My rear RT-615 only have 3/32 left. I was going to replace them for my next track event on Sept, but my instructor told me worn tires is better for dry track because it have more grip and response better?
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worn street tires on dry track?
- Thread starter ac011
- Start date
wtf? I wouldnt feel comfortable with that. I am making a point to replace front tires because they are going low and still have thread left.
That is correct. Less tread squirm.
If you ware down the cords you will Loose grip.
Later,
Don
^^^^ What nsxnut said.
Less squirm also means less heat buildup. Tires "feel" best when they are just about worn out (assuming they have not been heat cycled to death getting to the point where they are worn out).
Of course this does not apply if it rains, then you'll need tread to channel the water out from under the contact patch. Per OP, instructor said "dry track".
Less squirm also means less heat buildup. Tires "feel" best when they are just about worn out (assuming they have not been heat cycled to death getting to the point where they are worn out).
Of course this does not apply if it rains, then you'll need tread to channel the water out from under the contact patch. Per OP, instructor said "dry track".
i guess that makes some sense but when I had my rear starspecs worn nearly flat I spun out once doing a medium speed turn.
All kinds of reasons that could have happened: slick spot on the road, tires had been heat cycled many times, etc., etc., but IN GENERAL, tires can feel really nice when they are just about used up. And various models wear down differently than others; some remain very grippy, some fall off toward their end of life, but they almost universally "feel" better due to less squirm.
Of course, if the OP would feel better putting new tires on, then should go ahead and do that. For track duty, though, new tires will feel weird and have the potential for "chunking" where large pieces of the tread, typically the outer edge, overheat, blister, and break off. Depends A LOT on how hard the driver pushes, how much lateral loading is generated, how well the tires dissipate heat, how aggressive the alignment settings are (more aggressive usually = LESS wear when talking about track environment).
Considering OP had an instructor and is questioning this here, I'd venture a guess that the 3/32 tires should be OK for at least the next track event. (Please note I'm not in any way insulting the OP, just deducing track experience. Everyone was a newbie at some point!!!)
+1, I've had exactly the same experience with the Falkens and my NSX.
Depends on the tire.
If the tire has the same compound all the way through, then yes a worn down tire *can* (if it's not really old and/or heat cycled out) have more grip as described above.
Some tires have a harder compound under a softer compound, so once you wear them past a certain point you actually get down to a harder rubber, which would be less grippy.
I don't know enough about the RT-615 to say one way or the other.
If the tire has the same compound all the way through, then yes a worn down tire *can* (if it's not really old and/or heat cycled out) have more grip as described above.
Some tires have a harder compound under a softer compound, so once you wear them past a certain point you actually get down to a harder rubber, which would be less grippy.
I don't know enough about the RT-615 to say one way or the other.
Re: Rubber is like bubble gum
It's works best right out of the wrapper, not after being on your bed post overnight.
To summarize what has been alluded to above; For normal compound street tires, Low tread being grippier is really a misundersanding which stems from the practice of shaving new treaded race tires to reduce the squirm of full depth tread. But what is forgotten is the fact that the rubber on newly shaved tires is fresh. Tires get stale simply with age as well as number of heat cycles, so old street tires with little tread will be hard as a rock compared to new shaved tires. And we all know that hard is not grippy.
It's works best right out of the wrapper, not after being on your bed post overnight.
To summarize what has been alluded to above; For normal compound street tires, Low tread being grippier is really a misundersanding which stems from the practice of shaving new treaded race tires to reduce the squirm of full depth tread. But what is forgotten is the fact that the rubber on newly shaved tires is fresh. Tires get stale simply with age as well as number of heat cycles, so old street tires with little tread will be hard as a rock compared to new shaved tires. And we all know that hard is not grippy.
