DE & Track Marbles?
10-02-2002, 04:25 PM
#1
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Valley Forge, Pa.
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DE & Track Marbles?
On Sunday I was at the Pocono Raceway for a DE event. On my '87 Carrera are street tires. By the end of the day, the rubber marbles from the track were stuck all over my tires and high speed driving was a challenge (given that my tires were completely out of balance). Does this happen to track tires too? The marbles looks like they first attached to my tires starting in the grooves (which makes me wonder about non-grooved track tires). The dirty track really distracts from a good day at the track. Thanks. Dan
10-02-2002, 05:07 PM
#2
Instructor
Rubber sticks better to rubber than asphalt. Your tires constantly pickup & are scrubbed clean of “marbles” while you drive. Don’t believe me? Cross a muddy clay field, your boots will collect & retain the mud unless you shake them clean! If your tires were not being scrubbed clean while driving they would be several inches bigger in diameter by the time your run was over, just like your boots. The track trash only sticks when the car is moving slowly, like in the paddock & pits. Street tires, even high performance ones, tend to loose more tread because the tread can move around so much. Not like slicks. The older/harder the tire the more this happens. Race tires are considerably stickier than street tires & pick up a lot more trash. Next time at the track see how some people put outdoor carpeting down on gravel parking areas in the pits.
10-02-2002, 05:19 PM
#3
Pocono is dirty and the infield portion of the track looks like it's crumbling. Two days running at Pocono at the beginning of last month was harder on my track tires (not slicks, but close) than any other venue. Still, I never got the feelinig that my wheels were out of balance due to the "marbles".
Hope you had much fun anyway. :-D
Richard
'87 Carrera-3.6L
Hope you had much fun anyway. :-D
Richard
'87 Carrera-3.6L
10-02-2002, 05:20 PM
#4
Race Director
Simple answer.... Don't drive off line!!! 
Seriously this is a big issue. Track tires pick-up even more dirt and debris that street tires since they much sticker when hot. It can be big problem for racers and its one of reasons you don't want to go off line is that you pick-up crap on the tires and they don't work as well.
Honestly don't worry about it to much as there is little that can be done. You should be able to clean the tires at the start of the next session. Getting them hot again will quickly clean the crap off. There are two reasons racers weave on straights at the begining of a seesion.
1) to get heat in the tires
2) to clean the crap that got on the tires in the pit lane.
Seriously this is a big issue. Track tires pick-up even more dirt and debris that street tires since they much sticker when hot. It can be big problem for racers and its one of reasons you don't want to go off line is that you pick-up crap on the tires and they don't work as well.
Honestly don't worry about it to much as there is little that can be done. You should be able to clean the tires at the start of the next session. Getting them hot again will quickly clean the crap off. There are two reasons racers weave on straights at the begining of a seesion.
1) to get heat in the tires
2) to clean the crap that got on the tires in the pit lane.
10-02-2002, 05:24 PM
#5
Race Director
[quote]Originally posted by richard glickel:
<strong>Still, I never got the feelinig that my wheels were out of balance due to the "marbles".
Hope you had much fun anyway. :-D
Richard
'87 Carrera-3.6L</strong><hr></blockquote>
On this issues you balance can be thrown off at the track for a number of reasons
1) tire wear... overall rubber can take them from in balance to out of balance.
(I have experineced this)
2) rubber build-up INSIDE the wheel.
(I have seen race cars get major vibrations due to large rubber build up in side the wheel rim.
3) Lost wheel weight.
(did this at the track in fact never felt a thing.. only noticed since the were on the ground near the car... and yes they were mine)
<strong>Still, I never got the feelinig that my wheels were out of balance due to the "marbles".
Hope you had much fun anyway. :-D
Richard
'87 Carrera-3.6L</strong><hr></blockquote>
On this issues you balance can be thrown off at the track for a number of reasons
1) tire wear... overall rubber can take them from in balance to out of balance.
(I have experineced this)
2) rubber build-up INSIDE the wheel.
(I have seen race cars get major vibrations due to large rubber build up in side the wheel rim.
3) Lost wheel weight.
(did this at the track in fact never felt a thing.. only noticed since the were on the ground near the car... and yes they were mine)
10-03-2002, 04:37 AM
#7
Race Car
I've noticed the out-of-balance feel after track events, when the tires are cool and the gunk is stuck all over them. It eventually wears off.
But I've never noticed it affecting handling at the track itself. It wears off (or flies off) pretty quickly at track speeds.
But I've never noticed it affecting handling at the track itself. It wears off (or flies off) pretty quickly at track speeds.
