Tire pressure

[bribri]

Can anyone suggest a starting tire pressure for a 185/60-14 on stock steel wheels? I,m going to my first lapping day at Mosport on July 5 and want to waste as little time playing so I can do more driving. The tires are Bridgestone poteza 960 pole position if that makes a difference.
Thanks, Brian

[Loren]

45 front, 40 rear. Should be close enough for a first track day. Concentrate on driving, not on the car. You can fine-tune tire pressures after you've gotten familiar with driving the track. Have fun!

[soloecho2]

Loren. The tire presures HOT of 38 front and 42 rear were near perfect. My ECHO is lowered, 15" rims, rear sway bar, urathane front sway bar end links, Borla exhaust and a strurt tower brace. Is there such a difference between the Yaris and the ECHO for the Different pressures ? Is it the 60 series tires Vrs 50s I run ??

Hope to seeyou there

Thanks again

[Loren]

He said 185/60-14. He said "all-season tire". He said "first track event".

All he needs is enough pressure to ensure that the tires aren't rolling over and playing dead. 38 psi hot "might" be enough, but for a small all-season tire, I wouldn't bet on it. For what he's doing, it's better to err on the high side and just focus on driving.

[bribri]

Loren ,thanks for the quick reply. Are we talking "cold" or "hot"?
I did'nt mention all season tires, you know your tires!!

[Loren]

Well, I know most of the high end "performance tires" and I knew the 960 wasn't one of them. Googled it.

Those would be hot pressures. Just check the fronts and be sure they aren't rolling over past the tread. It's not likely you'll need MORE pressure than that, but if they're still rolling, you might need maybe 3-5 more psi in the front. The rear is just along for the ride, they'll be fine.

Start teaching yourself to heel-toe downshift. If you're instructor is worthwhile, he'll be pushing you to learn that. If you've already got the basics down, it will make a huge difference in how quickly and smoothly you can get around turns which require a downshift.

[bribri]

automatic trans, left foot brake. what is the best stratagy for a decreasing radius corner? sorry for being off topic.

[Loren]

Every corner is different. You just need to focus on the fundamentals. You can't effectively brake while turning, so for a truly decreasing radius turn, you need to be SURE you've scrubbed off enough speed while you're going straight.

There are a couple ways to attack decreasing radius just depending on the particular turn. Sometimes you can hit it with a really wide entry and try to make a constant arc around as much of the turn as you can. (this is usually the best "momentum line" if you can find it) Sometimes splitting the turn up into an "entry turn", a short "secondary braking straight" and a tighter "exit turn" may be necessary. I almost always try to take the constant-arc approach, though.

Here's a good example: http://www.carolinamotorsportspark.com/trackmap.html

Look at turns 5-6-7. They call it the carousel turn. It frustrates a lot of people, but I've found that getting super wide out of turn 5 and focusing on the almost constant arc that allows acceleration through the apex of 7 and takes full track-out on the exit of 7 is an extremely fast line through that turn. You pretty much ignore "turn 6" and go wherever you need to on track (somewhere in the middle) to place that apex of turn 7 so that you can keep accelerating through it and not end up in the grass on the exit.

Whatever track you're on, your instructor should be able to give you tips on driving the proper line. Remember, line first, then speed. You'll never be fast if you're not on the right line!