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General Information
The tire used for the Legends series is a 'Legends Edition' 205/60R13
BFGoodrich T/A Radial, purchased through your Legends dealer at about $100 ea. This
is the only legal tire for the series. When purchasing new tires, use a small narrow
tape measurer to circumference the tires to match the set if possible. For oval
tracks, take advantage of small differences between the tires to gain stagger for the
right side. My last new set of tires circumferences were between 70 5/8" to 70
3/4", small advantages add up for the better. The tire tread is usually cut
down for asphalt applications to decrease the tread flex and improve the grip of the tire.
Tire pressures used can range from 35 lbs. to 7 lbs. (Not recommended)
The lowest tire pressure I've purposely run in my left rear on asphalt is 9 lbs.
Once your setup is good on the car, many drivers use only tire pressure to fine tune
during a race. Increasing tire pressure increases load and bite on that corner of the car,
similar to jacking in more weight. Increasing right rear tire pressure will loosen
up the car.
To start in Legends, I purchased a used car and first
ran the old tires that came on the car. In my first five races, I had been running
toward the back, and running a little quicker each week. It came time to put a new set of
tires on the car, and the next race I picked up half a second a lap. It's important
to keep good rubber on the car. The tires will cure and harden over time, loosing their
bite even though they are not worn out.
Asphalt
I believe most will agree that your tires should be camber cut for best
performance on asphalt (oval). The technique is to add camber to the tire and
increase the amount of tread coming in contact with the track surface during cornering.
This is done by shaving rubber off the right side of the tread to increase camber
angle. Check with your Legends dealer for recommendations on tire preparation for
the local tracks. If they can't provide a service themselves, they will probably know
someone who does. It's a good practice to make sure your rims are strait and in good
condition before mounting tires and shaving. Once a tire is cut on a rim, you want
to keep it mounted for the duration of the tires use. If a rim is damaged and needs to be
replaced, it is recommended that the tire be cut again to true it after mounting on the
new rim for best balance.
Dirt
For dirt racing you want fresh tires, and all the tread. Take
advantage of natural differences in tire circumference to improve stagger percentage.
Tire pressures used will usually be around the 8-15 lbs. range.
Road
For road racing, the new '03' tire compound has reduced the need for
cutting tires, but if you need the best performance, the tires are cut down evenly to
7/32" tread depth to reduce tread flex and give better performance.
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