How to assess tyre wear/fresh tyres
 

I do 1/12th - and TC - though I have had a 1yr lay off.

Now I have a really stupid question, so please don't laugh at me. How do off road racers asses tyre wear - is it to do with how far the spikes wear down, or is it to do with the fact that they dry out?

I only ask this coz with TC the tyres come off the rims, and they're just rubbish. with 1/12th - its a combination of size change, chunking, coming off the rim, and drying out.

When my tyres are worn enough not to grip sufficiently, I replace them - simple as that!:)

Indoors I use mine till they just dont work anymore.

Outdoors I get a bit anal and change em at about 50% wear, then use em indoors :)

so???
 

it's not a case of the spikes wearing short? it's to do with grip levels then?

Sometimes you get more/better grip when tyres wear. The wear pattern on the spikes are a good indication of set up, but it's mostly feel that will tell you when they are on their way out.

With the right glue, your tyres should be well beyond useable before the tyres come off the rims. (Z-Blue is my preference)

spikes
 

generally when the spikes get low and are rounded, there not great and need replacing. mini pins indoors work great when worn at some tracks like maritime.
Generally outdoors its when the spikes are low we replace them....

different tracks and surfaces require different tyres so its a hard one to answer really.

I'm glad this question was asked. I've just started out (again) and had no idea what to look for as far as tyre wear goes.

Everyone at my club, Eden Park, seems to favor Schumacher mini spike yellows in dry conditions. If I buy myself a brand new set of these what kind of life span should I look for? Bearing in mind I'm rubbish so I won't be too sensitive to wear yet.

Also, and this will be my last question, when you buy the tryes as pre-glued sets do they have foam inserts?

Good question! The Foam insert bit...

Jimmy

Pre-glued Schumacher tyres do come with inserts in them as standard :-)

Thanks guys, I'll go ahead and treat myself!

I think my personal rule of thumb is one set of tyres per meeting, or one set per day if its a two day event. National superstars may well use a set for just two or three heats!

If you're just starting out I would think a set would do you two meetings comfortably.

I'm rubbish too, but I find that the faster I get the quicker they wear. And in different cars wear matters differently too.

I've got the same set of yellow spikes on my dex410 that I put on in December... Raced every 2 weeks in term time, so approx 7-8 meetings old. Not quite dead yet, but only have 1 meeting max left in them.
Going from a 6.5 to a 10.5 (with boost and timing) has doubled the life of my tires and improved my lap times.

Tyre Wear
 

Depends on alot of factors,

Chassis ie 2 or 4WD, Conditions, Track, Competition/Event - National / Regional.

I know most of the top drivers change a set of tires every run to eliminate any fluctations in tire wear etc

Usually up to how you have done, who is against you, and what you have to gain or lose

Jamie