Forum members...Why do most "street" enthusiasts prefer low profile tires while formula one and related series drivers use tires with a large sidewall such as these http://www.indyracing.com/press/story.php?id=311 ?

Conventional wisdom is that minimal sidewall = minimal tire flex = corner control. If that were the case, then formula drivers should be riding on paper thin tires. But, they do just the opposite. They are riding on tires that look like something off of an old road runner.

What the heck is going on???

 

Good point. Don't know but would love to hear. :cheers:

 

I think one factor that may come into play is the fact(I THINK I heard this somewhere) that F1 slicks and the like have no air in them, and therefore don't flex the way Radial air-filled tires do.--
(Have you ever seen a F1 car with a flat?) :cheers:

 

I'm not entirely sure BUT race tires such as the ones used in F1 are designed from the onset for MAXIMUM performance for 50-75 miles, not to mention the cars are setup to handle 3 lateral Gs as well. I wish I knew more.

 

While they don't address my original question directly, these two links provide some great information on tire selection and how it affects handling.
http://www.club4ag.com/faq%20and%20t...0Selection.htm
http://www.club4ag.com/faq%20and%20t...mendations.htm


I sent a note to Firestone to see if they could provide an answer to my original question. I'll post more as I find it.



[Modified by LTD, 12:26 PM 1/15/2002]

 

It appears that F1 slicks and other ultra-duty performance tires do have air in them.

From the site I post below: "The tire guys specify a pressure range for their tires at each race. Let’s say it’s 20 to 30 pounds per square inch (psi) for road courses, 25 to 35 psi for short ovals, and 35 to 45 for superspeedways. The higher pressures are needed to keep the contact patch roughly the same area when the tire sees higher aerodynamic loads at the higher speeds on the faster tracks. A tire with 500 pound force on it needs 25 psi inside to support that load on 20 square inches of contact patch. Double the load and you have to double the internal pressure to maintain the same contact area."
http://tvmotorsports.com/tirgage.htm

 

Cool info--I stand educated:D :cheers: :smash:

 

Well, I finally heard back from Firestone. They don't seem to know either! this is what they sent to me:

Your enquiry to Firestone consumer affairs has been passed on to me as press
officer for Bridgestone's F1 programme.

As to why Formula 1 tyres are low profile, the simple answer is that the
regulations say they have to be! As to why the regulations were decided the
way they were you would have to ask the FIA, the sport's governing body. In
the 1980s, the wheels were 15 inch, now they are 13. At Bridgestone we are
quite satisfied with the rules as they stand and would not want them to
change because, of course, being in F1 since 1997 we have never known any
different, although we do have the technology to change if we had to.
It's probably true to say that low profile tyres have a higher cornering
force, but this can make the handling more 'peaky' and therefore it's easier
to lose control of the car. Because F1 cars run at such high speeds, the
drivers need to have more 'room' to be able to respond to the particular
conditions at any given corner at any time and a higher profile tyre allows
them to have that extra control. If the driver makes a mistake on low
profile tyres it's much harder to recover.

I hope that helps,

Kind regards.

Sarah French
Press Officer
Bridgestone Motorsport


Hurricane Way, Axis Park, Langley,
Slough, Berkshire SL3 8AG
United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 (0) 1753 589200
Fax: +44 (0) 1753 589201
Mob: +44 (0) 7887 921268

 

Per Bridgestone reply, F1 rules specify wheel height and width, and all aspects of tire size. It's that way only because it's currently part of F1's "Formula". Not to mention Bridgestone and Michelin have two fortunes invested in their current and developing tire technology and changing tire profiles would cost many additional $$.

Finally, the compounds on F1 tires are nothing like the rubber found in Run Flats, for example. They are more like vinyl.

Steve


[Modified by Steve Chaffee, 3:45 AM 1/25/2002]