Tyre Warmers

[Roadracer350]

Quick question... When we race bikes we use tyre warmers to heat the Tyres up before each race that way you can give it the beans right from the get go. Why do I not see anyone using them in autox, NASA TT etc? I am assuming the guys in SCCA American Iron etc uses them but I figured that doing TT you would almost want them that way you don't heat cycle the tyre and you can get the carcass hot and the pressures won't fluctuate(if you use air and not nitrogen). I want to hear from everyone but especially Terry, Jason, Steve Poe, Whiskey etc

 

[wuba7]

There not allowed in SCCA, you can use a tire blanket but nothing to warm the tires.

 

[Roadracer350]

WTF?!? Why would they not let you use them?

 

[wuba7]

"6.11 PREHEATING TIRES
Pre-heating of tires prior to competition by electrically heated covers or by similar means is prohibited."

That's all that is said in the SCCA rule book.

 

[Roadracer350]

That's weird why they wont let you use them... That rule makes no sense at all. You could argue that's a safety violation. Cold slicks won't grip on the first lap so it's like riding on ice. If they were warm they would have full grip thus you wouldn't need to worry about first lap incidents and off track excursions as much. At least in theory.

 

[fdjizm]

Maybe to let everyone "ease into racing" instead of taking off like bats out of hell?

 

[Roadracer350]

Yea but that's the point of racing. Everyone starts from either a dead stop in waves or a rolling start. You would have less tyre wear over the corse of a day, less heat cycles saving you money, less of a chance of chunking a tyre out and less of a chance of loosing the car/bike in the first few corners due to cold Tyres. I admit I am new to car racing but as I have said before I have raced bikes most of my life and if you go out on cold slicks or even DOTs you will never be near the front due to they will all bugger off on the first laps not to mention the wild pressure fluctuations

 

[jayh007]

Like everything else "Keep costs down"

 

[Roadracer350]

That's true! Full retail from Chicken Hawk is about 1500-2g for a set BUT in the long run it would save you money due to tyre costs being lower and maybe less incidents meaning less damage repair.

 

[STEVE_POE]

you have been watching to much racing on tv. This is grassroots racing. budget is a factor . effort is another . our tires are dot street tires and guys are not throwing fresh tires on a car everytime out .

let alone taking tire temps, pressures or even plugging into data to review information.....Hell most can't tell why a car is loose or pushing and or know what to do to fix the problem. Most have the idea of just buy more shit and that will fix it ......

Plus what good is tire warmers going to do if the 30 other bastards out there don't have them on a hot lap out.......

 

[Sky Render]

Roadracer 350, where are you from originally? Just curious, because in American English, we usually spell those round rubber things with an I as opposed to a Y.

 

[Roadracer350]

SCCA is considered grass roots racing? I was under the assumption that SCCA was a step below World Challange and American LeMans. CMRA(central Motercycle Roadracing Association) is a grass roots org that I started in and everyone had them. Also we didn't sit on the grid that long. We left the pit stall on 3rd call, went to pit out, did the sighting lap, gridded up and within a min we were off. Now in AMA yea you sit on the grid forever but we had them on while on the grid. Cost yea I can see that when the bikes are 750 for 2 and the cars are1500 for 4 but even their it evens out. I just don't look at SCCA as "grass roots" when they have semis pulling in with Capaldi Racing, Regian Racing and even Steve. LOL!

 

[Roadracer350]

LOL!!! Yea I need to quit that! Spent most of my racing career around English, Scottish, Irish and Sweedish racers. The Irish guys are who got me into "Roads" racing and over to the IOMTT.

 

[STEVE_POE]

SCCA is considered grass roots racing? I was under the assumption that SCCA was a step below World Challange and American LeMans. CMRA(central Motercycle Roadracing Association) is a grass roots org that I started in and everyone had them. Also we didn't sit on the grid that long. We left the pit stall on 3rd call, went to pit out, did the sighting lap, gridded up and within a min we were off. Now in AMA yea you sit on the grid forever but we had them on while on the grid. Cost yea I can see that when the bikes are 750 for 2 and the cars are1500 for 4 but even their it evens out. I just don't look at SCCA as "grass roots" when they have semis pulling in with Capaldi Racing, Regian Racing and even Steve. LOL!

go price a newer dually and a 50ft plus decent gooseneck trailer . then go price used semi trucks and haulers... Most of the time it's cheaper to buy a semi truck and trailer. Don't let that fool you. Capaldi and rehagen have toter trucks and trailers same thing That you see at any grass roots events. they are nothing special.

 

[claudermilk]

Well, there's SCCA Club Racing and SCCA Pro Racing. Two different animals. I also think the rule is a cost control thing.

Another thought: Isn't it a common theme in Terry's TT reports that he is always fighting tire temps? An out lap, a flyer, then they are too hot.

 

[Roadracer350]

Ok I see where you are comming from. Yea we were the same we all paid to race and in the AMA even tho your considered a "PRO" most of the guys are paying to ride the bikes. The satellite rides are upward of 60-100g for the year. Same at the IOM. Their are only a couple of paid riders their most foot their own bill.

 

[csamsh]

SCCA club racing is definitely grassroots....now...that grass can be mighty green at times, but yeah grassroots.

As for autox...cost thing. Autox, at least in the fast crowd, is just an arms race. It doesn't matter what equipment is allowed, people will max out their stuff. So, if tire warmers are allowed, everybody who wants to be competitive needs to buy them.

That being said...I'm not sure why anyone with the money to buy tire warmers would want them. Hoosier A6's need tire coolers, if anything, and, if you can afford tire warmers, you are most likely running A6's anyway.

 

[Roadracer350]

A6s yes but what about the R6 and the Contis that Vorshlag has? Different compounds require different heat and pressures. Actually all of this seams irelivent due to SCCA,NASA and AutoX won't allow them. I just figured since we ran them in all bike classes you could in the car stuff especially since NASCAR uses them.

 

[csamsh]

A6s yes but what about the R6 and the Contis that Vorshlag has? Different compounds require different heat and pressures. Actually all of this seams irelivent due to SCCA,NASA and AutoX won't allow them. I just figured since we ran them in all bike classes you could in the car stuff especially since NASCAR uses them.

If you could have them on...yank them, and hit the track immediately, probably good. But...with sitting in grid and all that, not too cool.

FWIW...people run A6's for NASA TT too.