jbc426
Well-Known Member
The first time I saw Nitto DR's on the front and rear of a car was at Willow Springs Road Course on a big block B-Body. It was all about the proper tire pressure for that type of driving, and they worked great. I was surprised by it at the time.
I also made the mistake of using too low of a rear tire pressure (18 psi) on the way home from Willow Springs at night on a windy road. It was not fun. The sidewalls were flexing too much and making the car a handful on the road. Later, I aired them up to 24 psi and it was like it was a different tire.
As with any tire, determining what the proper air pressure should be is critical for getting maximum traction and cornering performance. I learned about using chalk scrubbed across the tread and driving 100 feet to see if the tires contact patch is rubbing evenly across the entire tread (optimal for straight line traction), short of the entire tread( too much psi) or not in the middle of the tread (not enough psi). I'm pretty sure using more psi for better side wall stiffness will also lift the edges of the ground a bit, because it's always a trade-off when pursuing optimal performance.
I also made the mistake of using too low of a rear tire pressure (18 psi) on the way home from Willow Springs at night on a windy road. It was not fun. The sidewalls were flexing too much and making the car a handful on the road. Later, I aired them up to 24 psi and it was like it was a different tire.
As with any tire, determining what the proper air pressure should be is critical for getting maximum traction and cornering performance. I learned about using chalk scrubbed across the tread and driving 100 feet to see if the tires contact patch is rubbing evenly across the entire tread (optimal for straight line traction), short of the entire tread( too much psi) or not in the middle of the tread (not enough psi). I'm pretty sure using more psi for better side wall stiffness will also lift the edges of the ground a bit, because it's always a trade-off when pursuing optimal performance.
