Track Tire Setup for F8

How much track experience do you have?

If you are beginning you need to run regular street tires like Michelin PS4 or Pirelli PZero that would come stock on your car. A street tire will give audible feed back nearing the edge of adhesion and has a more gentle breakaway to the limit.

Other than that… driving to and from the track go with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2. Once you are more advanced these tires will help and you’ll need a more track type of alignment as well.

 

Certainly, the added grip from specific tires like the Cup 2 will improve performance.
Besides, it is very lmportant to monitor tire pressures - on track, the tires tend to warm up a lot and it results (if no measure is applied) in over inflated tires that slip a lot.
So the tires need to be "deflated" to return to correct pressures.

 

I run PS4 on my 458 at about 32 psi mostly. Plenty of grip. I agree, get comfortable on those then move up to Cup 2. That's what I'm looking to do on my next set of tires.

 

Over the past year I've gone through this very process. PZeros came stock and were fine to learn at the track. Once there reduce the tire pressure to around 26 PSI. After a lap or two you should see the pressures getting up to 29 or 30 psi and 120* degrees. I found that you don't want to be breaking into the turns. Brake until you enter the turn then pick an apex and apply power throughout the turn and the car will balance. Otherwise you're going to scruff off your front tires to nothing. That'll give you a baseline. I also suggest using sport mode in the beginning. It will virtually eliminate over steer for you. After that try race mode. Your going to lose the rear end at some point but the car will stop you from spinning out. After a day of race mode, you should get the hang of it. That’s when you start feeling at one with the car.

You can have the dealer do a track alignment if you want before or after. Basically, it's one-degree negative camber which helps significantly in the turns but will reduce tire life on the road. I have a second set of wheels with Michelin cup 2’s and a track alignment. To say it's amazingly better is an understatement. I would not have wanted to start my first day on track with this setup though. You need at least a few days track experience before this will really help reduce your lap times.

 

Always start with stock, stock wheels and if possible stock OEM tires. Factory settings on camber, toe, etc. as well.

Then as you develop a symbiotic relationship with the car, start tweaking.

 

It'll definitely make a difference but I don't think it'll be positive. You're tires overall diameter is larger so the car will sit higher. It's usually done for looks rather than performance. Maybe someone else has done it and tracked it can chime in. I've never seen one at a track with oversized wheels.

 

Speaking of tire pressure…. those are dependent on the tires, the car’s alignment, the track, the drivers skill set and ability. Not 1 pressure works for everyone and ever car and every track. My tire pressure would change depending on driving Sebring, Daytona, Barber etc… and different tires demanded different alignment as did different tracks.

Rule of thumb…If your alignment is stock and you are beginning…stick with stock pressure. You can gain grip with less pressure but with stock alignment as you decrease pressure the sidewall will roll over more thus wearing the outer edge even more. You have to find what works for you, the car, tires and track. Tires, alignment, pressure all have to work together.

 

Ok, BIG rookie question…. Don’t think less of me (as if that’s possible) [emoji23]— how the hell do you guys get your cars on a track?? I’ve never tracked any of my cars obv but it really sounds interesting to me…. Do you have to be a member of some club? Get a racing license? Pay an annual fee or something? And where the F is there a track that is ‘open’ to non professional race car drivers? I’d love to drive my car on a road course type of track but have no idea how to go about this. … I wish I was smarter.


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On a separate but somewhat related topic:
Is there a way to adjust or disarm the TPMS pressure monitoring alarms? I have tried to adjust my F8T tires to 29 psi (cold) and the system continued to alarm even after the tires warmed up and got to ~35psi. Very distracting and annoying.

 

I cannot really help because I'm in Europe - but I guess the situation may be similar in the US.
In Europe (the same in various countries) there are organisations that rent tracks for track days (small tracks can even be rented by groups of friends); one does definitely not need a license but some insurance is required.
The above mentioned organisations can be commercial operations (making a business of renting tracks and selling "tickets" to participants; they could also propose some coaching) or various owners clubs; even dealers (or car brands) can arrange events.

 

If you're new to tracking, I'd leave things as is, even the tires.

Don't be in a hurry to start making adjustments to the suspension - from experience I can tell you dialing in more camber will reduce understeer (at the expense of possible snap oversteer, which you don't want!) and also wear your tires much faster.

I started at 27-29psi and checked them regularly after each session, generally always letting air out. I saw temps of 185F in the rears if the TPMSs read correctly (I believe they do).

Cup 2s are more grippy but wear faster, so I got a second set of rims and changed tires for track day. Oh, don't forget a torque wrench! These wheels work themselves loose quickly and you will want to torque them to around 100 ft-bs after each session.

INot as bad as it sounds - you'll get accustomed to it very quickly.

I run many tracks as HPDE through Chin Racing, MVP, FCA and PCA. It's easy to get on through an organization (you just pay a fee for the event).

You will most likely start with an instructor in the car (highly recommended anyway) and there's a lot to learn at first, but it is exciting, especially in a Ferrari. There are lots of fantastic tracks out there.

 

Drive over. ;-)

I'd suggest signing up with Chin Track Days. They do events at Homestead and Sebring among many other tracks around the USA. Most of my track days are with Chin. I tracked from 2005 till 2019..I did a day instructing and a few laps in the 488 in 2021. I miss it greatly!!!

If I can ever answer questions... let's talk on the phone.... message me your number.

 

Ah yes, I think I remember him/them from my old NSX days. Chin Motorsports

 

Yep NSX. Mark who runs Chin and Me Chin love the NSX.

 

Yes, TPMS is so annoying at the track. It goes crazy. I had to turn down the audible warning volume setting as it was so distracting. Will only re calibrate on the way home when everything has calmed down, it seems. Did you find a way to turn it off?

 

Unfortunately I have not found a way to disable the TPMS warning or at least decrease the alert pressure level.

 

Mickey Thompson et streets

 

You gotta first let your nuts drop