The reasoning to raise pressures for the wet is more applicable to road
racing than autocrossing.
In racing, generally you will set your pressures a bit low because as the
tires heat up, the pressure will rise to what it should be. BUT in the wet,
the tires run cool and so do not get the same pressure buildup. Hence, you
start out higher.
Yes, you can get heat into a tire in an autocross, but not so much in a
one-minute run that it makes much difference. Thus, in the dry for
autocross, we START at what is a correct pressure. IMHO, for wet, start at
the same, but like any event adjust between runs as it seems appropriate for
the conditions (often, if you are loose, you will bump the pressure up at
the loose end of the car. YMMV.).
If you have separate rain tires, they may want different pressures anyway
(deeper tread, etc.)
--Rocky
-----Original Message-----
From: Karen Rafferty <rafferty@sgi.net>
To: autox@autox.team.net <autox@autox.team.net>
Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2001 8:06 PM
Subject: Re: tire pressures in the wet
>I pulled the following from Kumho's web site:
>
> "Most cars should begin by using cold inflation
> pressures for wet track conditions that are 5 to 8
> psi below the cold inflation pressures they use in
> their tires for a dry track."
>
>I always thought the opposite was true - that you
>*raised* pressures by 5 or so psi for wet conditions.
>Which is correct?
>
>Kent Rafferty
|