All About Air Pressure - Chase`n Race`n Online

The hot topic for this month’s “The Entire
Truth” is AIR PRESSURE. We're going to talk a
little about air pressure, and the "ins and outs" of
the different combinations you can use.
Probably the number one question during the week at the shop, and at the track is,“What
air pressure do I run?” This seems like it should
not be hard for someone that has been racing for
29 years to answer this question. But I’m here
to tell you that it is not easy to tell other people
what air they should be running. A lot of factors
go into air pressures, such as, the type of tire, the
condition of the track, the class one may be running, the weight, the motor, and the temperature.
Also, the amount of air pressure you should run
will change depending on if you are qualifying by
running 2 laps or 5 laps. The amount of air pressure also depends on the length of the race. Ten
laps are dramatically different than one hundred
laps.
Let’s begin with air pressure based on
the length of the race. The fewer the laps, the
more air you can get away with. The more laps
that you run, the less air pressure you need. This
is because your tires get hot and heat builds up
air pressure. This same idea applies for weight.
The heavier you are the more air you need to
run. For example if you ran 6 and 5 in Light 325
and go to Heavy 375, you will need to add air or
the kart will not roll as good.
Motors make a big difference in air. A
flathead and a clone are pretty close and can use
the same in most cases, but an animal class will
have to lower their pressure due to the speed of
kart. So to keep it simple- the more power, the
less air.
Race tracks are also a big determining
factor in air pressure. We will go from a superspeedway to super tight race track. Let’s look at a
race track like Possum Kingdom, which is one of
the biggest dirt tracks that I know of. You will be
able to run a lot of air at a place like this. These
big race tracks have long straight aways and big
turns, so your tires do not build as much heat.
Now think of a track such as Neeses, where the
Maxxis National Championships have been held,
which has hair pin turns. On a track like this, you
will not be able to get on as much air. Just remember that the bigger the race track, the more
air you can run.
One thing that I do want to caution you
about is using many different air gauges. When
you ask another racer what air they are running,
make sure that you are at least using the same
type of gauge. If you are not using the same type
of air gauge, you may be wasting your time comparing notes. There is a big difference in a $15.00
air gauge and an Intercomp air gauge. I do recommend you using an Intercomp air gauge. They
will stay consistent and will not fluctuate throughout the day, especially during cold to hot weather.
When asking other people what air to run make
sure that you can trust them.This topic is probably the most lied about subject at a race track.
So if you don’t see it, don’t believe it.
I have only touched the tip of this iceberg.
There are so many variables that can change in
a day of racing. However, I hope that the things
we did talk about will help, and I'm always available for questions. Remember that some people
may tell you the truth, but I will tell you the ENTIRE truth.