I am going to run on a road course 10 days from now (extremely excited) and I've got a set of RA1 a month ago. Just wonder what would be the ideal tires pressure to run with RA1? Temperature should be around 15-20. What should I be aware of when driving with r-compound, I've heard it's relative "slippy" the first time you use them and won't give you much warning when they are getting close to their limit.

Did a search, didn’t come up with answers, any tips/suggestions would be great!

TIA,
CS

 

40 hot up front. More in back if you don't want to understeer.

They will be a bit squirmy when new, but they should break in just fine. If this is the first time you've been on r compounds, keep your head screwed on straight.

Warren

 

Front 32 Back 30psi
here

 

I would agree with the temperatures give above (cold = 30-32 psi , hot = 40 psi).

I would also suggest driving the tires on the street to help "scrub them in". You can "scrub them in" by driving on the highway for approx. 50-80 miles and then driving them "aggressively" (ie. figure 8's in a parking lot or a nice twisty backroads) to build up some heat in the tires. The heat will help to heat cycle the tires which will provide more consistent performance and last longer (go to http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...tcycletech.htm for information on heat cycling competition tires). Then remove the tires and let them sit for approx. 24-48 hours before being used on the track. This will eliminate the "slipperiness" the first time you use them on the track.

 

Don't expect them to be that great the first track day. They will be best when they are almost corded. But they will still be a lot better than the RE010's from a thermal stability standpoint

I've played around with a lot of tire pressures on these and aim for about 35 lbs hot (measured immediately following your session). If you have a pyrometer (which I don't) you will get better results - but I found they push too much if they overheat

 

Great! Thanks for the info... another question, do you guys setup the tire pressure differently if it's a rainy day?

CS

 

No - just drive slower

 

Are you saything that more tire pressure in the back will induce more oversteer?

 

I found out a week ago that 30-32 psi cold is not enough for R compound tires, as noted here.

Start with the recommended 35F/33R cold and adjust from there.



[Modified by nsxtcjr, 8:49 PM 5/19/2002]

 

What track are you heading to? I'm interested in getting some more lapping days in

NSXTCJRs advice is good. Start a little higher in pressure and bleed them down after your first hot session. You will likely find that you have to take out a couple pounds on each corner. I ran 38F/36R hot at the last event I was at and found that the tires were working really well. I have not experimented much with different pressures yet.

Pay close attention to the wear across the tire to make sure you are not rolling over on the sidewall. If you find that you are rolling too much try adding a couple pounds of pressure until that stops.

Once you have stopped roll over then you know what the minimum pressure requirements are. Add more pressure to the end of the car that you want to rotate more. More over steer means more pressure in the back.

Good luck and have fun!