3 Ways To Get Your Tires Ready For Racing
If you are thinking about taking up some competitive racing, you are going to need racing tires. Racing tires should be treated a little differently than the normal tires that you put on your vehicle.
Store Your Tires in a Stable Environment
When you are not using your tires for a race, it is normal to take the tires off your vehicle and put some non-racing tires on your vehicle. When you are storing your racing tires, you need to be careful about where you keep them.
You shouldn't keep your racing tires anywhere where they will be exposed to freezing temperatures, as freezing temperatures can crack your tires. You also shouldn't store your racing tires out it the sun, where the rays from the sun can damage the integrity of the tires.
Instead, store your tires in a cool place away from the rays of the sun that is kept more at an indoor room temperature in order to keep your tires in the best possible shape.
Be Careful When Switching Your Tires
If you are switching your tires out when you are at the racetrack, don't just leave your tires laying around in the sun. The sun can damage your tires, which can impact the performance you get from your tires. Cover up your tires and keep them safe.
Swap Your Tires Correctly
With regular tires, you often rotate them front to back. With racing tires, however, you are going to want to swap your tires left to right. This is for two different reasons. First, many vehicles use different sized tires on the front and back, making it impossible to swap the tires front to back. Second, the tires will wear down based on the direction of the track. With a counterclockwise track, the tires will wear out on the right side first, and if it is a clockwise track, the tires will wear out on the left side first. Swapping the tires left to right every few runs will allow you to get more use out of your racing tires.
Learn About Heat Cycles
Finally, you need to learn about heat cycles. Race tires are designed to go through a specific amount of heat cycles before they are considered worn out. A heat cycle is basically a race session, where you take your tires from being cold to being nice and hot, and then cool the tires back down. Most race tires are only designed to go through a set number of heat cycles; exceeding this number puts the tires and your performance at risk.
Racing tires are designed differently than regular street tires. If you have any more questions about how to treat your racing tires, talk with a racing tire specialist at a shop like Frisby Performance Tire.