Race Engineering: How tyre temperature affects grip

How tyre temperature affects grip in a racing car is a non-linear problem (see chart.)

A tyre will have “no grip” if it is either:

• too cold –> think rock solid. Rubber not able to “bite” into track surface.
• too hot –> think chewing gum. Rubber so soft it can’t transmit forces.

In testing, find the optimum tyre temperature for your tyre on your specific track.

Challenges:

• Measuring temperatures –> how to measure tyre temps
• Interpreting the information –> how to interpret tyre temps

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