the pressures after each run, because they will continuously rise.
Keep in mind, this is all on a stock car.
#17
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I was looking at your pics above. Hah, very agressive driver, I see. That's how I am too, but I believe it's best not to try to lift a tire up, as you'll lose cornering traction (being jerky around turns will do that). Try turning into the turn, before the you get to the cone , that way you're anticipating and will become smoother with the turns.
#18
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Ok, in 4x4 world, you decrease pressure to allow more footprint for sand and mud. Allows sidewall flex. For road events, you wouldn't want to decrease sidewall pressure because it would allow roll, which would be bad on the tires and grip (it would cause unpredictable results). So it would make sense that decreasing sidewall flex by increasing pressure would minimize roll, which would improve handling. There is always a point of decreasing returns, and with this it would seem that when you inflate to the point where your footprint starts to lessen, that would start decreasing the traction.
So to sum up, find the tire pressure that keeps your tire from rolling the sidewall, without decreasing footprint (or making so hard that you bounce around to much).
Sound like a plan?
So to sum up, find the tire pressure that keeps your tire from rolling the sidewall, without decreasing footprint (or making so hard that you bounce around to much).
Sound like a plan?
#19
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Our first event yesterday was in the rain, so I ran with the same settings I had in our test and tune and slaughtered the field in raw time. I had second fast pax time overall, but lost to a toyota that was in a stock class with race tires with full tread depth by 37 thousandths of a second.
I will have to see on our first dry event how it goes.
I will have to see on our first dry event how it goes.
#20
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Originally posted by DizzyTT
Ok, in 4x4 world, you decrease pressure to allow more footprint for sand and mud. Allows sidewall flex. For road events, you wouldn't want to decrease sidewall pressure because it would allow roll, which would be bad on the tires and grip (it would cause unpredictable results). So it would make sense that decreasing sidewall flex by increasing pressure would minimize roll, which would improve handling. There is always a point of decreasing returns, and with this it would seem that when you inflate to the point where your footprint starts to lessen, that would start decreasing the traction.
So to sum up, find the tire pressure that keeps your tire from rolling the sidewall, without decreasing footprint (or making so hard that you bounce around to much).
Sound like a plan?
Ok, in 4x4 world, you decrease pressure to allow more footprint for sand and mud. Allows sidewall flex. For road events, you wouldn't want to decrease sidewall pressure because it would allow roll, which would be bad on the tires and grip (it would cause unpredictable results). So it would make sense that decreasing sidewall flex by increasing pressure would minimize roll, which would improve handling. There is always a point of decreasing returns, and with this it would seem that when you inflate to the point where your footprint starts to lessen, that would start decreasing the traction.
So to sum up, find the tire pressure that keeps your tire from rolling the sidewall, without decreasing footprint (or making so hard that you bounce around to much).
Sound like a plan?