How To Get Your Tires Ready For The Racetrack

If you are going to take your vehicle out on the track with some race tires on, you need to understand how to treat your tires. Race tires are different than everyday tires.

They are often slicker, without as much traction built-in, and they are designed for more limited uses and purposes. When using racing tires, you need to know how to treat your tires in order to get the best performance from them.

Inspect Your Tires Before Getting on the Track

Before you go out on the track, you are going to want to visually inspect your tires. You need to check the tire tread on your tires to make sure that they are not too worn down.

You need to look out for any additional external damage. If your tires are really worn-down or damaged, you shouldn't take them out on the track. If you went off the track or made contact with another car or even with the curb, your tires could have sustained damage in a previous race.

Make sure your tires are in good shape before you go out on the racetrack. Race tires are not made for the long run, and if you have run a few races on the tires, you may need to retire them.

Get the Tire Pressure Right

Second, you need to check your tire pressure before you go out on the track as well. Outside air temperature can really have a large impact on the tire pressure, which is why you are going to want to set the tire pressure when your car is at the track.

You are going to want to set the tire pressure to be around 0.3 to 0.4 bars below the recommended level from the manufacturer in order to get the traction and handling you want out on the track.

Don't lower the tire pressure too much; too little air can stress out the structure of your tires and is a technique that should only be tried by a very experienced race driver.

Warm Up Your Tires

Finally, you need to make sure that you warm up your tires. That means you shouldn't zoom out on the track if you want your tires to be ready for the race.

It can take multiple laps for your tires to warm up, which is why if you are involved in a long race or practice session, you are going to want to pit after you warm up your tires and allow your pit crew to adjust the tires. Don't take too long in the pit, or your tires will cool down.

In order to get your tires ready for the racetrack, you need to visually inspect your tires to make sure they are not damaged.  You need to adjust the tire pressure down just a tab below the manufacture recommendation, and you need to slowly warm your tires up on the track. For more information, talk to a tire provider like Frisby Performance Tire.


Share