Yeah, but the performance criteria of the tire has a optimal temperature range to work well, right? So, with bit hotter track it will work better and have more grip than with a colder track even if it works well in colder conditions too.
I know it's not as linear as that but hotter temperature is related to higher grip in general that's what i mean. In F1 or MotoGP as the qualifying sessions go by in the morning you see their lap times getting better as the day/track temperature warms up and build more rubber in corners, why is that?
No. It's totally dependant on the combination of variables I stated before. Tyres are physically VERY technical, to the point where we are still learning new things about them daily. To make a sweeping characteristic generalisation about an object of which there are millions of types is meaningless. It's like me saying that all trees will grow better at 30C than they would at 20C. It's a pointless statement which has no scientific reasoning let alone proof behind it.
its not just that though...they turn the engine power up and run less fuel are just a couple of other reasons
You cannot isolate track temperature to performance improvement in that scenario. A driver/rider will get better throughout the event as they learn the track and refine their driving and/or style, improved set-up changes, more rubber down, not to mention in F1 they run the softer stuff in Q3 compared to primes in Q1... There's a whole host of performance improvements. Q3 qualifying will always be quicker than lap 1 free practice 1 regardless of track temperature within reason. Take sim-racing. Do 10 laps and your last lap will be quicker than your first lap. Why is that? The track temperature has remained the same...
Ok, so it's all psichologic right? If i feel that my karting in very hot conditions is faster (and it is!!) than with cloudy weather i'm just crazy right?
You know what's crazy? That statement, which until now has covered every sim in history, won't be accurate with rF2. The track WILL change (unless you set speed of change to none, of course).
All I'm saying is that because it may be true in your go-kart on your track on whatever conditions, it doesn't mean it's true in other cars on other circuits in various conditions. You cannot apply your result across different tyres/cars/circuit/other variables. Pretty simple I think?
And this is the aspect I'm looking forward to the most because I think this huge difference that will bring us closer to motor-sport reality than any other feature apart from physics. As I think you've stated in a post elsewhere, driving to the conditions, not to a lap-time. That's the true test of competition driving!
Tim can you tell us if in rFactor 2 we have to be consistent like in real life to do a good race (saving tires, engine), holding position to attack later, or we can just drive like crazy like some guys do in rFactor 1 to win races? Thanks in advance! Also, do we need in wet weather to go off the drying line sometimes (to the wet side) to refresh tire temps OR get to the side (out of opponent tail in front of you) on a straight in dry race so your car can take fresh air into the engine like we see sometimes in real life (after several laps behind your opponent)?
Playlife, you seem fully credible mate and I am not going to question your knowledge at all, but I think maybe you are unintentionally over complicating things slightly. Here in the UK, I can not think of a single scenario where the general rule of hotter = faster is not true. I have been to hundreds of races all around the country, from BTCC, to world superbikes, to super karts, to moto GP, F1, etc. In England the only "extreme" we get is cold weather, but never below -15 or above about 35c. (except for very rare occasions) In every race I have participated in and/or spectated, lap times are undoubtably faster on hot days. I am referring to racing vehicles with racing spec tyres. The operating range of the majority of these tyres is above 80c. Lap records are usually broken on very hot days, unless the car breaking the record is simply a much faster machine. As I said, I am not talking about extremes, I am talking about your average uk weather. Over here you are almost, but not always, guaranteed faster lap times on a sweltering summers day in July, than on an overcast 8c day in November. I know, and have previously stated, that there are far, far too many factors involved to create one simple statement, but this rule is generally correct. A cooler track being faster is somewhat rare, and dependant on some very specific circumstances. I hope you understand what I mean. I am not an expert and don't pretend to be, but I am saying what I believe to be true based soley from my experiences here in the UK. I have no knowledge about racing in the US, especially not oval racing. Regards.
Thanks for the well-constructed reply. The point of my posts was simply to point out that you cannot hinge tyre performance on simply a track temperature generalisaiton, nothing more. In the cooler climates like the UK what you said can be true, but in hotter climates like here in Oz the opposite can also be true. Here we don't get ambient temperatures generally below +10C and it can get as high as 45C ambient (track temps of ~+10C to +65C respectively without cloud cover). Hence why I think the 'general statement' can be confusing and is incorrect. Maybe it's just my education background, but dislike stating a fact that is not correct in all circumstances which causes it to then not be a fact! Cheers
Yes. Pretending to be Jenson Button and treating your tires correctly is a BIG deal. Some other things (treating the engine correctly, etc) I'm not sure if they are in yet, but are planned to be.
Cheers for the extra info Tim! And about tyre temps, most of Europe shares *generally* similar climate to the UK, and a lot of racing is done in Europe. But I fully agree with you and playlife, things are different everywhere. Can't wait to try this out! Cheers!
