Tire temps, For you track driver/racer types Options

[campbellcj]

OK, I know that the general concept of tire temps (pyrometer reading) is you want to check your alignment and suspension setup by looking for even or "logical" temps across the tread of the tire (outside, middle, inside) and also from front-rear and side-side.

Is there good detailed write-up somewhere explaining what different flavors of temp readings mean and what to do about it (corrective action)?

Also, what is considered a good operating temp for typical DOT-R tires like Kumhos? If your tires are "cold" or "hot" compared to what is the desirable range, what does that really mean (corrective action)? In other words if I have even temps, but low 100's instead of upper 100's or low 200's, does that mean I should just push harder in the turns, or what?

Mildly Confused,

[Dave_Darling]

I think there are enough variables in the exact temp readings that shooting for specific temps isn't going to get you anything.

What you really want is to have even temps across the inside, middle, and outside of each tire. Higher temps in one spot mean you are "working" that area of the tire harder, and lower temps mean you aren't working that part as hard. You want to spread the work across the whole tread surface of all four tires.

If the middle of the tire is hotter than the inner or outer edges, the tire is probably overinflated. (I say "probably" because tires with very stiff sidewalls can actually exhibit this from tires that are underinflated; the middle bulges out from centrifugal force or some such.) If the inner edges are warmer, then you are riding on the inner edges of the tire too much and you need to dial some negative camber out of the alignment. If the outer edges are warmer, you're riding on those too much and you'll want to dial in more negative camber.

Front versus rear temps can give you an idea if the car is understeering or oversteering in general. Again, you usually want it pretty close to even. Side to side temps are usually not that useful, because we can't generally do that much to affect the left versus right side loading. It's usually a factor of static weight of the car, and the way the course runs (mostly left turns or mostly right).

--DD