UK Karting - Notice Board (General Karting) : Re: Cadet wets tyre pressure?

Notice Board (General Karting)

Re: Cadet wets tyre pressure?
Posted by 'SimonS' on 20 Nov 2009 @ 19:54

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SimonSJoined: December 2004
Total Posts: 4
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It depends on the driver.

The tyres work by Mechanical grip and chemical grip.

Chemical grip is generated as the tyres heat up and become sticky.

mechanical grip is caused by the tendency of the rubber to fit into the hollows of the road. Warm rubber softens and increases the mechanical grip.

Wet tyres heat up by hysteresis in the rubber, so needs low pressures to allow the rubber to flex.

However, if you cannot develop enough heat to soften the tyres or develop chemical grip then some people go to the opposite extreme. On a very wet track the speed at which the kart will aquaplane is 9 times teh square root of the tyre pressure. So high pressures will reduce aquaplaning. It also reduces the contact area of the tyre, increasing the heat generated in that patch and thus increasing the mechanical and chemical grip there.

The big problem is driver confidence. If your driver can be persuaded to drive fast enough in the wet to start to generate heat, then he's OK. But if he is too slow he will lose grip on soft tyres. Of course, if he gets confident at high pressures, the lack of contact patch will compromise his performance too.

Message Thread:

Cadet wets tyre pressure? by 'Spice' (19 Nov 2009 @ 21:25)

Re: Cadet wets tyre pressure? by 'HC64' (19 Nov 2009 @ 21:37)

Re: Cadet wets tyre pressure? by 'SimonS' << You are here!

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