The tires we use today are far more advanced than those the pioneers of quarter scale used back in the day. BRP is the primary tire supplier in Quarter Scale today. WCM Corp has their own tire brand also.
Tire management is the key to longevity. With proper chassis settings & the correct compound for the track, our tires will last an entire season in most cases... even longer in some too.
One way to measure tire wear and contact patch is with a temp-gun. These can be purchased from several suppliers and range in price from ten dollars to hundreds. No need to buy the high-end guns for use in our hobby. The basic gun will work just fine. It will give you a good indication of the chassis adjustment needed to get the tire wear even.
Links to Temp Guns
- Harbor Freight Tools
- Raytek MT2 Mini Temp Probe
- Duratrax Flashpoint IR Temp Gauge
- Nova Mini IR Temp Gun
- Radio Shack IR Thermometer
The areas of the tire you are looking to compare are the Inner, Middle & Outer Edges (IMO). This is the over all footprint of the tire. Now, time to run some laps...
By running 10 to 20 laps, then checking those lines or temps with a gun, you will be able to see your tire wear & how well your setup is working. One way to analyze your tire temperatures is to run 10- 20 laps on a base setup. It will take several 10-20 lap sessions to sort everything out that is going on with the tires. Note: Ever how many laps you choose to run when testing, use that same amount of laps throughout your test session. This will help insure consistent results. When analyzing tire temperatures it should be done in a specific order. This is the only way to insure your are addressing one area and not another problem in another area.
Points to remember...
A front-end with too much toe-out will show higher temperatures on both Inside edges of the front tires.
A front-end with too much toe-in will show higher temperatures on both Outside edges of the front tires.
Tires with too much negative camber will show a higher temperature at the Inside edges.
A tire with too much positive camber will show a higher temperature at the Outside edges.
The corner of the chassis with the highest average temperature is the one that is being most worked.
The corner of the chassis with the lowest average temperature is the one that is being least worked.
The hotter the tire the quicker it will wear.
Test session...
- Run 10-20 laps, adjust front cambers accordingly. Run another 10-20 laps...
- Adjust toe if needed. Run 10-20 laps...
- Adjust setup based on RF & RR tire temp average. Run 10-20 more laps...
- Look for excessive wear and/or heat on any tire. Adjust on that corner of the chassis. Run 10-20 more laps...
- Repeat the process all over again until optimal temp and wear is achieved.
Good Luck!
