95jersey

Hey my tire techs out there...

I have always gotten my tires heat cycled from Tire Rack. For the extra $15 it seems good insurance for the $1400 you spend. I would normally pass on this step, but Hoosier highly recommends that you do proper heat cycling for longevity and consistency...and at $1400+ I have always done it.

With that said, I know the benefits of paying tire rack to do my heat cycling (heat cycle without any tread wear), but outside of taking 2 sets of tires to the track and heat cycling one during the first session, then using another set the rest of the day...can you REALLY get the tires up to temp on the street to provide a decent heat cycle?

Unfortunately, there are not many curvy roads in souther NJ. Would it be a waste (or even unsafe) to attemp to heat cycle these myself on some back roads?

I only have one set of rims and tires, so doing it at the track is just NOT an option.

L98Terror

No, you would need to do it at the track.

But if you are only HPDEing then you are wasting your time buy scrubs. The difference between a new set of tires and a set of scubs won't even be noticed unless you are racing or TTing.

95jersey

Would LOVE to, but I run 345/30/19's and you just don't find them in scrubs ANYWHERE.

L98Terror

Seem that it would be cheaper to get some 18" Z06 rims and run 315 or 335s

95jersey

Back to my question on Heat cycle? I got a real nice deal from a vendor on a set of Hoosiers (but not heat cycled). It is a significant cost saving ($180 over Tire Rack), and I hate to pass it up. I have a nice clover leaf by my house that is mostly deserted during mid-day and I can contiously run around it in multiple directions for 15 minutes without any fear of safety. How much heat does one need to get into the tire for decent heat cycle. I am sure I can get enough heat in them to raise the tire pressure 3-4 lbs. Is that enough? I probably won't be able to get them "red hot" like a session at the end of a track day, but with that said, I could get enough heat to raise the pressure about 3-4lbs.

L98Terror

My understanding is that you should do a 50 % lap than work your way up to a 100% lap without sliding the tires to much or over heating them. Then take them off and let the sit for at least 24 hours, a week is better. Can you do that on the street no, but if you can get some heat in them and scuff them they should be better off than no heat cycle at all. Will you ever know the difference? I doubt it.

If you keep asking enough people you will get the answer you are looking for, if it were me I'd take the savings and do it myself.

VetteDrmr

L98 answered your original question: no, you can't get enough heat into the tires to run them through a FULL cycle. Can you get SOME heat into them? Sure. Is it enough? Who knows?

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

95jersey

Thanks guys, please don't take offense to me looking for different opinions. Remember that is what the forum is all about. I greatly appreciate the feedback, I was just looking to hear something a little more in depth than just "no that won't work".

Doing it at the track unfortunately, is just not an option, as I only have one set of rims, so it's either having Tire Rack or just doing it on the street as aggresively as I can get with being safe. Here is a question, if the goal is to put a full heat cycle on them with real track conditions/temps, are the rollers that Tire Rack uses even capable of putting a sufficient heat cycle into the tire? They state the benefit of having Tire Rack providing the heat cycle is that they don't have to wear the tire to get a heat cycle into the tire, but then the question, is HOW effective is their heat cycle on just a set of rollers. It would be interesting to get some real data on how hot they get the tire.

I know I am only HPDE'ing, BUT I want to get the most out of my tires for the money I am spending. I probably won't tell the difference, but I thought a proper heat cycle was more about making the tire last longer than providing better grip and longevity is HUGE when doing HPDE on your own budget.

95jersey

Just spoke with a tech at Hoosier and he felt that running the tires on rollers even for 20 minutes was not enough to heat cycle them properly, and doing it yourself is much more effective. He didn't condone doing it on the street, but said it would most likely work better than running them on tire rollers. He also said a proper heat cycle is about creating longevity and not grip

Figured I would share my findings.

VetteDrmr

I agree with what Hoosier told you; I've always wondered about how effective heat-cycling services are.

Another thing to think about is how much of a cheese-grater your cloverleafs are. You could heat cycle them but if the surface is concrete put so much wear into the tires that you lose more than you gain.

Since all you're doing is a DE, you COULD run them one session and then (gasp!) switch to street tires! Then run them on the 2nd day.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

95jersey

Run HPDE on street tires (blasphemy). I could never sacrafice my imaginary trophy or the $5000 grand prize from my saving account.

The clover leaf is all asphalt and less than 4 years old, so it is smooth and consistent, and traffic around say 10am is almost non-existent. I am more worried about the drive TO the clover leaf (2 miles) and the garbage I could pick up on the way.

I bought brand new street tires this spring, and would hate to chunk them on the track, although it is an idea worth mentioning. I really need to take that grand prize money from my last HPDE and buy a second set of 18" rims as a back up

thehammer69

Realize this about the cloverleaf. It's only gonna really work the drivers side tires.

flink

Well how much heat is required? 200F? For what duration?

I'm thinking a cardboard box, a hair-dryer and an oven thermometer...

And maybe a fire extinguisher

rustyguns

i buy scrubs