Noob Q: Street Tire Remaining Life vs Performance Degradation
11-07-2013, 03:56 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Noob Q: Street Tire Remaining Life vs Performance Degradation
Hey guys,
So, when do you notice a degradation of performance of your street tires versus how much tread is left?
For example, I ran a track event during the heat of the summer in one of the deserts of Southern California with tires that had very little life left in them (hitting wear bar between treads). It was as if someone greased the track and was a great lesson in car control with throttle inputs.
I see people talking about running their slicks to the wear bars, but that must be more of a budget choice than a performance choice. I assume that the tire's performance degrades relative to the amount of usable rubber. Is this true of street tires?
I'm ready for some lessons.
So, when do you notice a degradation of performance of your street tires versus how much tread is left?
For example, I ran a track event during the heat of the summer in one of the deserts of Southern California with tires that had very little life left in them (hitting wear bar between treads). It was as if someone greased the track and was a great lesson in car control with throttle inputs.
I see people talking about running their slicks to the wear bars, but that must be more of a budget choice than a performance choice. I assume that the tire's performance degrades relative to the amount of usable rubber. Is this true of street tires?I'm ready for some lessons.
11-07-2013, 04:46 PM
#2
Burning Brakes
Member Since: Sep 2011
Location: Dallas/Fort Worth TX
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Hey guys,
So, when do you notice a degradation of performance of your street tires versus how much tread is left?
For example, I ran a track event during the heat of the summer in one of the deserts of Southern California with tires that had very little life left in them (hitting wear bar between treads). It was as if someone greased the track and was a great lesson in car control with throttle inputs. I see people talking about running their slicks to the wear bars, but that must be more of a budget choice than a performance choice. I assume that the tire's performance degrades relative to the amount of usable rubber. Is this true of street tires?
I'm ready for some lessons.
So, when do you notice a degradation of performance of your street tires versus how much tread is left?
For example, I ran a track event during the heat of the summer in one of the deserts of Southern California with tires that had very little life left in them (hitting wear bar between treads). It was as if someone greased the track and was a great lesson in car control with throttle inputs.
I see people talking about running their slicks to the wear bars, but that must be more of a budget choice than a performance choice. I assume that the tire's performance degrades relative to the amount of usable rubber. Is this true of street tires?I'm ready for some lessons.
11-07-2013, 05:20 PM
#3
I guess it depends on the tire - the first set of tires on my daily driver (some sport tire from bfg) were stickier when they had no tread left... however the cords were not showing - they just looked like slicks at that point.
11-07-2013, 06:01 PM
#4
Burning Brakes
I have a set of Kumho XS that I put on in 2010 . Not yet on the wear bars . hard as a rock . great for a trackday . First session is a little greasy , second time out better . The hotter it is the sooner they come in . I bet I could get another two years on them before they cord
11-07-2013, 07:14 PM
#5
I've always heard that, independent of other factors, wear on street tires is actually better since you have more rubber on the road-- same reason why people shave tires. Don't know if it's true, but makes sense in a way.
I think the *big* issue is heat cycles. Most street tires are designed to operate in a wide variety of temperatures, but they can still degrade from constant changes in core temperature just like DOT's or slicks. I once tracked a 5 year old set of 25,000+ mile FireHawk WideOvals on a cold day, and I might as well have been driving on ice.
Long story short, I'd rather drive on a set of worn but minimally heat cycled tires vs. the opposite. Since those two factors are typically related on street tires (i.e. wear comes with lots of heat cycles), my wild stab-in-the-dark guess is that there is a fairly linear drop off in performance.
I think the *big* issue is heat cycles. Most street tires are designed to operate in a wide variety of temperatures, but they can still degrade from constant changes in core temperature just like DOT's or slicks. I once tracked a 5 year old set of 25,000+ mile FireHawk WideOvals on a cold day, and I might as well have been driving on ice.
Long story short, I'd rather drive on a set of worn but minimally heat cycled tires vs. the opposite. Since those two factors are typically related on street tires (i.e. wear comes with lots of heat cycles), my wild stab-in-the-dark guess is that there is a fairly linear drop off in performance.
Last edited by FuriousDonuts; 11-07-2013 at 07:19 PM.