At 01:51 PM 2/11/04, you wrote:
>i want to reduce the weight as much as i reasonably can,
>but i'm not sure about some things.
>
>should i race with the tailgate up? tailgate down? tailgate gone???
If you can take it off and put it back on by yourself (if alone), then off.
If on, then down.
>should i race with my spare tire (to even the weight)
off
>i didn't have traction problems last time, but i don't want to start.
My two answers were for racing with drag radial tires. You might
want to make 2 runs with everything on to see how traction is and
what your 60' times are. Then remove spare for 2 runs and compare
traction and 60' times with 1st two runs. If your 60' times were
equal or better with the spare off, then repeat with the tailgate off.
That's assuming that you can get that many runs in :-)
>what pressure should i inflate the tires to? these are radials (Firestone
>Indy 500), and last time i ran with them, i kept them at the recommended
>level. however, the time before, i lowered tire pressure to 20psi. what is
>the recommendation for street tires?
With street tires, run them at a pressure which will lay down the full
width of the tread. There are various ways to do this. If there are
puddles in the pit area, drive through it slowly and see if your full
tread width/pattern is evenly on the dry surface after the puddle.
Can do the same with sand or mud (if available) and examine the
pattern made in the sand/mud.
You may want to test this in your driveway or a parking lot a day or so
before you go to the track and note the pressure which gives
you the widest, even tread pattern.
Running them at 20 psi will not lay all your tread onto the ground.
The stiffer sidewalls of street tires and low pressure will keep
the middle of the tread from touching the ground.
You can also pump up your fronts (if you have a portable pump)
to about 45 to 50 lbs. It's safe and will lessen the drag from the
front tires. Just remember to not turn and brake hard at the same
time and to bring them back to normal pressure when leaving.
>Gabe Couriel
Best of luck and have fun! I envy you. I have to wait until Apr.
for the track to open.
Bob
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