what tires to use on wet muddy tracks?
 

hiya folks!

i live in sunny singapore, but it also rains crazily at times.

the track we race on will turn into a mud pool when that happens.

it's normally a hard packed track with a little bit of surface dirt, where crimefighters and bowties work well on.

what kind of tires should be used when it turns muddy? and what compound?

also, what kind of tires should be used on grass/field tracks?

thanks for the imput!

Shalom and God Bless!

-alexander

Wet tracks favor tires with very little tread. They don't pack as much mud as a tire with lots of tread, so the best choice would be an AKA Grid Iron, Pro-Line Hole Shot, Panther Switch or something similar. It's pretty common that drivers will cut down the rims and tires to make them more narrow so they cut down through the mud to get to the hard packed surface.

Grass tends to provide much greater traction than dirt, that is until it turns into dirt. I believe it's all about getting rid of enough traction that you can carry corner speed without traction-rolling. I've seen low-profile treads like the aforementioned work well, but some grass tracks require a more aggressive tread like the AKA Cross Brace or I-Beam or the Pro-Line Bow-Tie or Crime Fighter. It all depends on the track and the amount of traction at the time. If you're always racing on relatively fresh grass, I would guess that the low-profile or more heavily concentrated tread patterns would work well, so they don't get too much grip. If it's the same course week after week and the grass is worn down to the dirt, then I imagine standard tire rules apply - low-profile treads for hard pack - deeper, more aggressive treads for soft pack. I'm sure there are exceptions to the above, but that would be my best guess.

wow! thanks!
 

thanks SteveP

that was really informative.
I can't seem to find anything about AKA's grid irons... even on their own website?

AKA tires also come in 3 compounds, are they like pro-lines? m3=aka soft, m2=aka med, xtr=aka hard?

also, what are the advantages of running dished wheels versus spokes or semi spokes(like mp9 wheels or o'donnel wheels)? i like the look of spokes and it seems dirt might get flung out easier instead of being packed in.

thanks again!

=alexander

Well I've used Panther Komodo Dragons soft work well on muddy tracks

Hey Steve sorry I disagree. All people racing on grass tracks here in Aust. use a long spike pin (at least 1/4") like Hong Nor Grass Snakes or Panther Hedgehogs. The long pin penetrates the grass and grabs down low on the roots- where it is strong. The tyres you suggested just sit up on top of the grass and your only contact is rubber vs grass blades, whereas long pins really poke down into it.

After a long long day racing the corners may be down to dirt mostly and you may change to something like a Knuckles ........ but I don't recall anyone really doing it.

To prevent traction rolls you run zero droop (lower arms slightly above horizontal) and stiff springs and roll bars (like on road setup really) ... ride height about 20mm max..... you don't try to prevent traction rolls by using less tyre traction.

something 'toothy', something thinner. usually will have to split a tire, cut out a centerline, and reglue together in a narrower form

R

if it is real muddy and soupy can you cut your tires to make them very narrow? You need to cut the foam, and wheel and tire and glue them up. Seal all the holes and you will have some great mud tires. They will be an obvious advantage over the wider counterparts. These tires take tme to make but do not load up or carry the weight like the others. They also cut into the water or mud instead of hydroplaning.

This was done at the ifmar worlds and I must say it's the only way to go;)

I think a guy is selling some I brought back from the worlds. He will chime in soon with a pic but his email is [email protected](Brad Morgan).

These pics are the tires that aburton is refering to, they are ones from the world championship. Anyone interested just send me a pm

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...udtires001.jpg


http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...udtires002.jpg