Next Indoors : Saturday June 13th 
Next Outdoors : Sunday June 21st 

11. What tyres are best


Onroad quick gains

If your class doesn't run a control tyre, you can find a good performance gain in the correct tyre. This is especially true with indoor circuit racing. Outdoor racing tends to use rubber tyres that you glue on to a plastic rim (generally with an insert) Indoor racing is fun on rubber tyres, but the best grip is found with foam tyres.

Please check with your club, to get a recommendation on the best tyres for you class and surface.


Consistancy

The correct tyres might not make you fasterm but should make you more consistant. Improving consistancy is a great way to measure your performance. You can look at the results chart to see a consistancy figure, and keep trying to lower that number.


Onroad Foam tyres and indoors

For indoors we run a foam tyre. Remember that in early practice the track will still be green, and the grip will come up later in the meeting. Be sure not to make drastic changes early, as the track will come to you. 
Foam tyres are measured by a shore rating. It is a measurement of rubber hardness.
The harder the tyre the higher the number. Recommended for most indoor Touring car applications is a 35 shore tyre. Generally the range is 35, 37, 40, 42. With 42 being harder than 35.

Things to consider,

  • as the tyres wear the ability for it deform becomes lower
  • the tyres can wear unevenly, so rotate the tyres
  • rear tyres are often wider than the front tyres
  • tyres can chunk bits of foam off the side it they hit a curb, so some brands supply stickers for the sidewalls - use them
  • The newer the tyre, the easier they are to chunk.

A full season of Touring Stock 21.5 will use a single set of tyres as long as they are not chunked.


Onroad Rubber tyres and outdoors

Getting rubber tyres to work at their optimim is much like the full scale counter part - getting them to the right temperature. 

Unlike a full scale car, we can't manipulate the way tyres warm up with changes of air pressure inside the tyre. The tyre inserts can control the way the tyre heats up, but there are many other factors such as driving style. The tyre also dictates the way it heats up. 

Talk to the members, and ask what they are using. Different tracks have different levels of abrasion, but rubber tyre racing gives a much greater sense of realism that foam outdoors.

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