[nicknaz]

Guys, I am thinking about purchasing a tire pyrometer. I've heard it is a great tool for validating tire pressures and alignment settings to ensure optimal traction and tire wear.

Does any one have any experience?

Thanks,
Nick

[longodj]

I don't know if jahwerx will chime in but he has this in his car

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/orange/tpms.jsp

It looks like a pretty perfect package for monitoring pressure/temps on the fly.

[leftcoastman]

Yeah use it all the time. Get the probe type, as the infrared sucks. I won't get technical, but suffice it to say it sucks.

But you have to be diligent regardless - have someone sit in hot pits and then you need to come in after a HOT lap to get temps read. If you wait until after the cooldown lap, both temperatures and RELATIVE temperatures will change, giving you bogus data.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by leftcoastman

Yeah use it all the time. Get the probe type, as the infrared sucks. I won't get technical, but suffice it to say it sucks.

But you have to be diligent regardless - have someone sit in hot pits and then you need to come in after a HOT lap to get temps read. If you wait until after the cooldown lap, both temperatures and RELATIVE temperatures will change, giving you bogus data.

Thanks for the feedback. Do you think this is a silly thing to do since I am completely stock? (I'm leaning towards, yes it is silly, don't bother yet)

[leftcoastman]

Originally Posted by Nick Nazareno

Thanks for the feedback. Do you think this is a silly thing to do since I am completely stock? (I'm leaning towards, yes it is silly, don't bother yet)

You know how I am the first to say "don't buy the equipment, it's only spending money to cover your driver deficiencies."

But in this case, I think it's worth it. Even bone stock, you can ascertain the following:

1) Inner/Middle/Outer relative temperatures will tell you whether you're under or overinflated far better than a silly rollover test. Especially if you're using the runflats.

2) Relative front/rear will tell you whether you're oversteering or understeering mostly.

3) You can play with the rear camber to change #2.

Finally, if you're running 200+ degree tire temps, it'll indicate to you that you are either overdriving the car or need wider rubber. That makes it so you're more likely to get the right upgrade later, rather than just buying things because they are supposed to make you faster.

[nicknaz]

I know we discussed the suckage of infrared type pyrometers

but this

http://www.bavauto.com/fland.asp?part=DPM

is 60% the price of the cheapest probe type i could find

http://store.fastcommerce.com/prod_m...d94620a0d.html

Can't I just put the infrared light source really really close to the tread or something?

Sorry, I am hella cheap.

[sg335]

Buy one of the Longacre probe pyrometers at any of the race shops online.

Unless you are serious about shaving 10th of seconds off your lap times and running in the advanced group or going racing, I would save your money.

Just run 38-40lbs hot with R compounds and 40-45lbs hot with street tires front and rear to start out with, then adjust up or down accordingly. Unless you have camber plates, front camber is set and therefore maximizing your temps across the tread will never be achieved. Set your camber to max front and -2.0 in rear and go have fun.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by sg335

then adjust up or down accordingly

Do you have any suggestions on how I should do that? I used to increase/decrease based on sidewall rollover but with run flat tires there is no roll over.

[sg335]

The front tires are where you are going to get wear on the outside shoulders and you can't prevent that without camber plates. Just accept the fact that you will burn through a set of fronts in a weekend if you drive hard. Just adjust pressures for handling effects to dial in/out understeer/oversteer. I don't care what pressures you are running (25-50), at .5 degrees neg camber, you are going to wear out your outside edges in the front. Increse pressures in front and decrease pressures in the rear to increase oversteer effect. Decrease front pressures and increase rear pressures to increase understeer effect. This works up to a point and then works in reverse. For example if you put way too much pressure in the rear you can also induce more oversteer. Just play around with it. Set all four at the same pressures (about 28-32 cold) which should net you about 40 hot in this nose heavy pig of a car. If you don't hit 40, then add pressure until you have about 40 hot and they evaluate again. Start with one side first. Most like to start with the rear tire adjustments.

[nicknaz]

thanks for the tips

[BlueLion]

Originally Posted by sg335

The front tires are where you are going to get wear on the outside shoulders and you can't prevent that without camber plates. Just accept the fact that you will burn through a set of fronts in a weekend if you drive hard. Just adjust pressures for handling effects to dial in/out understeer/oversteer. I don't care what pressures you are running (25-50), at .5 degrees neg camber, you are going to wear out your outside edges in the front. Increse pressures in front and decrease pressures in the rear to increase oversteer effect. Decrease front pressures and increase rear pressures to increase understeer effect. This works up to a point and then works in reverse. For example if you put way too much pressure in the rear you can also induce more oversteer. Just play around with it. Set all four at the same pressures (about 28-32 cold) which should net you about 40 hot in this nose heavy pig of a car. If you don't hit 40, then add pressure until you have about 40 hot and they evaluate again. Start with one side first. Most like to start with the rear tire adjustments.

informative thanks

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by Nick Nazareno

Guys, I am thinking about purchasing a tire pyrometer. I've heard it is a great tool for validating tire pressures and alignment settings to ensure optimal traction and tire wear.

Does any one have any experience?

Thanks,
Nick

Get it only if you are able to change your alignment settings.

If you see much higher temps on the outer edges of the tire, you will need to add more negative camber(through camber plates) or reduce body roll(anti-roll bars or higher rate springs). A good set of camber plates should be consider as part of the purchase as well!

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by HP Autowerks

A good set of camber plates should be consider as part of the purchase as well!

Thanks for the feedback! I'm keeping the car 100% OE (I hate fiddling with a car and I am happy to make changes to my driving technique to accommodate the machine's preferences) , so I'm unlikely to purchase the camber plates, however if you have a good price on a pyrometer please PM me!

[longodj]

I don't know if these guys prices are "good" but they are a supporter of NASA sooooo...yea http://www.stableenergies.com

I bought a silly little infrared pyrometer from them to some interesting results...apparently I have too much negative camber? lol yea....I need a probe type They have some neat longacre ones with memory and all...

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by Nick Nazareno

Thanks for the feedback! I'm keeping the car 100% OE (I hate fiddling with a car and I am happy to make changes to my driving technique to accommodate the machine's preferences) , so I'm unlikely to purchase the camber plates, however if you have a good price on a pyrometer please PM me!

We get them from Ioport racing! Tell them we sent you!

[sg335]

Originally Posted by longodj

I don't know if these guys prices are "good" but they are a supporter of NASA sooooo...yea http://www.stableenergies.com

I bought a silly little infrared pyrometer from them to some interesting results...apparently I have too much negative camber? lol yea....I need a probe type They have some neat longacre ones with memory and all...

Infrared are very inaccurate unless you take temps immediately hot in the pit lane. Once you have driven a cool down lap at the checkered and pulled into your parking spot, and then take temps, your insides will always be hotter than the outsides. Even with a probe type unit. Temps need to be taken with either instrument as soon as possible after driving hot. Come in while the track is green to the hot pits and have someone else take your temps and then proceed back out on the track.

[longodj]

Originally Posted by sg335

Infrared are very inaccurate unless you take temps immediately hot in the pit lane. Once you have driven a cool down lap at the checkered and pulled into your parking spot, and then take temps, your insides will always be hotter than the outsides. Even with a probe type unit. Temps need to be taken with either instrument as soon as possible after driving hot. Come in while the track is green to the hot pits and have someone else take your temps and then proceed back out on the track.

Great advice! That explains it...I took the temps after getting to my spot, undoing my belts and helmet and collar and all that crap and then checking my pressures so I'm sure they cooled down greatly. I was seeing a good 30-40 degree difference between inside temp and outside temp I have to get together with my instructor next track day, he was helping me a lot with pressures and the like. I told him the mods I was making by the next event and he promised to diagnose the difference Just have to find the money for a probe pyrometer