Quote:
Originally Posted by MikenOH
I think the street tires need to go; for the most part street tires rarely last a full session before getting greasy (loose).
How about something like a max performance tire that you drive to and from the track, on dedicated rims--Hankook, Kumho, Nitto? 17" sizes are very cost effective and they handle the heat better.
Not sure what the sweet spot is for your current tires, but I'm thinking mid-to high 30's HOT would be a better place to be. My Nitto NT05's like the upper 30 range hot, so I usually try to get them to 35-37 front 37-39 rear range. If you're starting at 36 cold in the rear, my guess would be you're over 40 when HOT. I don't think I've ever had a street tire that did well on the track when over 40PSI.
I usually check pressure either immediately coming off the track or pulling into the pits after 10 laps or so to check.
auto x--I attended an EVO auto-x school years ago which was very helpful but not sure if they are still in business; not terribly expensive, two solid days of going around an auto-x track and you learn a lot about how to drive.
DE--have you done any PCA DE's? If there is one thing about PCA events I 've learned, you will get an instructor with lots of experience that will help with your technique in addition to knowing what to do, where on the track.
Has the car been aligned since you've owned it? It would be good to know where the current settings are and to change them to a more track oriented setting if they aren't already there.
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Thanks Mike. The Hankooks Ventus V12s are max performance rated at Tirerack. Sidewalls seems too soft and the nearly full tread probably made them more squirmy than I'd like. If I continue to use them for track days, I will play with the tire pressures. It's possible that I need to run 2 or 3 psi less in the rear. I will play with this as I gain more experience on the track.
I should clarify that the two track days I attended were with instructors. They were good instructors that taught me a lot about that SPECIFIC track. We did not get into car setups for the same reason Topless mentioned........bone stock with factory recommended pressures for novices was the school of thought there too.
I will look for PCA conducted events in the midwest and attend them as my schedule and family will allow.
Thank you all for your input. Keep em' coming if you have more. I know I'm not the only newbie on this board that needs your knowledge.