Rear tyres too soft?

[Jon Olds]

Quite shocked to get the rear tyres off the rally car after the last event. Only 20 miles old...

 

[skiddusmarkus]

Was it the mount Etna stage rally?

 

[Jon Olds]

you would think so, but it wasnt much above freezing. dry though. (jack frost stages, croft, jan 2012)

 

[MarkTurbo]

I've never seen a tyre like do that before :shock: Even a super soft R888 at Castle combe on a hot day on the front of my car would not melt like that.

They're Hankook Z209's aren't they? If you peel that lot off how much tread is left? It almost looks like thats a skin of bits of tyre that yours have picked up :?

 

[Jon Olds]

All four are similar, the front less so (medium soft Silverstone 575's), but all are severly overheated IMO. I dont think its other peoples old rubber, just that 4wd driven v hard on a dry day , on 15's you can't use 'soft' compound and from now on I will be buying mediums and medium/hards.
£276 a pair................ 3 stages, 7 miles each. Tyres half gone...
They are Hankooks as thats what he tyre man was selling on the day. I chose soft (bad choice) Good job he took credit cards.
Think they would have been a good damp/semi wet choice
Live and learn. As ever.

 

[MarkTurbo]

See if it will pull off, be interesting to see what they look like underneath!

I've got a set of the same tyres but they're 200/625/17 and medium compound, still haven't tried them yet though.

 

[Jon Olds]

Briefly tried, but its set sold, not rubberlike at all. Rest of the rubber on the surface is also 'distressed' like it has changed form, or something.
Maybe the only way is to wear it down flat again. Obviously at relatively low temp. What compound have you bought?

 

[PobodY]

4wd burnout!? :flame:

 

[Jon Olds]

I do my best at the start of every stage to get all four spinning off the line to warm the tyres, but the car hasnt the power. Usually get a 4wd spin up for 5 yards, thats all.
Anyway, my bank balance wouldnt take it....(clutch/gearbox etc)

 

[PobodY]

Yeah... the only time I've seen it done convincingly was an R33 GTR; it's a bit odd with all four wheels braking traction because it wobbles around trying to go in all directions at once.

 

[MarkTurbo]

Usually get a 4wd spin up for 5 yards, thats all.

Same here, unless its wet grip usually takes over pretty quickly once the car gets moving. I managed a bit in this video, you can just about see the rear end stepping out a bit off the line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY8QCWPi6pU&feature=g-upl

 

[Jon Olds]

Mines always steers to the left a bit. For some reason, easily corrected tho

 

[bracpan]

Get a surform on them and clean them back. use water as you doing it... On my Mini I used to run tyres so soft that they would melt doing one run on a hillclimb, thats less than one mile...either run them in the wet for a while to clean them up or use the surform.
Let me know the make and type etc as we were talking about cheaper tyres for the mod prod class as slicks or over £1500 a set...

 

[Jon Olds]

190/580/15 Hankook 'soft' tarmac rally (dry's).
What's a surform?

 

[red reading]

A cheese grater like file

 

[bracpan]

I know it sounds a bit brutal but we have been cleaning tyres like this for years...I have actually seen one bloke using a plane !!! but I think that is a bit too far...lol Then take the car for a run in the wet this also cleans the tyres too and gets them nice and sticky..

 

[Jon Olds]

will try it..

 

[MarkTurbo]

Heres another way of doing it that i found whilst searching for something else ;-)

http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=410698