Minimum tread depth for street tires on dry track?
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Minimum tread depth for street tires on dry track?
My current track tires are Falken RT-615s on stock Z06 wheels, 255/55 up front and 315/30 in the rear. My tread is wearing very quickly and I wanted to see if there is a minimum depth I need to keep before they are "worn out" for use on a dry track.
I would think that tread depth doesn't matter if the track is dry, as long as cords aren't showing. There would just be more contact area as the tread wears - but are there any other considerations that I'm not thinking of? The tires are about 6 months old, kept in my garage in tire jackets when not in use. I don't want to replace them if I don't have to but I do want to be safe of course. They have 3 events and maybe 2000 street miles on them.
I would think that tread depth doesn't matter if the track is dry, as long as cords aren't showing. There would just be more contact area as the tread wears - but are there any other considerations that I'm not thinking of? The tires are about 6 months old, kept in my garage in tire jackets when not in use. I don't want to replace them if I don't have to but I do want to be safe of course. They have 3 events and maybe 2000 street miles on them.
#3
Burning Brakes
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#4
Le Mans Master
It's not the tread depth that's important, it's the age of the tire. Rubber hardens with age so if the tire is old and worn it will be worse than a tire that is worn out yet newer.
#5
Le Mans Master
If the tire is fresh and not too heat cycled a worn tire is fine at the track. I threw away a 4 year old set with hardly any wear this month off the Mustang race car...track pads (from a tracked vehicle) had more grip
#6
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Whoever posted this message is an imposter...the real Varkswo would never throw a tire away...he'll just get it hot enough to melt and then it will have grip, a trick he learned from watching funny cars run 1/4 mile!!
#8
Racer
Thread Starter
#9
Melting Slicks
Some street tires have an "undertread" that is used in the carcass that doesn't have much grip. The tread face has the rubber in it that has grip, the undertread is slippery. The undertread is stiffer and stronger to make the carcass work right, but it doesn't stick worth a darn.
If you can see a color change to a slightly blacker tread coming thru then the tire is not going to work well. I am seening it on the stock OE Goodyear F1's so they are done, but they are also pretty near cording FWIW....
If you can see a color change to a slightly blacker tread coming thru then the tire is not going to work well. I am seening it on the stock OE Goodyear F1's so they are done, but they are also pretty near cording FWIW....
#10
Racer
Thread Starter
Some street tires have an "undertread" that is used in the carcass that doesn't have much grip. The tread face has the rubber in it that has grip, the undertread is slippery. The undertread is stiffer and stronger to make the carcass work right, but it doesn't stick worth a darn.
If you can see a color change to a slightly blacker tread coming thru then the tire is not going to work well. I am seening it on the stock OE Goodyear F1's so they are done, but they are also pretty near cording FWIW....
If you can see a color change to a slightly blacker tread coming thru then the tire is not going to work well. I am seening it on the stock OE Goodyear F1's so they are done, but they are also pretty near cording FWIW....
#11
Safety Car
I hate to throw way tires.
#12
Melting Slicks
On those tires you will see the color change in the surface of the tire and it will look like a shadow of the original tread, even though the original tread is gone or nearly gone.
I have seen this on some Bridgestones, but it was a good while ago and I forget which ones they were.
Other tires don't have as much of an undertread compound difference and you can run those tires down to the cord and they will work until you blow them out.
#13
Le Mans Master
After tapping the armco at Barber due to trying to get the last bit of tire life, and not driving the tire I had on the car, I realized I did not have the maturity needed to run crappy tires anymore
V8Juice - I still run most of them to cord....
#14
Safety Car
It really depends - a durometer is the best way to tell. A 4-5 year old tire really serves best as a swing in the back yard or a planter in the front yard at Falcon's mobile home park. They will take a while to come to grip and will fade fast once they do.
After tapping the armco at Barber due to trying to get the last bit of tire life, and not driving the tire I had on the car, I realized I did not have the maturity needed to run crappy tires anymore
V8Juice - I still run most of them to cord....
After tapping the armco at Barber due to trying to get the last bit of tire life, and not driving the tire I had on the car, I realized I did not have the maturity needed to run crappy tires anymore
V8Juice - I still run most of them to cord....
#15
Instructor
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I thought most inspections for the track require 3/32" but I do think the less tread the better on a dry track as long as there is no cording, of course more tread the better on a wet track. Maybe the 3/32" requirement is just in case of a wet track.
#16
Racer
Thread Starter
I was on a wet track with these tires when they still had right at 3/32" left, and it was enough to keep me from doing that again. I thought cold was bad but wet is a whole different ballgame. Not for me!
#17
Team Owner
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It really depends - a durometer is the best way to tell. A 4-5 year old tire really serves best as a swing in the back yard or a planter in the front yard at Falcon's mobile home park. They will take a while to come to grip and will fade fast once they do.
After tapping the armco at Barber due to trying to get the last bit of tire life, and not driving the tire I had on the car, I realized I did not have the maturity needed to run crappy tires anymore
V8Juice - I still run most of them to cord....
After tapping the armco at Barber due to trying to get the last bit of tire life, and not driving the tire I had on the car, I realized I did not have the maturity needed to run crappy tires anymore
V8Juice - I still run most of them to cord....
#19
Burning Brakes
Great timing on this thread...As I have the same question on my specific tires, Nitto Extreme RII- they are down to the wear bars-but only a year old manufacture... are they safe for running say the ROVAL here in Fontana ?
Or any track for that matter--I was going to save this set for local- so no far driving to and from the track-
Or any track for that matter--I was going to save this set for local- so no far driving to and from the track-
#20
Tech Contributor
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