I'm playing with setups and tyre temperatures at the moment, getting an understanding of how they work so I can set my FOX up for an endurance race.

My simple question is (and I've searched to see if it's here already) I have 3 differing tyre types - R1, R2 and R3. Which is the "soft" tyre and which is the "hard" tyre?

I seem to see differing opinions in various threads - one post saying "take the softer R2 over the R3" and another saying "R3s are soft and won't last the distance, take the R2s instead".

So which is it?!

The former is right
In LFS, R1 is the softest compound while R4 is the hardest.

In general, the best strategy is to take the softest compound you can get away with. It's better to take R2 where you can just barely manage to keep them from overheating (by using extreme tyre pressures for example) and completely wearing down at race end, than to take R3 where you don't have all these problems, but you still end up losing because you were x seconds slower per lap.

From my experience, there is never ever any reason to take the hardest available compound in LFS with its current wear/heat model. So in the FOX, take R1 tyres or R2 if you absolutely can't finish the race with R1. If you need R3 then you're doing something wrong. Same goes for R4 tyres for the classes that can choose them.

Ok, excellent advice there, thanks!

Next question:

I've analysed my best lap on Aston Historic in the FOX - a 2:28.8ish, against a fairly quick mid 2:25 lap. Some of the stats are comparable (min and max revs and speed for example) but he generally draws away through all the corners.

In the stats list in F1PerfView, it lists him as using racing slick tyres, and me as using racing grooved tyres. Have I got something in my setup wrong? I've got it set to "Slick Tyre R2" in my setup.

He's using R1s. That program hasn't been updated with the new slick tyre choices we got in LFS a couple of years ago. Grooved and wet slicks haven't been in LFS (publically) for years.

R1s last forever in the FOX. I have completed every race in the GFC this season on R1s. The races are around 75 minutes and R1 will last around 2/3 - 3/4 of the race. At some tracks you can even do the whole race without changing tyres.

I have a lot of good setups for the FOX on my website. The one for AS Hist is a beauty.

Hotlaps (1-2 Laps)- R1
Short Race (5 Laps)- R2
Medium Racing (10 Laps)- R2/R3 (Depends on how much you use the tyres and depending on the track)
Longish Races (25 Laps)- R3
Long Race (25+ Laps) - R4

This depends on if you have pitstops etc...

Hope this helps

Matty

Quote from dmwright :

Hotlaps (1-2 Laps)- R1
Short Race (5 Laps)- R2
Medium Racing (10 Laps)- R2/R3 (Depends on how much you use the tyres and depending on the track)
Longish Races (25 Laps)- R3
Long Race (25+ Laps) - R4

This depends on if you have pitstops etc...

Hope this helps

Matty

you must be really hard on tires.

for most people, the softest tires will last 30 minutes or more, and mediums will last for a long long time. there is no use at all for the hard tires.

keep in mind that any tire will go through a heat cycle, getting warm quickly, then cooling off slowly. if you notice that after 5 laps your tires are hot, and think that maybe you should try a harder compound, that might not be the best choice. if you are careful for a lap or two, the temps should start to come down again and you will have good grip for the remainder of the race.

Quote from dmwright :

...

No offence, but that's completely wrong. Have you ever raced more than 10 laps? With LFS' current tyre modelling, there is never ever a reason to use R4 tyre compound. Mostly the softest or second softest available compounds are used, and that is for proper long league races, not only hotlapping. These tyres last FAR longer than you suggest here.

Quote from dmwright :

Hotlaps (1-2 Laps)- R1
Short Race (5 Laps)- R2
Medium Racing (10 Laps)- R2/R3 (Depends on how much you use the tyres and depending on the track)
Longish Races (25 Laps)- R3
Long Race (25+ Laps) - R4

This depends on if you have pitstops etc...

Hope this helps

Matty

Hotlap - R1
Short Race - R1
Medium Race - R1
Longish Race - R1
Long Race - R1
Really Long Race - maybe R2s

Of course, in cars that can't use R1, then R1 = R2 and R2 = R3.

I always use R4s to give the rest of you a sporting chance.

Quote from dmwright :

Hotlaps (1-2 Laps)- R1
Short Race (5 Laps)- R2
Medium Racing (10 Laps)- R2/R3 (Depends on how much you use the tyres and depending on the track)
Longish Races (25 Laps)- R3
Long Race (25+ Laps) - R4

You do realize that 1 lap on AS GT equals about 4 laps on AS Cadet, yes?

Using R1s on FOX aswell and even that they're usually somewhere between 80-85C' if I drive smoothly, they still offer a lot more grip than R2s at ideal temperature.

Quote from Gentlefoot :

R1s last forever in the FOX. I have completed every race in the GFC this season on R1s. The races are around 75 minutes and R1 will last around 2/3 - 3/4 of the race. At some tracks you can even do the whole race without changing tyres.

agree 100% here, the FOX is very kind in the tire department, again driving style has a lot to do with it but im not sure i know of a FOX running R2's, they wear rubber very well, i only race the S-S cars so i carnt speak for the gti's and so on but the F08 is completly deferent, not so good on the tires, ive know sets running R3's on the FO8 personly i like to stick to R1's and R'2s, i dont really find running higher than that gives you an overal time advantage to say using r2's.... just learn to look after the car, most drivers disregard this, and its important!!, 6 lap race ok thrash it but when your doing longer races no tire will give you a higher advantage than if you look after your car and boots...

As Gentlefoot has said, for the FOX the R1s will outlast the fuel anywhere.

Test your set and understand the heat cycle. Tyres will generally go hotter than their optimum early in the race as the thicker rubber will retain the heat (surface / volume ratio and all that). As the tyres wear they will cool quicker and eventually hit the sweet spot. Before they burst they will tend to run cooler than optimum and grip falls away again.

The overheating issue is not usually a problem for the FOX grip wise. For the FO8 my sets tend to work the fronts hard and R2s really burn early on. My solution is to play with the roll bars to retain a semblance of balance in the car (removing massive understeer) or to run R3 fronts which are harder and I seem to be more consistent on.

storm agree with the fo8 there fronts are a nightmare to keep in the sweetspot, although i dont go as far as r3's as a general rule for me personly i agree the fo8 seems very ARB tetchy, if you havent got your ARB smack on your front tires just burst into flames .....

and just out of interest as anyone had a blowout in a race????? ive never had sutch a thing happen to me

Yep.

Did a 71 lap race at BL GP Rev in OWRL Div A (FO8).

Went for no stop and R3 fronts. Should have been fine but I was locking the left front at the hairpin every lap and it poppped with 3 laps to go. Out of 3rd. Doh!

:banghead: wow, bet ya were a little upset to say the least heh LOL...

saying that i find BL is one of those tracks that hates the FO8 tire wise, but in saying that you went pretty far on 1 set of boots sooooo i duno now