The DEFINITIVE guide for selecting & sizing TIRES for PERFORMANCE | FerrariChat

The DEFINITIVE guide for selecting & sizing TIRES for PERFORMANCE

Discussion in 'Tracking & Driver Education' started by stuntman, Sep 9, 2015.

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  1. stuntman

    stuntman Karting

    May 23, 2005
    84
    West Palm, FL
    #1 stuntman, Sep 9, 2015
    Hey guys,

    After years of testing and compiling data, I finally condensed everything I have learned down into one article on How to PROPERLY select and size TIRES for PERFORMANCE.


    This article disproves a lot of common misconceptions (actually, almost every aspect of the tire from the UTQG and temperature to the labeled width of the tire) and challenges the typical thought process of how people look for new tires and gives a better alternative that will make sizing wheels and tires much easier in the future with less trial and error. The information here applies both for street cars as well as dedicated track cars.


    "The most important part of your car is not the engine, suspension, or brakes. It’s the TIRES!!! This is because your car can only perform as well as the capability of its tires. I’m often asked which tire is best and what size to buy. In this article I discuss my methods for choosing and properly sizing the right tires. I’m not into the “hella-flush” or “stance” scenes so this article is focused towards those who care about the PERFORMANCE of their car, whether on the street or on the track."

    How to PROPERLY select and size TIRES for PERFORMANCE > MotoIQ - Automotive Tech, Project Cars, Performance & Motorsports

    [​IMG]


    Enjoy!
     
  2. don_xvi

    don_xvi F1 Rookie

    Nov 1, 2003
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    Don the 16th
    #2 don_xvi, Sep 14, 2015
    A lot of good information in there.
     
  3. 95spiderman

    95spiderman F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 1, 2003
    15,180
    ny
    #3 95spiderman, Sep 22, 2015
    Thanks for the post
     
  4. tervuren

    tervuren Formula 3

    Apr 30, 2006
    2,469
    #4 tervuren, Sep 30, 2015
    As someone that has owned 4 944's, all that came with different brands/sizes of tires, and have gotten to try a lot, your article matches my experiences pretty well.

    The one comment, is when it comes to review on grip levels, tire grip is a curve, as you increase demand, the available added grip falls off from the demand, as you increase demand further, the grip falls below its peak.

    The tires I had on my 944 last, had a higher peak, but sharp fall off, despite being my #1 choice for the wet, they didn't have as high of wet grip rating. The tires I have now were higher rated, a lower peak value, but an absolutely amazingly soft drop off curve.

    Depending on how you define wet grip - friendly fall off for lots of grip even when you drive it poorly, or a higher peak value, but rapid noticeable loss when exceeded, there can be a bit of confusion here. I, thinking of performance, would rather the former as weaker than the latter, yet for most consumers, it appears the former is higher rated than the latter.

    Ultimately, I changed to get a quieter tire on my daily driver, rather than performance, and the quietest rated tire with my desired dimensions significantly improved the situation in my daily driver that is now seeing mostly interstate driving rather than slower quieter backroads.
     
  5. cf355

    cf355 F1 Rookie

    Feb 28, 2005
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    chris
    #5 cf355, Jan 1, 2016
    nice read
     
  6. kverges

    kverges F1 Rookie

    Nov 18, 2003
    3,179
    Dallas
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    Keith Verges
    #6 kverges, Jan 3, 2016
    Nice read. Highlights what I see as the biggest problem in modern performance cars. The wheels are too large diameter. I'd love to have 19" wheels on my GT3. My tire choices and cost would be better, as would rolling mass/moment of inertia, an issue I did not see mentioned in your article. Finally, on the street the blingy 20" and up wheels are also super easy to bend in the modern decay of infrastructure.
     
  7. pma1010

    pma1010 F1 Rookie

    Jul 21, 2002
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    Philip
    #7 pma1010, Jan 30, 2016
    Lot of good info. Don't forget wheel weight, or better, weight of wheel & tire combination.
     
  8. Caeruleus11

    Caeruleus11 F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 11, 2013
    10,893
    #8 Caeruleus11, Jan 30, 2016
    Great article- thank you for posting!!
     
  9. fdekeu

    fdekeu Formula Junior

    Jun 19, 2008
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    Frank
    #9 fdekeu, Feb 1, 2016
    Thanks really helpful
     

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