robbybobby Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 Any way to get my tires soft again? They harden up over time and I'm wondering if I can soak them in solvent or alcohol to get that new feeling back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony27 Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 See your local kart shop, there is a product the guys use to soften up old tyres that is referred to as tyre dope over here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmorgas Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 Any way to get my tires soft again? They harden up over time and I'm wondering if I can soak them in solvent or alcohol to get that new feeling back. Isopropanol, if you can get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbybobby Posted December 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 How long do I soak them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad1 Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 How long do I soak them? Used to use tyre softener for my race car, use a paint brush to apply then wrap the tyre in clingfilm to let it soak in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbybobby Posted December 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 Thanks boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1oldbanjo Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 I used to use a tire softener on the slicks on my autocross tires. The product came in a gallon can and I used a small paint roller to apply it......but the tires were flat and a paint roller worked great. The liquid had a mint kind of a smell to it. The local dirt track go-kart racers all wash their tires with water as soon as they get off the and dry them off - then they apply WD40 on the tires and let is soak in. It is obvious who doesn't do this - their cars slide much more in the corners and they tend to be at the back of the pack.....the front runners all are meticulous about working on their tires. On a trials tires I think you could get a small rectangular pan - like the one you use to apply drywall compound. You could pour the liquid into the pan and then hold the pan up against the tread and slowly rotate the tire to cover the tread evenly - then put the pan underneath to catch the drips. Let us know how it works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feetupfun Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 I used to use a tire softener on the slicks on my autocross tires. The product came in a gallon can and I used a small paint roller to apply it......but the tires were flat and a paint roller worked great. The liquid had a mint kind of a smell to it. The local dirt track go-kart racers all wash their tires with water as soon as they get off the and dry them off - then they apply WD40 on the tires and let is soak in. It is obvious who doesn't do this - their cars slide much more in the corners and they tend to be at the back of the pack.....the front runners all are meticulous about working on their tires. On a trials tires I think you could get a small rectangular pan - like the one you use to apply drywall compound. You could pour the liquid into the pan and then hold the pan up against the tread and slowly rotate the tire to cover the tread evenly - then put the pan underneath to catch the drips. Let us know how it works! Im intrigued with the chemistry going on here. Do you know why the karters are washing off their tyres? Also what is the process going on with the WD40? I'm guessing they don't use the tyres for a while after putting on the WD40? There may be something valuable in this washing and WD40 thing for trials tyres too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motomanandy Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 petrol softens the rubber,i do this in summer to ride hardpack tracks on the mx bikes.You need to cover the tyre a couple of times about 1/2 hr before a race.Unlike the other products i find petrol does the job then evaporates whereas the others linger .I havent needed to use this on my trials bike though as the rubber is very soft anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axulsuv Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 I don't know about the WD-40 method ,But one of the guys at our shop is a hardcore kart racer and he uses a stuff called Trak Byte , and another new on the market brand. He usually starts about a week before a race ! He's made a stand to hold the wheel and tire , then he runs a needler repetedly over the tread surface , then warms up the tires with a propane torch attachment (rosebud) then apply's the potion to the tires with a roller , wraps them in plastic wrap until the race . I've seen him unwrap a back tire and push it onto 1/2 a cinder block and proceed to lift the block piece off the ground with the tire !!!! But I don't know if it would help in real world trials riding ,Maybe a indoor event . He is also racing on a clay oval , and when he does asphalt he has a whole different procedure ?! The tire warmers come out at times too . Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothandnail Posted December 19, 2011 Report Share Posted December 19, 2011 Nobody I know uses wd40 , it's just a handy spray bottle that holds up to the chemicals they put through it. This ? was brought upon here before and I suggested using those products, many here thought it was silly. Guess it had to sink in a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feetupfun Posted December 19, 2011 Report Share Posted December 19, 2011 Nobody I know uses wd40 , it's just a handy spray bottle that holds up to the chemicals they put through it. This ? was brought upon here before and I suggested using those products, many here thought it was silly. Guess it had to sink in a while The product HAM2 was talking about was "tyre grip" in an aerosol can that the advertising blurb reckoned was good for icy roads and was a resin coating that was applied with alcohol that evaporates. Are you sure that is the same stuff that the go-kart racers use? I'm asking because a resin coating will make no difference to the hardness of the rubber while others are talking about the karters measuring the hardness of the rubber to avoid going too soft. There is also the thing about it being in a WD40 pump pack or an aerosol can that is not clear at all. I think there might be two different products being talked about here. One is "tyre dope" that may well be relevant to us wanting to soften old trials tyres and the other is resin to use on your car tyres before driving where there might be ice on the road. Does anyone know what the "tyre dope" is and how it works? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feetupfun Posted December 19, 2011 Report Share Posted December 19, 2011 Just found this - maybe what Glenn was talking about PJ1 TRACKBITE COMPOUND is a custom formulated resin that provides controlled traction for competition racing. PJ1 TRACKBITE is a liquid track and tire treatment, which improves traction on asphalt and concrete surfaces. It achieves added traction by means of adhesion and does not soften tires. It will not harm asphalt and concrete and is biodegradable when dry. PJ1 TRACKBITE can be applied with a roller, brush or can be sprayed directly on the tire or track. The chemical compounds used provide maximum adhesion in all types of weather, it is water-resistant and is not washed away by rain. PJ1 TRACKBITE was applied to the track during every race when world drag strip records were set over the past decade. NHRA & IHRA approved, sold worldwide to record setting drag strip tracks. IDEAL FOR USE IN ALL TYPES OF RACING ON HARD SURFACES, INCREASES TRACTION REGARDLESS OF WEATHER CONDITIONS, WEIGHT OF VEHICLE OR HORSEPOWER. Application: Apply a small amount of PJ1 TRACKBITE in front of drive wheels. Spin rear wheels with minimum engine power. Avoid hard burnouts whenever possible. Where liquid burnouts are prohibited, apply directly to tires with a brush, roller or sprayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothandnail Posted December 19, 2011 Report Share Posted December 19, 2011 The product HAM2 was talking about was "tyre grip" in an aerosol can that the advertising blurb reckoned was good for icy roads and was a resin coating that was applied with alcohol that evaporates. Are you sure that is the same stuff that the go-kart racers use? I'm asking because a resin coating will make no difference to the hardness of the rubber while others are talking about the karters measuring the hardness of the rubber to avoid going too soft. There is also the thing about it being in a WD40 pump pack or an aerosol can that is not clear at all. I think there might be two different products being talked about here. One is "tyre dope" that may well be relevant to us wanting to soften old trials tyres and the other is resin to use on your car tyres before driving where there might be ice on the road. Does anyone know what the "tyre dope" is and how it works? Ok it is NOT WD40 it is in a spray bottle that has WD40 printed on the side , why do they use a spray bottle with WD40 printed on the side , because it's readilly availabe at auto parts store and will hold up to the chem. in their SPECIAL TIRE SOFTENING SOLUTION , that is NOT WD40. The aim of the karter's is to get MORE traction , same as trials riders, a softer tire does this for them as well as us. The ? was asked before , as well as here, How to soften older trials tires ? I suggested useing the kart racers tire softening solution . It pretty much went off track with other products, such as WD40, from there. Hope that clears it up some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axulsuv Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Google Rubber Magic ... And poke around , and yes it will soften old tires And so do all the homemade mixtures of tulene and alcohol and atf and such ... but I'm not a chemist ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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