//:: F1 Focus: Bridgestone F1 Tires

The Slicks and the Grooves

Since BRIDGESTONE introduced four compounds of tire in Formula One in 2007, the international racing competition decided to say bye-bye to grooved dry tires after eleven seasons of use. Formula One now prefers the soft rubbery appearance of slick tires.

The people behind this agreement believe that the removal of grooves can improve the vehicle’s grip on the road. Formula One British driver, Johnny Herbert, commented on the issue of switch.

“Grooved tires have never done anything. They are a gimmick but what they do is lose their grip far quicker than a slick, so that you spin more easily. But at the same time you also travel further when you spin because they have harder compounds than slicks and therefore less grip.”

2005 spec Grooved Tires

To him, the driving speed in grooves is harder compared to slicks. Slicks are easier to handle. Slicks welcome various forms of danger but also give rooms to safety risks. His Stewart-Ford partner, Rubens Barrichello who now drives this 2009 season for Brawn GP also agrees with Herbert.

“In F1, if you throw it around the chance to lose it is 60 percent or more and also there is the safety point of it, because when they changed the tires to grooves they initially lost 60 percent of the front grip and 40 at the rear. So to make the car neutral you have to be on the nose the whole time. Then you take a high-speed corner, always on the nose, and for me it is more dangerous.”

In reference to its regulations and laws, those dry tires used in racing should have an external diameter of 660 mm and 4g in lateral loadings and 5g in longitudinal loadings.

2009 spec slick tires

Yet, those implementations is put into end this 2009. The goal of shifting to slick tires aims only to increase the on-track performance of the racers. The use of slick tires increases the grip resulting to greater speed and impressive lab records.

Hirohide Hamashima, the director of BRIDGESTONE Motorsport Tire Development, said:

"2009 looks like it should be a very exciting season with very big changes to the cars. From our perspective we have changed our allocation strategy so that we can bring non-consecutive allocations to races."

The only disadvantage with the shift is mainly on the the driver’s safety. It’s reported first lap with slick tires are slow and many racers feel they are like mobile chicane. The car’s maneuverability is put into vulnerable position as this can also yield to tragic incidents. Requirements to the use of slick tires are fairly the same. It ranges from hard, medium, soft and super soft.

2009 season

After 11 years of using grooved tired, Slicks made its way back in Formula 1 which put big smiles on the drivers faces. Because also of the new Aero changes in the rules this season which lessen the amount of the downforce of the cars. The slicks would help generate more mechanical grip specially in slow corners.

Contributor: Dean Ryan Martin

Formula 1 tires, Slick Tires, Grooved Tires, Bridgestone Tires //TAGS