Stockcars: Tires

If you followed this week's race in Atlanta, you surely noticed the amount of attention placed on tires after the race. Over the last two years, Goodyear has been working on new tire compounds for the COT (Car of Tomorrow). The car was only released a couple of years ago and finding the correct balance in a tire at each track for the COT is extremely difficult. Many things make this a difficult task, but the cars extreme weight and balance forefront the struggles Goodyear has went through.

Most people presume that NASCAR drivers always race on the same tire. The truth is that there are different tire compounds brought to each race track. The reason for this is that different tracks wear differently on the tires. The left side tires also wear differently than the right side tires because the drivers are always turning left. This shifts the weight onto the right side tires causing them to wear at a much faster rate. Tracks made of asphalt wear on tires differently then tracks made of concrete. Some longer tracks have turns with steeper banking causing less tire wear and more speed, while others short tracks have more turns and cause tires to wear rapidly. Furthermore, there are also road course tracks, which have the car turning left and right producing a completely different situation.

Another factor affecting drivers tires during a race is the amount of air pressure in their tires. As stated previously, the drivers continual left turns shift the weight of the car on the right side tires requiring them to be at a different air pressure than the left side tires. The tires are also filled with Nitrogen instead of compressed air. They are filled this way because Nitrogen produces less moisture than compressed air. When the tires heat up after a few laps and the moisture in the tire vaporizes and expands, it changes increases air pressure. By using Nitrogen they can control air pressure better because it has less moisture.

So next time your watching a NASCAR race be sure to stay focused on the tire issues happening at each track. Teams constantly check tires during a race to make decisions about how long tires will last, how much air pressure they need in them and when their team needs to make a pit stop. They check the tires by burning the rubber off the tire with a torch and examining how much rubber is left on a tire. This is a common method you will see at every track and hear the commentators discussing. Atlanta's race this weekend yielded some dramatic racing on the new tire compound, but also left many drivers infuriated about the new tire. With new tire compounds being issued throughout the season, it is always sure to put a spin on things!