Traction compound worth it?
 

Is traction compound worth it on a dirt/clay medium grip track?

Yes. I use orange sticky kicks and haven’t looked back. Used to be against traction compounds but if you can’t beat them... join them :lol:

PB Blaster has been the thing at the dirt oval tracks around here lately.

Short answer: yes absolutely.

Long answer: All of the traction compounds break down the rubber and make them softer. Using it accelerates tire wear (Duh!). Some are more harsh (PB Blast) than others. They probably all have really bad chemicals in them that are not great to inhale or have absorbed thru the skin but we use them anyways.

A guy at my track mentioned PB Blaster / WD40 type stuff, since it softens the rubber (and I assume essentially breaks it down a bit). I have never tried it, but it makes sense, like Rysuleod explained above. Sometimes my track's clay is really tricky so I would not be opposed to trying something.

PB blaster !
it DOES soften the rubber and WILL end up destroying the tire but by that time the tires are trash anyway.
try it out on a set of tires that are close to half life and see what you think . WD-40 works also but the PB dies the trick !

Really stupid question but when exactly is the best time to apply it? Like the night before? I can't imagine you spray it on a rag and wipe the tires right before you set the car down on the track, right?I have some 1/8 Wishbone's that I wore down a bit and I might try it out. I really don't want to mess up my Electrons on my 1/10 2wd just yet.

Which can of PB Blaster are you guys referring to? I want to try it out.

Varies from place to place, but most will apply a "sauce" to cleaned tires 15-20 minutes before a run so that it soaks in/evaporates and leaves the rubber sticky. Some treat the tires every run, sometimes that's not necessary. I find that if you compound too close to your run, the tires aren't as consistent through the run, and they drop off a couple of minutes in.

The "night before" method usually involves applying a compound and putting the wheels into a bag so that the carrier (often mineral spirits) doesn't evaporate off quickly. I'm told this method can change a tire pretty dramatically. I've never tried it. If you want to, I'd recommend trying it on some tires that are already used up, or less than your "A" tires.

First check with the track to find out if it's ok to use PB Blast. Some tracks have a tire sauce rule.

PB Blaster Penetrating Catalyst yellow top. Available at Walmart.

PB Blaster is extremely aggressive plus it has a lot of bad stuff in it. I would avoid having it touch your skin, so a rag is out. PB also has a very pungent odor. Guys that race with me spray a little in a small plastic bottle with an applicator and then toss the plastic bottle after the races. The PB will eventually eat thru the plastic. I've seen another guy spray a paint brush and he uses that to apply it to the tire.

If you try to do the old apply and bag overnight technique it's likely the vapor will eat away at the foams at the minimum. The tire will physically swell up too.

i would start with a small amount on some tires 15m-30m before a race as a test and go from there. If you really lay it on multiple times before a race you'll end up with 1 run tires.

Awesome info, guys. Thanks.

I've been using PB Blaster on my real vehicles for 30+ years. I didn't know that it worked as a tire sauce. Our go-to sauce is Paul Nam's Duck Sauce, but we use Flying Farmer when we run out.

Most people at our track are using liquid wrench i am sure all penetrating oils work the same or ate similar.
Last week I ran one run without saucing and it was a night and day difference . Sauce was way better.

So is there any benefit to conditioning/soaking tires say during the week with something and then using actual traction compound on race day? I use Flying Farmer on race day and it's pretty good. wonder if i should apply it during week? PB blaster is nasty stuff, be careful. heard it works though

I'm sure you'll find someone with a crazy tire ritual. :D

While I'm no expert, I feel that if you start mixing different compounds you're going to have an inconsistent result.