Track Tac

any way to tell ... too hard or soft?

O

owenracing9

New member
Just wondering if anyone had a "rule of thumb" way to tell if their tires were too hard or soft by looking at the tires after you come off the track?

For instance ... on a hard track if your too soft the rubber will be scuffed up - as if you went across the rubber "against the grain". It seems as though once you go to a track that takes a tire below 50, if your too soft, you don't get that same scuffed surface.

Is there anything you can tell if you have powder on the tires that easily brushes right off?

Or is there something else that can give u a clue ...?

I know there is no simple formula of ... if you see this, then do this, and you'll be right-on.

I think I'm doing a decent job of prepping tires during the week, but growing tired of ALWAYS choosing the wrong set and being off by probably 10 pts ...

Any help is greatly appreciated!
 
For me to Hard is easier You will be chasing RPM's by like 4 to 5 hundred, and will Never show any sign of speed, with that being said you have to be confident with the gearing to know this. Plus to hard sliding has a different look then to soft.

To Soft will be better for atleast a few laps.
 
Yes, I have seen what too soft looks like ... as you say we were decent for the first few laps, but I could see the leaders pull away more and more as the tires started to overheat.
 
If your usually starting off too hard on tires, try this.....when you get to the track, bolt on one of your softer sets, 5-6 points softer than what you think you will need, and go practice. Let your lap times tell you if your too soft or not. I look for the fastest lap to be about 3/4 of the way thru the race, or like lap 7 of a 10 lap race. I usually start out on a tire thats harder than what I need and let the track come to me instead of chasing the track with tires all night, but then there are times when ill come in and change tires everytime I go out, just depends on where im racing and how stiff the competition is. Being off by 10 points around here would send you strait to the back, even being off 5 points would put you in the back most nights.
 
Hey Dave:
LOL ... Yep, I know we were not soft enough for Liberty this past weekend. We were only on 35 Maxxis. We tried EVERYTHING to get it lower, but just weren't prepared ahead of time to get tires down in the 20s. Never imagined I would need something that soft! I willing to throw out this past weekend as unique conditions and I was not prepared. My question was more of a general nature. I just don't seem to be able to "read" the track or "read" the tires. Are there tell-tell signs I'm missing or is 90% of it just experience ...?
 
Hi Zach:

Honestly, I usually don't try to dial-in the tires for practice. I'm usually on the harder side. My thought is the track starts off soft then gets at least somewhat harder as it gets run-in. So, picking the perfect set for practice is not gonna be the set needed for qualifying or features. Yes, being off by 5 points sends you to the back..., thus my dilema :)

So, lets say I pick a set I think is 5 points softer than what I need for practice. I then look at lap times. If my best lap times are at the beginning and they fall off at the end, then I'm too soft. So, lets assume I would need to be 5 points harder. Would you then go up 10 points because the track is most likely gonna be harder than it was during practice?

On the flip side if my lap times were consistent during practice or my best laps were near the end then I was not too soft. So, would you go up 5 points for qualifying/heat-races since the track is likely gonna get harder or would you keep the same tires?

Thanks!
B.T.
 
Hi Ken:

Can you elaborate on this statement more ... "Plus to hard sliding has a different look then to soft." I'm more likely to recognize too soft than "too hard sliding". What does "too hard sliding" look like?

/Thanks!!!
 
If you are to soft the tire will feather up bad, you'll be really fast early and then fall off, and you may be locked down. If you're to hard you will be off on speed, not get good lap times untill the last few laps, and you could be sliding around. If you have any questions feel free to call.

Chop Cutz
Venom Juice
Porkchop,
812-447-3306
 
The 9.00 Maxxis wont feather up and is harder to tell if too soft than the old blues were. Usually when the 9.00 is feathering, or peeling, that is just from sliding, not from too soft.
More experience will help, but even the Pros dont get it every time.
 
owenracing9 said:
Hi Zach:

Honestly, I usually don't try to dial-in the tires for practice. I'm usually on the harder side. My thought is the track starts off soft then gets at least somewhat harder as it gets run-in. So, picking the perfect set for practice is not gonna be the set needed for qualifying or features. Yes, being off by 5 points sends you to the back..., thus my dilema :)

So, lets say I pick a set I think is 5 points softer than what I need for practice. I then look at lap times. If my best lap times are at the beginning and they fall off at the end, then I'm too soft. So, lets assume I would need to be 5 points harder. Would you then go up 10 points because the track is most likely gonna be harder than it was during practice?

On the flip side if my lap times were consistent during practice or my best laps were near the end then I was not too soft. So, would you go up 5 points for qualifying/heat-races since the track is likely gonna get harder or would you keep the same tires?

Thanks!
B.T.
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my theory is, if you can choose the right set for practice, you will have a better idea what to be on for qualifying or heat races. Most tracks around here run heats, I usually start out on a set thats a couple points harder than I think I'll need for practice, go out, then just go up on air for the first heat unless practice tells me I'm just too soft, then ill go to a harder tire for the heat race, but only a couple points harder, I dont go more than a few points harder or softer when changing tires simply because I know from experience what kind of tires usually work at these tracks to start out, heat race and finish on. Sometimes there will be more karts show up and I just start out on a harder tire to begin with and use the same procedure. Sometimes I will keep the same tires from practice and just keep going up on air for the heats, then bolt on a fresh set for the feature if the kart count is low, it really depends on the track that night, you have to learn to read the track to tell you whether or not to change tires or just go up on air or down on air. Once you race somewhere for awhile you get a pretty good idea what it takes to be fast most nights.
 
Tires that are quick for the first 2-5 laps and then begin to fall off or lose speed doesn't necessarily mean they are to soft by any means. The problem I've seen and had with customers on the newer chassis is they are not soft enough. The tire will work off the outside prep for the first few laps and then once its gone the tire begins to slide which will also cause a tire to feather. Of course most racers with less experience will see th feathering and automatically assume they are to soft when in reality the tires are to hard and just sliding across the track surface. Going harder will only get you more out in left field. I tire that's to soft will make the chassis go tight first until the tire gets overheated and then it will begin to slide. Knowing how to read the tire wear on your chassis is a crucial tool that more times than not determines whether or not you choose the right set or not. If you have any more questions I would be more than happy to help. Good luck.


ROB PEACOCK RACING SERVICES

MASTER GRIP PREPS

REAL DEAL TIRES
 
owenracing9 said:
Hi Ken:

Can you elaborate on this statement more ... "Plus to hard sliding has a different look then to soft." I'm more likely to recognize too soft than "too hard sliding". What does "too hard sliding" look like?

/Thanks!!!
Click to expand...

t's gonna be tough because I'm more Burris they will Get a more Fussed look than Feathered when to hard, unless there way to hard then they will appear more feathered as well, Like Earl points out Maxxis not so much. You should call Earl and speak with him, Also post #13 is spot on as far as most guy's lacking a little experience will make that mistake, I think 85 % of the time if your lacking speed you not on a prepped up enough tire, only comment I would add to post 13 is when tires are to soft and once they leave the kart gets what I call the Hospital Wobble, I would also call the Gentleman from post 13 both him and Earl I'm sure have MUCH more experience with Maxxis and can explain it better.

Good Luck !!
 
racing promotor said:
t's gonna be tough because I'm more Burris they will Get a more Fussed look than Feathered when to hard, unless there way to hard then they will appear more feathered as well, Like Earl points out Maxxis not so much. You should call Earl and speak with him, Also post #13 is spot on as far as most guy's lacking a little experience will make that mistake, I think 85 % of the time if your lacking speed you not on a prepped up enough tire, only comment I would add to post 13 is when tires are to soft and once they leave the kart gets what I call the Hospital Wobble, I would also call the Gentleman from post 13 both him and Earl I'm sure have MUCH more experience with Maxxis and can explain it better.

Good Luck !!
Click to expand...

good info
 
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