Proper tire traction application methods?
 

Hi all,

I've been getting contradictory advice with regards to how to properly apply tire traction and was hoping for some solid advice....

First up my gear, I'm running sorex 24r on an asphalt track with medium grip, I have a bottle of sweep x3 for asphalt all conditions, I do not have tire warmers yet, and I race in temperatures (air) of about 9-12 deg celcius or 50 deg fahrenheit.

What I do now...I currently apply tire compound approx. 5 mins before each race and apply a thin coat using an applicator bottle to the entire surface. Then just before the race I wipe off the excess so the tire is dry to touch.

I am not having any noticeable issues, but other guys at the track run their tires still "wet".

My question then is this... Am I doing it right?? And secondly, if I was to get tire warmers as I plan to shortly, does the method change?

Thanks in advance!

Dont know if there is a proper method,but this is what I do.
I put it on then usally smoke a cigerette or two,then talk to my friends for a while,maybe eat a snickers then wipe off the extra,throw on the track and spin off the excess.
But my cars are only pan type cars so I just use it on the rear.
Thats about as proper as I get.:)

5 minutes isn't going to do much, especially with X3 and cool weather. Try longer soaks.

the day following a race i use my cleaning solution to make sure all my tires are as clean as possible. 24 hours before the race i use very liberal amounts of my additive on all the tires that i may run on race day. 20 minutes before the 1st qualifier i use a very light coat, then wipe and run. works fine for me on very low traction asphalt.

The norm for me would be thick amount for as long as I can then wipe 15-20 min before my heat. Any longer I get the oily/wet feeling, I hate wasting my peak voltage of my battery just to burn off the excess additive in several laps.

Cool, so if I understand right, I need to put it on earlier and use a bit less for subsequent races so I'm not slipping on greasy tires?

Will try next time I run. Thanks.

After a run i clean tires with a shot of motor spray and rag. 20 min before run i dope liberally. 1 min to go i wpie off excess. 2 hot laps before the tone and im pretty dialed.

I treat the tires after I buy them , by saucing them well and putting them back in the airtight bag they came in for one or two weeks before a race . On raceday, I sauce them again for 20minutes , sometimes I put them wet in the tire warmer ,and wipe the excess off with a cotton rag(that leaves no lint) until the rag sticks to the tires . I usually have too much grip after that, and only sauce the rear tires .

Proper method depends on a lot of variables. Try different methods and see what works for YOUR answers to the conditions below:

1. Condition of the tires (new, scuffed, used)
2. Condition of the track (old, worn, high traction, low traction, dusty, variable)
3. Track surface material (carpet, asphalt, parking lot, astro turf)
4. Track surface temperature (hot, cold, changing)
5. Type of tire sauce (paragon, jack, sticky fingers)
6. Type of tire sauce everyone else is using (different products do NOT mix well on a track surface)
7. Type of tires (natural/synthetic rubber, blend, different brands work differently)
8. Type of tires (foams, treaded, slicks)
9. Chassis tune (do you adjust your chassis to the tires, or the other way around?)
10. Type of car (fwd, 4wd TC, pan)

Short answer, whatever works for you is what's best.

With new tires, make sure that you clean the mold release off of them, either with a cleaner or by scuffing them on a tire truer or with a quick run on your track.

For your conditions as stated, I'd use tire warmers, and bake the compound into clean tires for at least 20 minutes before the run. Clean your tires with whatever you want, apply compound liberally, cover with a paper towel, fit warmer cups, move on to something else more important. Start your run with the tires clean, sauced, hot, and dry.

Overall, getting to proper operating temp sooner in your run is probably going to do you better than sauce of any nature. Temperature is what makes the tires work, sauce just helps the tires stay a little gripper a little longer.

Temp your tires after a 'good' run, and set your tire warmers about 5*F hotter than that. Your tires will cool some from the pits to the track, so your hot laps before the racing heat should be enough to keep you at proper race temp. If you find that you're cooling off too much, adjust up. If you're getting hot and greasy, adjust down.

That 'greasy' feeling while driving, especially later in the day is indicative of one or both of two things: overtemping of the tires, or if everyone else is using different tire sauces, the effects of a 'bad mix' and you're picking it up on the track.

I would cover the tyres 30 minutes before race, I prefer to use a fine cloth rather than kitchen paper, using Xceed tyre warmers I find some of the cups a little large for tyres, so with the cloth it has less gaps, i would check the track temperature, surround heat is fine but youwill have a better idea of what it is going to be like if you take the track temp, set my warmers to 10/15 deg more than track, 2 minutes before racing, remove cloths and wipe excess if it is not dry, then off you go.

A thing that I have done with my son while we were waiting for his tyre warmers, was on a hot day, we covered the electrics with a tea towel and let the car under direct sun, wheels off the ground, after 30 minutes we got the tyres above 35 deg celsius, this way he did not have to wait two laps to get his tyres to temperature.