motor spray as tire conditioner/traction additive for tc tires? steve

[stormperson]

at my local track one of the guys who wins the a mains i saw spraying motor cleaner onto a rag and then wiping his tire down. i just tried it with my hpi advans with a few runs on them (he did it with slicks) and when i wiped the tires alot of rubber went onto the the towel, or at least even to turn the rubber area black, however the tires were very sticky after i did it.

should i continue to do so, is it making the tires new again by taking off the top layer?
or should i just stick to tire sauce?

suggestions?

[Matt Russell]

I realize that you ar easking about slicks, but at the off-road track that i frequent, conditions can get really slick by the Mains. One thing i've used on my tires for more traction is Simple Green.
Spray, and let it sit for 5 minutes, then wipe it off.

only problem is that it really doesn't hold up (in dirt anyway) for more than 5 laps or so. On road might be different.

however, i would think that Simple green would be less destructive to foam than motor spray.
-skip

[Rc1oGtMaN]

Nitro fuel softens the tires up too. My friend found that out when he needed to clean his tires, and didn't have any SG laying around. The problem is that the tires get caked with clay after a long run.

Mark O.

[Serius Black]

The motor spray is more likely just cleaning the tires. It evaporates so quickly, I can't imagine that it even has time to be absorbed in to the rubber. If anything, the alcohol will **** the moisture out of the tire and cause them to fail prematurely.
If you guys spray your track with VHT, or any other traction additive, your tires can get a buildup of gummy residue and rubber dust. This usually makes my tires feel greasy out on the track. If you clean your tires after every run, it's not as much of a problem.
There are a number of things out there that will work as a tire softener, but I'd be careful using them. Solvents and fuels can eventually cause health problems if you expose yourself to them long enough.

[Grizzbob]

True, when you're considering using some type of tire traction additive for TC tires, you have to realize that within 30 seconds of the race start(or sooner) that compound will already be long gone, & if the tire you're using can't handle it, your handling will go away pretty quickly. The only reason I use it myself is to give my tires enough time to get up to operating temperature(which can happen in about 30 seconds or so), by which time the tires should be able to work on their own. If you chose the right compound of tire, then you may not even notice when the additive wears off & the tires reach proper temp..... :)

[losifreak2004]

Motor spray will soften the tires because most of them contain agents that break down rubber, which will soften it. Siesel fuel also does a great job of this.

Two things to try on foams....suntan lotion and Coke. Not at the same time though!!!!

[SirSpeedy]

Stormperson-

What is happening there is he is cleaning the rubber off the tires that was picked up on the track. There is rubber on the track.

When you wipe them off with motor spray, you have noticed that there is black rubber on the rag...but if you keep doing it, more rubber does not come off. If fact you should do it until the rag is clean after wiping them off.

When the tire gets hot after running a few laps, the rubber from the track begins to stick to your tires. You need to get it off between runs.

[stormperson]

they spray down sugar water, and its a brand new track so i dont think there is really and rubber down, and it had just rained the night before.

anyway a few hours later (i left out the tires) i touched them, only slightly sticky, i ran them on the track and they gripped quite well, however i checked em and they were rather slick after picking up debris.

so whats the best way to get the most traction out of tires?

also for storage, i have heard from some people to leave a rag soaked in tire sauce too.

so whats the bottom line here?

[stormperson]

ya, i use simple green on my offroad to clean them.

i dust em off, then put under water, and spray with simple green and then scrub them. come out nice and black, and a little stickier.