Tire warmers in car racing

Pirelli pays a big number to get brand recognition from F1 because it is number 2 behind football worldwide on TV

 

Fixed for us Americans

 

A P Zero slick 235/645R19 used in the Pirelli World Challenge are 590 each, so around 2500 a set

 

Do f1 teams even pay for tires?

 

In pro racing it depends. Usually it's partly subsidized. So teams may pay some costs but the manufacturer (Pirelli) is eating some costs too to be sole supplier / exposure.

In amateur racing it depends. A buddy of mine who raced SCCA Club Racing was fast and didn't pay for tires almost his entire time due to Hoosier and Goodyear's contingencies.

 

For sure I was asking about f1 specifically because I thought I remembered reading that they do not pay for them, but maybe mistaking.

 

Really. I guess this is another area where marketing is lost on me. I've never bought a tire with the thought that they are on a race car somewhere. Who actively makes a purchasing decision that way?

 

It's lost on me as well, but you're underestimating the susceptibility of the general public.

That's part of the reason F1 is going to 18 inch wheels/tires in 2021..........a more direct link to development technologies that can be passed down to marketing departments who like to push rubber out of Walmart tire shops.

 

They're out there. You ever see Dave K in a racing discussion in which he wasn't talking about who sponsors which team/racer?

 

Funny thing is they had to bump up power by 20 hp on the F2 cars to make up for the lost performance from changing to 18-inch wheels from 13 this year.

 

Yup. Gonna be interesting who is able to get chassis/suspension tweaks in place the quickest to take advantage. Those care are going to take a beating, and I'd bet drivers get REAL selective about where they're willing to hop curbing.........those 18's aren't going to deflect anywhere near the 13's...........and if they weren't on the knife-edge before, these are gonna make snap oversteer much more prevalent.

 

I predict a high volume of strut failures for a brief period

 

I tinks you moved a comma by accident. They are anywheres from $1600 to $2300 depending on features.

SCCA bans them from the grid, but I dont recall ever seeing anyone using them at a SCCA event (doesnt mean someone doesnt have a set, just never looked). IMSA, Indycar and Nascar bans them.

Honestly on 4 wheels they really arent needed. Drag the brakes a bit on the out lap and get the rotors heat up and that will heat the tire pretty damn good for the start.

 

I bought a set of Continental tires for my truck when they were the primary tire supplier for IMSA.*


*That may also be because I was given a $100 rebate on a set of Continental tires at the Rolex 24.

 

A garage neighbor at T-hill has a custom set that came with his race car. I could put (6) 120/70-17 front tires inside the heating element area. If you want to know how I know that... lets just say it was in the evening and some beer was involved...lol

 

Faulken's AMLS effort made me wish I needed performance tires just so I could have supported them. They were developing their own tire against Michelin endurance tires and holding their own for a small team.

 

I was basing my figures off total number of sets per car. But yes I should have stated they run about $1600-$2300 a set from chicken hawk. Lord knows what they cost from the manufacturer they F1 guys are getting them from.

 

Got ya.

 

Look at it this way how much does it cost to buy 3 days of 2 hour TV ads in the worldwide market from say April to November?