Tire Pressure

[NorthernDancer]

What tire pressure should I run for HPDE? Stock 128 w/sp pkg on Pirelli run flats. Normal is F32 R35.

[blutattoo]

Originally Posted by NoirthernDancer

What tire pressure should I run for HPDE? Stock 128 w/sp pkg on Pirelli run flats. Normal is F32 R35.

I'd probably run that to start and adjust as needed. The general sweet spot for my Pirelli's was 34-36 hot, but it wouldn't start to get really greasy until it got above 40psi. I've never run RFT's on a track so I'm not sure how much different it would be.

Once you complete your first session as soon as you pit take a reading of the pressure and adjust down as needed. Typically your first session you should see a big jump in pressure from cold so you'll probably have to bleed off 4-6psi per tire or possibly more. Me personally I'd never start with a higher psi than 36 and never lower than 32 on street tires. Others might feel differently but that is a safe area to start with and depending on what the car is doing you can adjust up or down without worrying about destroying the tire.

[NorthernDancer]

Bluetatto: thanks for reply which unfortunately I didn't see until event over. School people suggest 3psi over normal. B/C of the run flats I decided to go 5 psi over so R40 F37. That seemed to work very well. I had an experienced instructor with me (drives E30 M3 on track) and he didn't find any traction issues. I went for a ride in his car and do think my tires performed well. I think rears were up to 45psi, fronts maybe 42psi but again they performed very well IMHO. The school doesn't give you a lot of time to work on your car between sessions but checking wheel torque is always paramount. Anyways thanks for your help.

[mccandless]

I usually start at 32 cold and end up at around 40 hot. Any higher than 40 and things start to get a bit loose.

[02rsxpilot]

I found this resource to be particularly valuable in separating tire pressure fact from fiction and giving a nice fundamental understanding of what you are trying to accomplish by changing up your pressures. http://www.turnfast.com/tech_handling/handling_pressure

[HP Autosport]

It really all depends on driver style. We can give you a starting point but it is up to you to decipher which setup is best. I usually end up running around 34F and 35R (hot) but it really all depends.

-Mike