Wheel and Tyre Fitment: Marking Corners
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Marking Corners
02.28
| 00:00 | If you've been involved in motorsport or even walked through the pits during an event, then you've probably noticed some extra markings on the wheels and tyres. |
| 00:08 | Usually we see LF, RF, LR and RR stickers on the wheel, or just as commonly, written with paint pen or chalk on the sidewall of the tyre. |
| 00:18 | In some cases, more commonly on street cars, valve stem caps with these markings are used. |
| 00:23 | These stand for left front, right front, left rear and right rear, and as you might have guessed, they identify the corner of the vehicle that the wheel is to be fitted to, with the left and right side identified from the view of the driver. |
| 00:37 | We're just going to discuss the reason for this from a very simple perspective as the wheel is involved, and like all information in this section of the course, we're not going to dive too deep into the subject of tyre performance. |
| 00:49 | We'll also ignore the use of these markings to keep track of tyre rotation for wear reasons on road cars. |
| 00:56 | In motorsport, when wheels are removed between sessions for any reason, we usually want to ensure that they're put back on the same corner of the car, providing that they're being reused of course. |
| 01:08 | Any variation in the wheels or tyres will therefore result in the same overall change to the chassis, and won't introduce any new factors when we go back out on track. |
| 01:18 | These variations are generally subtle and a result of the manufacturing in the compound, and the construction or how the tyres have been worn in. |
| 01:27 | Of course for vehicles running any kind of stagger, as in a difference between the wheel diameter and width on the wheels on the front and rear axles, we want to avoid the wrong wheel being installed on the wrong axle, as this could not only destroy the performance, but also do some serious damage to wheels, tyres, bodywork and suspension. |
| 01:46 | It's also common for the condition of the tyres to be reviewed between sessions, and adjustments made to the pressure, so it's important to understand where the tyre has been and where it will be used. |
| 01:58 | Again, going any deeper into this opens up a wide range of other subjects that aren't in the scope of this course, so let's summarise before moving on. |
| 02:07 | In motorsport, wheels and tyres are marked with what corner of the vehicle they are used on. |
| 02:12 | This helps to keep things consistent and avoid fitting the wrong wheels to the wrong axle in the case of staggered fitment. |
| 02:19 | But also serves as a reference when reviewing the tyre condition and making adjustments to dial things in. |
