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first time open tracking, tire wear?

B

bxd20

CEG'er
Joined
Jun 25, 2000
Messages
110
Location
Cleveland, OH, USA
I'm going to open track my car for the first time this June 20th at Nelson Ledges, in Ohio. 2 miles, 7 turns.

http://www.nelsonledges.com/TFMap.aspx

You're allowed to race all day. Sessions are 25 min I believe they said. What kind of tire wear should I expect? I'm not going to be going all-out, this is my daily driver and can't afford to go off and risk damage. The tires are probably around 1/2 worn now. Should I expect them to be completely to the wear bars by end of day?

Also, if indeed I will likely loose 4/32nd or 5/32 of tread, do I rotate tires in the middle of the day? What do you guys do?
 
It depends on the tires and your driving style. If you are driving like a monkey, overheating the tires and sliding all over the place, then yeah, you'll probably kill them in a hurry.

You really should be fine as long as you don't behave like an idiot. Remember, open tracking is NOT RACING. Go out there, and run at a speed that is comfortable for you. Work on being consistant, not fast. You'll have more than enough fun, and it will be a lot easier on your car, your tires, your brakes, everything. Listen very carefully to your instructors as well. Running the correct line, and being smooth is far easier on your car and you as a driver than trying to muscle it up and slide the car around every corner. Plus, you'll end up a lot faster when its all over if you follow the line and stay smooth.
 
thats my plan for SZ basically. start with slow(er) runs to work on mastering the line for the turns and then slowly build from there. i am bringing an extra set of wheels/tires/brakes just in case but i dont plan on needing them.

basically, go out there, work on your driving skills, and have fun. dont worry about how fast your going compaired to everyone else.
 
As mentioned, tire wear should not be an issue. I had new tires on the car before running at Gingerman all day last SZ (before everyone else showed up for the evening) and I also ran all day at Autobahn (full track - 3.5 mi) in October and my tires still have lots of tread left.

You should just get a good scuff off them over the day, and you'll notice when you leave the track that you have less tire noise going down the road. Well, I did anyway after my first track day on half-used street tires.

Be smooth, drive 8/10ths and you'll be fine.
 
ive autocrossed for a few years now and never noticed any major wear issues driving at 110% the whole time. yes autocross is a lot less driving but i have gone days where i decided i was gonna go home with half the rubber left and could barely make a difference on them even with 200 tread wear rated tires. you should be fine. as everyone else said take it slow and learn your limits first. some of my fastest times have been when i was not trying at all and just found a nice smooth line.

the main thing to remember is "slow in, fast out" that will yield the best times. :)

oh and dont forget to have fun
 
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