How To Properly Set Tire Pressures For The Track

Finding the correct tire pressures for your track or autocross car is an important step to get your car to perform its best. Here's how to properly set tire pressures using a skidpad, timer and pyrometer. Andy Hollis, championship driver and race engineer, leads us through the process.
Thanks:
CRC Industries:
www.crcindustries.com/
Tire Rack:
www.tirerack.com/content/tire...
Simpson Racing Products:
www.simpsonraceproducts.com/
AEM Performance Electronics:
bit.ly/grmcm-tv
Koni:
www.koni.com/en-US/Home/
FCP Euro:
www.fcpeuro.com/

[@GuzziHeroV50]

When I did motorcycle track days, I just dropped to 30/28 cold, did a session and dropped to 30/27 hot :D Maybe I should have done more work on tyre pressures, never knew it was so complex! Great video!

[@jackroman8821]

Great video, good overview on how to evaluate and set pressures.

[@Grassrootsmotorsports]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@DaleCarterDrives]

Really good video. The most important thing I have learned is to record the data for every run and be sure you include ambient temps and approximate track surface temps. You can get the approximate track surface temp by shooting similar surfaces in the paddock or on grid. Measure your tire temps ASAP. Ideally, run some laps, pull into pit lane and measure, then adjust PSI and repeat. Every track is different.
One variable that is hard to control for is how hard you are driving the car. While crewing a Pro Late Model for a friend at a local asphalt oval, he taught me something pretty cool. He had me take the normal three tread temps and then shoot the rotor with an IR thermometer. He said that helped him understand how hard he was running the car. The guy is a machinist who built hubs and crewed for Bobby Allison before he invented some medical devices and fielded his own Winston Cup team, so I listened VERY carefully :-)

[@Time_Attack_S]

Good info, Andy. Thank you.

[@Grassrootsmotorsports]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tfaubus]

I think if you know your optimal range there are some cheap tpms kits that actively see temps and pressures such that you can easily dial in the fine adjustments to attain your targets during your track day, which is fun too.

[@nholmes]

How do you account for rotating tires though? That was my only reservation with running a TPMS kit on a track car.

[@tfaubus]

@@nholmes they're just valve stem caps, when you rotate the tires you just keep the sensors at the same corner they belong at

[@nholmes]

@@tfaubus ah, you move them to the appropriate corner. That doesn't seem too terrible.

[@gixxerhoff7502]

I see @thefirm ✊

[@aaronsnd223]

The fastest tire pressure is the fastest tire pressure- just gotta find it!

[@superseries7007]

What is on your face?

[@buddhadrome]

Let it go man