How often do you need to change your front tires?

[pms]

How does the heat affect Hoosiers on the front. We got 3 races on ours and they look like new. I was told that the heat kills them after a couple of races and they should be replaced every couple of races. Of course we put new rears on every race. Just curious about this info that was given to me???:-?

[Rocket Bonehead]

It depends on a few different factors: your budget, your tire rule, the compound of the tires in question, the tread amount left, and your time.


- Compound: harder compounds can be used for more races (obviously); softer compounds will wear out quicker, and they won't hold up to heat cycles as well; harder compounds, such as a 55/1600, will still work and wear well thru a number of heat cycles; the abrasiveness of the track will play a factor in the tire wear

- Tire Rule: this aligns with the compound; if you're on a hard compound rule, such as a Spec 55 rule, you will usually be able to get quite a few races out of a set of front tires if you wash them thoroughly with a good soap (Simple Green) and grind them every week; grooving will also play a role in this (regrooving helps with tire life)

- Tread Depth: I will discard any tire that has less than 50% tread depth left; if the tread gets too low, the tread surface won't flex as much which in turn provides less heat build up which results in less grip from that tire



Now, I have saved two things for last; the important one being budget. If your budget allows, run new tires all the way around every week.


I would do that simply because new tires are always better than old tires, except for rare occasions (like running on a rubbered up track).



RB