GripGuide

User Guide — v3.0

Contents 1. Getting Started 2. Finding Tires 3. Driving Style & Forgiveness Badges 4. Tire Bag 5. Compound Guide 6. Track Log & Race Events 7. Track Tire Recommendations 8. Settings 9. Accounts & Device Sync 10. Dev Site Access 11. Tips & Tricks

1. Getting Started

Open the app at gripguide.net in any browser. It works on phones, tablets, and computers.

On your first visit you'll see a disclaimer. Read it and tap OK — I Agree to continue. You only see this once.

After major updates, a "What's New" popup may appear once to let you know about new features. Dismiss it and it won't show again.

The app can be installed to your home screen for quick access:

Once installed, the app works offline too. Your tire data is cached locally.
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2. Finding Tires

Search

Type any brand or tread name in the search box at the top. Results filter as you type.

Filter by Brand

Use the All Brands dropdown to show only one brand. When you select a brand, the header changes to show that brand's logo.

Filter by Track Temperature

Enter your track surface temperature in the temp box. The app shows only tires with compounds rated for that temperature. Use the F / C toggle to switch units.

Filter by Track Surface

Tap one or more surface condition tags (Hard Packed, Blue Groove, Dusty, etc.). Only tires that match your selected conditions will appear.

Combining Filters

All filters work together. For example: select "TZO" as the brand, enter "85" for temp, and tap "Hard Packed" — you'll see only TZO tires with compounds rated for 85 degrees on hard packed tracks.

Smart Suggestions

If no tires match your exact filters, the app shows the closest matches with a score badge explaining why each tire was recommended and what didn't match.

Sorting

Use the sort dropdown above the results to sort by brand, tread name, or temperature range.

Viewing a Tire

Tap any tire card to expand it. You'll see:

Use the left/right arrows (or swipe on mobile) to browse between tires. Tap the X or the background to close.

Retired Tires

Some tires are marked as retired or discontinued. They show up with a "RETIRED" watermark over the tread image. They're still in the database for reference (useful if you already own them), but may no longer be available for purchase.

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3. Driving Style & Forgiveness Badges NEW

Not everyone drives the same. Some racers stick to the groove every lap, others end up off-line regularly. GripGuide now helps you find tires that match how you actually drive.

The Badges

Every tire has a badge in the upper-left corner of its card:

Driving Style Filter

Use the Driving Style dropdown in the filter section:

There's no shame in picking "all over the track." A forgiving tire that keeps working off-line will make you faster than a groove tire that punishes every mistake. Be honest with yourself and you'll have more fun.

Expanded View

When you tap a tire to expand it, the badge shows with a full explanation below the tire name, like: "Forgiving off-line — great for drivers still finding consistency."

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4. Tire Bag NEW

The Tire Bag replaces the old simple favorites system. Instead of just bookmarking a tire, you can track which compounds you own and how many sets you have.

Adding to Your Bag

  1. Tap the heart on any tire card
  2. A popup appears listing that tire's available compounds (by code, e.g. SS, S, SLW)
  3. Check off the compounds you own
  4. Set the quantity (number of sets) for each
  5. Optionally add a note (e.g. "Front set is worn, rear is fresh")
  6. Tap Save

The heart turns red to show it's in your bag.

Viewing Your Bag

Tap the My Bag button in the filter bar. Your tires are grouped by brand, showing each tread pattern with the compounds and quantities you entered. If you added notes, those appear below the compounds.

Tap Edit next to any tire to change your compounds, quantities, or notes.

Removing from Your Bag

Tap the red heart again to reopen the popup, then tap Remove. Or uncheck all compounds and save — if nothing is checked and no notes are entered, the tire is removed automatically.

If you had favorites saved before the Tire Bag was added, they're automatically merged into your bag the first time you open it. Nothing is lost — you just need to set the compounds and quantities.
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5. Compound Guide

Tap the Compounds button to open the compound comparison chart.

On Desktop

A cross-reference table shows all brands as columns and compound categories as rows (Ultra Soft, Super Soft, Soft, Soft Long Wear, Med/Hard, Clay, Specialty). This makes it easy to see at a glance how compound naming maps across brands — AKA's "Soft" is not the same temperature range as TZO's "Soft."

On Mobile

The chart shows brands as expandable cards. Tap a brand name to expand it and see all their compounds with:

Compound Highlighting on Tire Cards

When you enter a track temperature and expand a tire card, the compound list shows which specific compounds fall within your temperature range. Compounds that match are displayed normally; compounds outside the range are dimmed so you can quickly see your best options.

Compound naming varies wildly between brands. Always check the guide when switching to a brand you haven't used before. What one brand calls "Soft" another might call "Medium."
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6. Track Log & Race Events

Tap the Track Log button to open your race session journal. It has three tabs:

My Log

Shows your race log entries, newest first. Each entry displays the track, date, event name (if entered), tire, compound, temperature, star rating, car, and notes.

Toggle between My Entries and All Entries to see just yours or the community's logs. When viewing All Entries, driver names are shown if the person entered one, but device IDs are never exposed — your identity stays private unless you choose to share your name.

New Entry

Fill in the details of your race session:

  1. Track — pick from the list of known tracks
  2. Race / Event NEW — optional. Type an event name (e.g. "Summer Series Round 3") or pick from previous events at that track. This helps you and others find tire data for specific races.
  3. Date — defaults to today
  4. Track Temp — the surface temperature
  5. Surface Conditions — describe the track
  6. Brand / Tread / Compound — pick from dropdowns. The tread list filters by brand, and compounds filter by tread.
  7. Your Name — optional, shown to other users
  8. Car — optional, your chassis
  9. Rating — tap 1-5 stars for how well the tires worked
  10. Notes — anything else worth remembering
  11. Photos — optional. Attach up to 2 photos of the track conditions, your tire wear, or anything relevant. Photos are resized automatically and stored as compressed images. Max 5MB per photo.
If your tire isn't in the dropdown (new release, discontinued model, etc.), tap Manual Entry to switch to free-text fields where you can type anything. Tap Use Dropdowns to switch back.

Photos in Log Entries

If a log entry has photos attached, small thumbnails appear below the entry. Tap a thumbnail to view it full-screen. Tap anywhere to close the full-screen view.

Tracks

Browse all tracks in the database. Use the search box to find a specific track by name, city, or state.

Tap a track to see all race logs from everyone who has raced there.

Event Filtering NEW

When viewing a track's logs, if people have logged events at that track, you'll see event name buttons at the top. Tap an event to filter and see only logs from that specific race. Tap "All" to see everything again.

Each log entry also shows its event name as a small badge, so you can quickly see which race it was from.

Adding a Track

Tap + Add New Track to add a track that isn't listed. Fill in the name, city, state/region, country, surface type, and whether it's indoor or outdoor. Tracks you add go through approval before appearing to everyone.

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7. Track Tire Recommendations COMING SOON

Based on community race log data, GripGuide will surface the most popular and highest-rated tire/compound combinations at each track. When you view a track in the Track Log, you'll see a "Top Tires" section above the individual entries — showing what actually works there based on real sessions from real drivers.

The plan is to factor in driving style as well, so you can see what the top-rated forgiving tires are at a track, separate from what the groove-locked A-main guys are running.

This gets better over time. The more sessions people log and rate, the more useful the recommendations become for everyone.

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8. Settings

Tap the gear icon in the header to open Settings.

Offline Mode

Tap the Online/Offline button to switch modes. Use offline mode when you have poor connectivity at the track. The app uses cached data instead of fetching from the server.

Show/Hide Brands

Tap any brand chip to hide it. Hidden brands won't appear in results, the brand dropdown, or suggestions. Use Show All / Hide All for quick toggling.

If you only race with a couple of brands, hide the rest for a cleaner experience.

Dark Mode

Tap the sun/moon button in the header to toggle between light and dark mode. Your preference is saved.

Submit a Tire

Know about a tire that's not in the database? Tap Add Tire in Settings to submit it. Fill in the brand, tread name, surface conditions, compounds, and description. Submissions go through admin review before being added.

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9. Accounts & Device Sync

The app works without an account — your device is identified by an anonymous Device ID. But if you want easier syncing across multiple devices, you can create an optional account.

Device Sync (No Account Needed)

Tap Device Sync in Settings to expand the section. Here you'll find:

To link your phone and computer: open Settings on your computer, tap "Show QR Code," then on your phone tap "Scan QR Code to Link" and point it at the screen.

Creating an Account (Optional)

Tap Account in Settings to expand the section. Tap Create Account and fill in:

  1. Username — 3-24 characters
  2. Email — used only for password resets
  3. Password — minimum 8 characters

Your current device is automatically linked to your account when you create it.

Logging In

On a new device, open Settings, then Account, and enter your username (or email) and password. The new device is automatically linked — all your data syncs over.

Forgot Password

Tap Forgot password? and enter your email. You'll receive a reset link (check spam/junk if you don't see it within a few minutes). The link expires after 1 hour.

Changing Your Password

While logged in, tap Change Password in the Account section. Enter your current password, then your new password. Changes take effect immediately.

Privacy

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10. Dev Site Access NEW

The development version of GripGuide (gripguide.net/dev.html) is where new features are tested before they go live on the main site. Access is invite-only.

How to Get Access

  1. Create a GripGuide account on the main site (gripguide.net) — go to Settings, then Account, and create one.
  2. Reach out and request dev access (Facebook, Discord, or email).
  3. Once an admin enables dev access on your account, you can load the dev site on any device linked to that account.

If You See "Dev Site Access Required"

This means either:

What to Expect on the Dev Site

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11. Tips & Tricks

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