tire treatment chemicals

[andrew7]

My current tires are over a dozen years old and 500 treadwear. They are hard and I was concerned about cracking. I bought newish Yoko A048s and have no rims yet but with 1 heavy heat cycle on them, they feel hard and I believe they would benefit from chemical conditioning.



I did some digging on tire conditioners and most are outlaw by racing bodies. Formula V is made 1/2 hour from me so I stopped in and talk to the owner. I have to admit I was sceptical if any chemical would work.

I put 4 coats on yesterday and 4 more today and my old 500 treadware tire are softer than when I started and they feel stickier than my A048s http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/eek6.gif . Its not alot of trouble to treat the tires. Jack up your car, use a roller or spray bottle, spray tread, let dry & repeat 3x, then the next 2 days repeat.



I guess the treatment penetrates the rubber and gradualy softens it by replacing the oil that was in the tire when it was manufactered. I think through UV rays, heat and age the oil in tires dries out and they harden up.

I must say again I hoped it would help but gave it 50/50 that it would http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/skep.gif . I was very surprised that it worked so well and surpased my expectations.



My 13" wheels should be in tomorrow and I am looking foward to reviving the Yoko's to better than new condition. They should be very sticky with a treadwear of 60 and marked SRF(Spec Racer Ford).



I'm not plugging one brand over any other but if your tires are old and hard try it. If it doesn't work, why is it outlawed for racing? Keep lowflyin' and hope to see you at the 777 rally.

[roll a 7]

"Hot Lap" works a treat for local autocrossers.

[scannon]

A friend gave me a gallon of a chemical they use in the printing industry to soften the rubber rollers on the presses. I applied one coat two days before the track event.



Softened the two year old Kumho Victoracer V100s right up. Grip seemed much better than the last time I ran them and they didn't roll off nearly as much rubber as previous track days. These tires are on my Miata but I plan to share them between the Miata and the Caterham once I get it on the road/track.



Skip

[slngsht]

Any downside to using these?

[scannon]

Any downside to using these?



They are not friendly chemicals. By the time I had applied it to all four tires, my blue nitrile gloves were coming apart. All kinds of warnings on the can about breathing the vapors and getting it on the skin or in the eyes. I apply it outside and leave the tires outside until I pack up for the trip to the track.



I don't know of any bad effects on the tires themselves other than they stink for a few days. This is the second time I've used it on this set of Kumhos, the first time was a year earlier. I intend to use it before each track event until the tires are finished.



One of the tires in this set is a 3 year old left over from the previous set and added to this set when I flatspotted a tire. I put it on the rear but didn't notice a difference in grip in either direction.



Skip

[andrew7]

I'm not sure about other chemicals but Formula V is a pinkish fluid and myself,dad and my neighbor all agree it smells and looks like mineral spirits. Maybe the pink is tranny fluid mixxed in. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smile5.gif It has been a while since chem class, but a thinner/kerosene type chemical on rubber will soften it. I might take a useless tire and experiment.

Wheels came in today, tomorrow I'll mount the tires on them and start the tire treatment on the Yoko A048s. I have high hopes for them.