Front Right Tire Wear

[Inprogress]

I recently completed a Foundations of Road Racing course at a local track in Austin. I installed RE71r tires, got lowered on H&R coilovers, and had -1.9 camber front and -1.5 in the back, with .16 toe in the front and .26 toe in the rear.

The tires were at 33-34 psi cold upon starting the day.

My front right tire is extremely worn down the middle. All of the other tires are perfectly fine. Did this middle wear happen bc of over-inflated tires?

 

[R Golf]

90% likely due to over-inflation, although it also looks like you could use a little more camber if you can get it. Check all your tires when hot as soon as you complete your session and then bleed off excess. That will help prevent this. One tire heating up and overinflating can be caused by a missed measurement; also, tracks with a high % of lefts or rights will heat up the outside fronts the most thus causing higher pressures vs. other tires.

If you're relatively new to tracking your car, I'd also go with a less aggressive tire than the RE71's. You'll get better wear and more forgiving feedback.

 

[Cliff]

I agree on the over-inflation. I have a set of 265/35R18 RE71R for my car and I aim for 32-33 psi hot in these tires. My front tires typically gain 8psi in the first session. I would also suggest running 0 toe up front, and slight toe-in in the rear. Toe-in emphasizes straight line stability, which is not really a characteristic you want at the front of the car. Non-zero toe also leads to increased tire wear. Some folks like to run toe-out up front to improve steering response, but there are other ways to achieve that goal that won't eat your tires alive.

 

[Inprogress]

90% likely due to over-inflation, although it also looks like you could use a little more camber if you can get it. Check all your tires when hot as soon as you complete your session and then bleed off excess. That will help prevent this. One tire heating up and overinflating can be caused by a missed measurement; also, tracks with a high % of lefts or rights will heat up the outside fronts the most thus causing higher pressures vs. other tires.

If you're relatively new to tracking your car, I'd also go with a less aggressive tire than the RE71's. You'll get better wear and more forgiving feedback.

Yeah, I am very new to HPDE. I don't particularly care to be "fast", but rather I want to consistent and safe. It was a boneheaded mistake on my part to not check pressures.

This particular class/track had a lot more left turns.

So my front left tire is at 8/32, my rears are 6/32 and 7/32. I want to diagonally rotate my tires this week, can I replace just the front right or would i need to replace in pairs?

Thank you

 

[Inprogress]

I agree on the over-inflation. I have a set of 265/35R18 RE71R for my car and I aim for 32-33 psi hot in these tires. My front tires typically gain 8psi in the first session. I would also suggest running 0 toe up front, and slight toe-in in the rear. Toe-in emphasizes straight line stability, which is not really a characteristic you want at the front of the car. Non-zero toe also leads to increased tire wear. Some folks like to run toe-out up front to improve steering response, but there are other ways to achieve that goal that won't eat your tires alive.

So if you're saying 32-33 hot, should I aim to for 26psi cold?

And yeah I'm def doing 0 toe in the front, would .08 toe in each side in the rear be adequate?

Thank you so much

 

[95b14]

I like to check my tire pressure when I stop to get gas at whatever the closest station to the track is. Closest track to my house is 1 hr away so when I get gas, (been driving for 50 minutes at this point) I check tire pressure before I pump. This way the tires are at least warm. Being that they’re nowhere near “track hot,” you’ll still have to bleed air out after your first session with this method, but at least you won’t have a crazy high pressure to start with. This is obviously not a recommended method if you’re lucky enough to live only like 5 minutes from a racetrack.

 

[Cliff]

So if you're saying 32-33 hot, should I aim to for 26psi cold?

And yeah I'm def doing 0 toe in the front, would .08 toe in each side in the rear be adequate?

Thank you so much

In terms of starting cold pressure, my answer is going to be: it depends. What size tires are you running?

I don't like to go out with under inflated tires, so I'll set mine at 28-29 psi then bleed them down to my target pressure immediately after coming in from my first session. My goal for the first session of the day is to warm up the car and the driver and prepare for the rest of the day, so having optimal tire pressures first thing in the morning is not required. If they're under 40psi when I come off track, that's close enough for the first session.

I'm at roughly 0.10 degree toe-in at the rear. This is a link to my last alignment sheet: link

So my front left tire is at 8/32, my rears are 6/32 and 7/32. I want to diagonally rotate my tires this week, can I replace just the front right or would i need to replace in pairs?

Most tires, including RE71R, have directional tread, so you can only rotate them front to rear unless you have a tire shop remount them for you and swap them side to side. Front to rear rotation is usually good enough to even out the wear. I rotate my tires after every day at the track. I have found that I may get an extra day or two on a set of tires by swapping them side to side. The cost savings from the extra tire life has not usually been enough to offset the cost of the remount and balance.

 

[Inprogress]

In terms of starting cold pressure, my answer is going to be: it depends. What size tires are you running?

I don't like to go out with under inflated tires, so I'll set mine at 28-29 psi then bleed them down to my target pressure immediately after coming in from my first session. My goal for the first session of the day is to warm up the car and the driver and prepare for the rest of the day, so having optimal tire pressures first thing in the morning is not required. If they're under 40psi when I come off track, that's close enough for the first session.

I'm at roughly 0.10 degree toe-in at the rear. This is a link to my last alignment sheet: link



Most tires, including RE71R, have directional tread, so you can only rotate them front to rear unless you have a tire shop remount them for you and swap them side to side. Front to rear rotation is usually good enough to even out the wear. I rotate my tires after every day at the track. I have found that I may get an extra day or two on a set of tires by swapping them side to side. The cost savings from the extra tire life has not usually been enough to offset the cost of the remount and balance.

Thank you, this is really helpful.

I'm running RE71r in 235/40/18, square all around

Can I replace the one tire, or do I need to replace in pairs?

 

[Cliff]

Thank you, this is really helpful.

I'm running RE71r in 235/40/18, square all around

Can I replace the one tire, or do I need to replace in pairs?

I've been using this document ( Discount Tire Inflation.pdf) as an initial guide for air pressures when I try a tire that is a different size or load rating than my OE tires. If I recall correctly, OE GTI tires have a 92 XL load rating, and the door jamb pressure recommendation is 37 psi. Your B-stone tire has a 95 XL load rating, so according to the chart your initial target tire pressure should be 33 psi. This chart is providing cold pressures for street driving, but I've found that my best hot pressures are pretty close to these numbers (Per the chart my target psi is 32. For autocross I run them at 28 warm -- the tires never get hot at our autocross events -- but for HPDE I'll be at 32-33).

You should determine how heat affects your tire pressures on your car with you driving it at your next event. I'd suggest that you set your fronts at 29-30, and the rears at 31-32, then check your tire pressure immediately when you come off track after your first session. If you have an instructor in the car with you, tell them in advance that you're going to do that. They've done it before so they will understand. Use that information to set your starting pressures accordingly at your next event.

You didn't mention tread depth on the right front tire. I'd be inclined to just rotate the tires front to rear and keep driving on them. RE71R's wear out quickly so you'll be in the market for new tires before long anyway.

 

[xXDavidCXx]

This is totally normal wear for RE171s.

His toe specs are fine, he posted total toe, which is why it sound high.

 

[Inprogress]

My front left thread is 6/32
My rear left is 8/32
my rear right tire is 7/32

 

[R Golf]

I think you'll be totally fine with just a rotation (front/back) and watching pressure in future. When these are toast, go to a less aggressive better wearing tire until you progress to the point where you can overdrive the tires.

Is this also your daily driver? If so, RE71's are not the best choice at any time due to wear and better wet weather choices. I use my car for track and DD. I have many years of track experience driving and instructing and I swapped back to PS4's from RE71's because they were too track focused and had short tread life. That shouldn't have been a surprise, but I gave it a shot anyway.

 

[Inprogress]

I think you'll be totally fine with just a rotation (front/back) and watching pressure in future. When these are toast, go to a less aggressive better wearing tire until you progress to the point where you can overdrive the tires.

Is this also your daily driver? If so, RE71's are not the best choice at any time due to wear and better wet weather choices. I use my car for track and DD. I have many years of track experience driving and instructing and I swapped back to PS4's from RE71's because they were too track focused and had short tread life. That shouldn't have been a surprise, but I gave it a shot anyway.

It's not my daily, but I've sure been driving it like it is (that's prob bc the GTI is way too much fun to let sit in the driveway lol)

What would be a less aggressive trackable tire?

Thank you!

 

[R Golf]

It's not my daily, but I've sure been driving it like it is (that's prob bc the GTI is way too much fun to let sit in the driveway lol)

What would be a less aggressive trackable tire?

Thank you!

There are tons of options and opinions, but I've found the Michelin PS4S to be a great almost no compromises tire. Almost as quick as RE71R's, particularly with newer drivers (probably even faster with new drivers due to feedback), better wear, and much better wet grip.

They are pricey though, so if price is an issue you may look to others' recommendations. I only recommend what I've actually used.

 

[Inprogress]

There are tons of options and opinions, but I've found the Michelin PS4S to be a great almost no compromises tire. Almost as quick as RE71R's, particularly with newer drivers (probably even faster with new drivers due to feedback), better wear, and much better wet grip.

They are pricey though, so if price is an issue you may look to others' recommendations. I only recommend what I've actually used.

I've ran the Michelin Pilot Super Sports and they were great for me, and they lasted too

I'll look into both the super sport and the 4s

Thank you!