Tire Life and Tracking
 

Hi Gents,

For the track:

In your experience, how long do tires last?

What are some factors which can affect tire life?

If tire wear is continuous and consistent (no bumps, punctures, defects) how prone are tires to blowing out prematurely?

Are there any other questions that I should be asking?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Gents,

For the track:

In your experience, how long do tires last?

[My Kumho Ecxsta XS, stock size, have 7 track days with a couple more to go.]

What are some factors which can affect tire life?

[Seriously, everything from tire pressure to track surface to how you drive, brake]

If tire wear is continuous and consistent (no bumps, punctures, defects) how prone are tires to blowing out prematurely?

[Not very. You should be checking your tire pressure and inspecting the tread surface between each session. Don't whack the curbing;)]

Are there any other questions that I should be asking?

[really need more info, are you looking for racing tires, DOT race tires or ultra high performance tires with tread wear ratings in the 140-200 range.]

two things that kill tires the most are heat and improper alignment, specifically TOE.

driving aggressively on a hot day will wear out the compound quicker than otherwise.

overdriving the car (scrubbing speed off during a corner with your tires rather than with your brakes, turing too much, braking too hard) will over heat the tire will also do a number on their lifespan.

improper static alignment - improper/aggressive TOE will also increas the wear on your tires, and is usually the number one culprit of poor tire life on a dialy driver.

camber isn't genearlly a concern, but is tire/setup dependant. Usually street tires don't like massive static camber while dedicated race tires do! The toyo RA1 for instance comes with a standard recomendation of -2.5 to -5 degrees of camber.)


also, not directly related to a tires physical life is the "grip life". Each time a tire is warmed up then cooled down is known as a "heat cycle". High performance tires have a specific amount of heat cycles in them that give best grip, after which grip starts to drop off. A tire that is used often but for short periods of time, may have a lot of tire left but not very much grip... this is why you should be weary of people selling high performance tires "lots of tire left" but that are 2-3 years old.


Heavier cars wear through tires faster
more powerful cars will wear through tires faster if you're not careful with that right foot


understand these things and you should make your own driving decisions that will help you extend the life of your tires in any situation.

Tire life depends on YOU. Other people's experiences will never quite match yours. As you get faster, you'll wear out tires faster as well.

I've never seen a properly maintained tire blow out prematurely.

The biggest factor on tire life is the owner/driver. Make sure the car is properly maintained, including alignment and tire pressure.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help. Great info!

To add to my original question: I am debating whether or not to get a set of dedicated track tires, since the set I have now are more for looks and predictability than performance (TC105N 18x9.5 Mich PSS) but not bad by any means either. I took them on a track day and I am very happy with them but would hate to scruff up a set of $3000 wheels if a tire blew out. Any thoughts? I'd probably get a set of 17x8" or 8.5" RPF1s and stick with Mich PSS since I plan on mounting at home and driving to the track day.

By "properly maintained", I am guessing that is done through proper alignment? Or is there more?

If you want cost effective, get a set of RPF1 with RS3 or NT01/RC1.

Rpf1's. Cheap, they look good and you won't be worried to fuck em up.

rpf1's ain't that cheap

But CSG quoted me a good price so I'll probably be buying from them. I wish they had the bronze color still...

Thanks again Mike & Dave.

American prices...


http://darklygaming.com/forum/styles...s/feelsbad.png

tire life on track is highly variable based off the driver and setup..... Generally speaking "street" tires that ARE NOT over driven will last longer than semi slick or true slick tires.... For example when I raced in lemons we would get about 32 hours on a set of Dunlop Direzza Star Specs in a much heavier vehicle.....

Of course grip and tire life are also connected...the more grip, generally the shorter its life.... Another example...my old lemons racer did a best lap of 2:15 at Thunderhill on the star specs....but when I installed used Pirelli PZero slicks (front tire GT3 cup series) I ran 2:06.5 in the otherwise exact same car... But the used slicks would cord in about 2-3 hours.....

If you are new to track driving.....run street tires, don't waste money of expensive semi slicks....spend your money on seat time improving the DRIVER....best way to drop your lap times