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“Where the rubber meets the road” is truer than most realize. Tire temperatures show how hard a tire is working. Everything associated with how a car handles is reflected in tire temperatures. Tire temperatures are primarily generated while cornering. Very little tire temperature is generated while going in a straight line. Tire temperatures is the best way to optimize car cornering or handling and is used by many winning racers, including NASCAR teams. Tire temperatures can reveal a wealth of information to improve car handling. Examples 1 and 2 below demonstrate how comparing tire temperatures across the surface of a tire can determine the perfect air pressure for a tire while cornering under race conditions. |
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Overall car handling can be viewed by comparing all 4 tire temperatures. The temperatures are calculated the same way car weight on scales is calculated. The Left Cross temperature or Left Cross weight is taken from Left Rear tire and Right Front tire and is expressed as a percentage. Example: If Left Cross percentage is greater than 50%, the car will push. If Left Cross percentage is less than 50%, the car will be loose. See Example below. |
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| Left Cross Percentage = | ((LR + RF) / (LF + RF + LR + RR)) * 100 | ||
| = | ((114 + 108) / (102 + 108 + 114 + 110)) * 100 | ||
| = | (222 / 434) * 100 | ||
| = | .5115 * 100 | ||
| Left Cross Percentage = | 51.15% | ||