Tire pressure management for a full track day at VIR

VIR is one of those tracks that really punishes incorrect tire pressures because of the surface variation and elevation changes. The Full Course puts enormous lateral load on the right-side tires through the long sweepers (Climbing Esses, Hog Pen) and heavy braking loads on the fronts into Oak Tree and the Roller Coaster complex. Here is what I have found works for a 200-treadwear tire like an RE-71RS or RT660 on a 3,200 lb car: Cold starting pressures: 32 PSI all around. This is deliberately low — they will come up. After session 1 (20 min): check hot pressures. You want 36-38 PSI hot. If you are above 38, bleed down. If you are below 36 on the fronts, you are probably not pushing hard enough yet or your alignment needs camber. Cross-weight: the right side tires will run 2-4 PSI hotter than the left because VIR is predominantly right-handed. That is normal. If the delta is more than 4 PSI, you may want to start the right side slightly lower. As the day gets hotter: ambient temperature rise will push pressures up. On a 90-degree Virginia summer day, I typically start the afternoon sessions 2 PSI lower than my morning cold target. I also pyrometer the tires after the first session. Inside-middle-outside temps tell you about camber and pressure. If the inside of the front tires is significantly hotter than the outside, you may need more negative camber rather than just adjusting pressure. What pressures and tires are you running at VIR? Always looking to compare notes.

2 Replies

CChris Tanferno · May 6, 2026New

Very close to what I run at VIR. One addition: I have found that checking pressures immediately after the session (within 2-3 minutes of pulling off track) gives more useful data than waiting for them to cool. The "hot off track" reading tells you what the tire was actually running at during the session. I target 36 PSI hot on the RE-71RS with my 2,900 lb Miata. If I see 40+ hot, the tire is overinflated and I am sliding it rather than gripping — the contact patch is crowning. If I see 34 or below hot, the sidewall is deflecting too much and the car feels vague on initial turn-in. The sweet spot is narrow but the difference in feel is obvious once you know what to look for.

CChris Tanferno · May 6, 2026New

For heavier cars (3,500 lb+), I start with slightly higher cold pressures — typically 34-35 PSI — because the extra weight generates more heat and more sidewall deflection at lower pressures. On my E92 M3 at VIR with Toyo R888R tires, I target 38 PSI hot. The pyrometer tip is excellent advice. Also worth noting: if your inside front tire is significantly cooler than the middle and outside, you may actually have too much negative camber for your driving level — the tire is not being loaded enough through the full contact patch because you are not cornering hard enough to use all that camber. As you get faster, you will grow into more camber. Do not just bolt on -3 degrees because someone on the internet told you to.