I am told that thursday morning at 9 to show up out there and they may setup a different 130mph club section because it is a shorter run.
I made it thru tech, everyone out there was friendly about the spyder and of course had tons of questions.
I taped up all my glass and crap and took my wheelchair bracket off but I have a full day tomorrow so I am going to rip it off, put the bracket on. The one thing I did not have is metal valve CAPS WTF, its a easy fix.
Also they wanted me to run at LEAST 40 psi in all tires, the back is at 49.5 Kumdo rear, the stock fronts are 30 psi max but the tech dude said it be fine at 40psi, anyone ever ran that high in front???
On a side note there was a premiere edition at the Mantigo bay casino in wendover, NV it was yellow, with the big forward windshield, hindle pipe, bags, spyder style forward controls/foot pegs and Oklahama plates, was wondering if that person was on here. Hopefully it will go great, thanks again for all the support.
Seth, congratulations on passing tech. That is a big hurdle, especially for a non-conventional machine. Sorry you were unaware of the metal valve caps. That has been a requirement for years. The tire pressure thing is meant to reduce heat. Cuts down on sidewall flexing. Particularly important at higher speeds or on the long course. You should have no problems with the extra pressure. Max pressures on tires are mostly there to indicate where the maximum load rating occurs. Beyond this point the load rating will not increase further. You may have some difficulty with traction at these pressures, though. Depends on the tire you are running. The Kenda had a tendency to distort at speed or higher pressures, leaving a smaller contact patch. Best of luck...still keeping our fingers crossed for you.
The salt is a tricky surface, especially when damp. It is very easy to break loose the drive tire and spin. Less tire on the surface (blown up until tire is convex) usually affords less traction, similar to driving in the snow. Unfortunately, heat is a worse enemy, so high tire pressures are a necessity. The driver has to be aware and deal with any traction issues very carefully.Fascinating and good info, Scotty...you really always have great information.
Less tire on the pavement usually means better traction for wet weather whereas more rubber is better for dry conditions...it has to do with the sneaker vs. high heel effect...same force driven through smaller area will have deeper impact...
Does this not apply with the salt flats or am I missing something?
The salt is a tricky surface, especially when damp. It is very easy to break loose the drive tire and spin. Less tire on the surface (blown up until tire is convex) usually affords less traction, similar to driving in the snow. Unfortunately, heat is a worse enemy, so high tire pressures are a necessity. The driver has to be aware and deal with any traction issues very carefully.
This is a complex issue. Take from a driver from Michigan that in general, the correct pressure in a tire is the best in snow/wet. A smaller contact patch may make for 10% higher pressure on the ground, but it is more often that the friction of the size of the contact patch is more important. For snow, it is actually the amount of tread area (edges) that can "bite" the snow. While it is true that too wide a tire will have poor traction in wet weather or snow, it is also true for too narrow a tire. Tread style, driving methods, weight over the drive wheels, and smooth application of torque are far more important than any small change in tire size, anyway, as is the use of radial tires rather than bias ply tires. Bottom line, use a tire that is sized for the vehicle, then pick a tire pressure and stay with it despite changing weather conditions. Just some practical advice from a northern boy.Scotty, I thought that less tire on the snow is a better thing as you have the same weight distributed through a smaller area...this increases pounds per square inch (PSI) and gives you better traction. When poor conditions are not an issue, then the wider tire gives you more traction...but, with cruddy weather, you have the weight over too great of an area and this reduces traction. I remember learning this in calc. based physics...don't ask me to get the formulas for this as it'a a looong time ago! However, I'm questioning the wider tire in wet/snow conditions....this goes against the laws of physics and I'm wondering what I am missing here? I learned that wider tires good for dry pavement, narrow for snow/wet conditions...