195/50/15... Recommendations for air pressure front andrear?

[fahrvegnugen at cox.net (David Utley)]

> 
> From: "Craig Steiner" <steiner_ca@hotmail.com>
> Date: 2004/12/18 Sat AM 12:14:24 EST
> To: scirocco-l@scirocco.org
> Subject: Re: 195/50/15... Recommendations for air pressure front and rear?
> 
> For the budding engineers on the list, I've found the "High-Performance 
> Handling Handbook" by Don Alexander and "Tune To Win" by Carroll Smith to 
> have some of the best tire tuning procedures/info.  That is, they have 
> excellent descriptions and numbers to tune by.  I've yet to apply this 
> knowledge as my 16V is still just a DD, but the plans are in work and the 
> money has just arrived.
> 
> Don Alexander's book describes how to use a tire pyrometer and a set pattern 
> of taking a tire's temperature to determine proper inflation/chassis tuning. 
>   For example: Tire temps (inside, middle and outside) of 195 180 190 would 
> indicate that tire pressure was too low.  185 190 180 would indicate too 
> high a pressure.  195 190 185 would indicate correct pressure.  Essentially, 
> you'll want the inside temps 5 to 10 degrees hotter than the outside with a 
> middle temp somewhere in between.  It should be noted that correct temps 
> alone don't necessarily mean your pressures are correct.  Tire temps will 
> also indicate a number of other problems such as incorrect camber, toe, roll 
> steer, rear axle steer etc etc. There's much more detail in the book.  Yeah, 
> there's a Honduh on the cover, but there are several VW examples in the 
> book, including a Corrado, NB Cup cars, several Audi examples and 6 pages 
> dedicated to tuning VW's (1983 GTi and a 2000 Neuspeed Golf 1.8t).   BTW, 
> Carroll Smith's book isn't written for those who flunked out of Physics and 
> Math in high school.
> 
> Craig Steiner
> '88 Alpine White 16V - stock
> 
> Emerging once again from lurk mode to get this project rolling!

Craig,
  Thanks very much for the nice write-up!  I already have some Christmas money and I was trying to think of some titles for the library.  I am sure that these books will help with my quest for better handling (in the long-run at least)...  :-)

Cheers,
  David

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. 
--Ralph Waldo Emerson