Tire temperatures

[dfhotlm33c]

Car owner is an old school racer (Think leaf spring days), and is very keen on checking tire temps..claiming they need to be even all around...

I am somewhat familiar the four bar setup theory, and am learning to apply it...and my thoughts are that a good setup should generate approximately even rear tire temps, the RF similar to the rears, perhaps a bit warmer, but that it would be ok for the LF to be cooler (This is the topic of debate), as this tire spends some time in less direct contact with ground..this is a 3/8 mile, 15-18 degree banked medium sweep oval where many guys carry the LF 2-3 inches off the ground from center off..

Are tire temps really still an accurate way of determining setup quality? Or are they a tuning tool only for tire pressures and camber settings, etc?

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Car owner is an old school racer (Think leaf spring days), and is very keen on checking tire temps..claiming they need to be even all around...

I am somewhat familiar the four bar setup theory, and am learning to apply it...and my thoughts are that a good setup should generate approximately even rear tire temps, the RF similar to the rears, perhaps a bit warmer, but that it would be ok for the LF to be cooler (This is the topic of debate), as this tire spends some time in less direct contact with ground..this is a 3/8 mile, 15-18 degree banked medium sweep oval where many guys carry the LF 2-3 inches off the ground from center off..

Are tire temps really still an accurate way of determining setup quality? Or are they a tuning tool only for tire pressures and camber settings, etc?

I usually only pay much attention to the rear. Whenever I have had time to really work on a car with a bunch of practice sessions and develop a good setup that is consistent with varying surfaces, the rear tire temps are pretty close. There is no way you will build heat in the lf near the other 3.

[BTDT]

I have been using temps as a tuning tool on dirt for over 20 years. On todays set ups rear even RF close and LF no more than 30 degrees cooler or it's not working hard enough. Also if your temps are taken more than 2 minutes after you leave the track it's a waste of time. JMO