I'm starting to get more and more into drag racing and really learning that wheelspin off the line can really hurt my times. At first I was thinking I wasn't heating the tires enough, but then I think I overdid it and the tires got basically no grip. I want to watch the tire temperatures to get it all figured out. I found a "Tire Pyrometer" online here. Has anyone used this?

 

if its street tires then just a clean off is all you need.

 

yup, what ^he^ said. you should never burn a street tire to the point of smoking, its way hotter than ideal temps. street tires are only meant to be used in the 60-120 degree range. slicks are much higher, though I don't know their rough ideal temp. maybe someone here does know.
I'm quite interested in that tyre pyrometer though. looks nifty, potentially quite useful. I'm quite curious how it senses tire temp too, ie what the sensors look like and how they are to be installed

 

I'm running Dunlop Direzza's, a little softer than normal street tires, so I'm thinking they need a bit more heat. My thought on the "tire pyrometer" is that it could read the tire temps during and immediately after the burnout, so I could at least compare launches at different temperatures.