Can any of the pro tuners/builders provide some general insight as to deciding the appropriate front tyre width vs the rear? to maintain proper overall balance ? (not overall grip)
My builds have always typically played it safe by maxing out both the front and rear widths or preserving the default ratio to the best means possible but i have been coming across some builds that max out the rear tyre width and leave the front widths untouched and the car still feels decent.
Is there a a general guide for establishing the correct tyre width ratio or is it always a matter of doing the equivalent of a Formula One Ferrari test week at Mugello in the early 2000’s where they just threw parts on the car till something worked ?
Seat time is the real only way to decide. I personally leave the tires as low as possible so when i build the car i first go with skinny tires and more power… if i cant get one side of the car to grip correctly after tuning i go up a tire width.
Trial and error on this one is what i do since there is no special way to do it.
I will try it that way. I do it the opposite. probably why I end up with grippy builds with no power a lot of the time. But I usually see that PI as reserve if I need it
My personal preference is Max on Rear, and, Min on Front as a general personal guideline. Then, depending on compound and track (grippy vs speed), I can opt out of some other features and go higher on front. On a very grippy car, if PI allows, I will go with Race compound and max F/R. For long tracks, I will not upgrade Front, since I will certainly need the power.
My 2 cents! Yet, still learning a lot, so, could be different in the future.
It worth noting that going too wide in the rear may upset the balance of the car mid corner. I’ve noticed this with some cars. The tires grip too much and causes the rear end to stop rolling over and makes the car want to go straight instead of turning.
Too much front width may cause unnecessary understeer but one or two widths may be ok in instances where upgrading the tires causes the PI to shoot up dramtically.
Generally front tire width costs a bunch of PI points and so does any tire upgrade. Usually the costs for rear tire width are minimal and in some cars it may drop PI. Basically your choice depends on how much you can exploit the PI to your favor without hurting lap times. Better grip doesn’t always mean faster laps.
