alexb76

I just went back to my Carrera Sport Summer PS2 set... car looks FANTASTIC NOW!

It's however been handling absolutely terribly since the swap! Specially the rears... they have NO GRIP and any sudden power makes them slip significantly, specially if it's wet, even slightly.

The tires got something like 13K miles on em.. and rears got just enough tread for one more season. I do NOT remember them to be this bad last year! Could it be that they're just too old? liked aged beyond their grip in one year in my garage?

Gotto note that it's been unseasonally cold though... so not really summer tire weather yet, but still, it used to be signifiantly better?!

PS. Car's a 2007 model, so tires are at least 4.5yrs old

Edgy01

It's the heat cycles that do in tires usually.

alexb76

Meaning? need some more miles on it to break loose?

Edgy01

Tires age as they go through heat cycles. To a lesser degree they age from merely sitting around. How did you store them over the winter? Are your daytime temps cooperating?

Marine Blue

If you're temperatures are as cool as they have been here in New England then those tires won't stick at all. Summer tires don't do well in sub 50 F temperatures.

Mike in CA

The following quote is from The Tire Rack's web site:

Our experience has been that when properly stored and cared for, most street tires have a useful life in service of between six to ten years. And while part of that time is spent as the tire travels from the manufacturing plant to the manufacturer's distribution center, to the retailer and to you, the remainder is the time it spends on your vehicle.

It seems you're not quite in the window where age should be an issue. As was suggested in an earlier post, maybe temps are stilll too cool for your summer tires. Also, heat cycling for street tires in street driving is not nearly the issue it is for comp tires on the track.

alexb76

I literally took em off after my last track day event of the year in October, then stored them in my parents garage over winter (NOT heated). Stored em with their wheels, fully inflated, on their sides.

Temps are quite low now (not seasonal), between 40-50, also tires got some track deposits on them that probably doens't help (need to rub off). They're just so terrible, I am not sure if it's the temps, or maybe I did something to them during my last track day?!

Rear's got 4/32, 5/32 (inside-outside), fronts are 5-6/32.

I am going to my firs track day even next Monday, a little worried if tires not gotto stick! It's gonna be warmer then and most probably sunny.

blake

I think your issues is more about the current temperature than the heat cycling on the track.

I run PS2s on my dedicated track car on wet track days, and have never "heat cycled" a set before the tread runs out. I run Sport Cups on the dry days, and the inverse is true.

Definitely pay attention to the coded date on your tires. When they get pasy 6 years old, they start to break down and become dangerous. My Speedster only sees about 500 miles per year, and I replaced all 4 tires last year (2010) after noting that my last tire replacement was 2003. The inside of those tires was a site to behold - lots of "dry cracking"...

Look for the DOT number followed by the last 4 digits. The first two digits are the week of production, and the last two specify the year. The rule of thumb seems to be 5-7 years.

BC-997

Alex, I've had PS2s on all of my cars over the past 10years. They always seem to get noisy and have less grip when they get down to the tread level where you are now. Add low temps, and they're barely driveable. So even though you could probably get another summer out of them, I think you'll notice the ride quality just won't be there even in warmer temps.

Btw, I just put a fresh set of Super Sports on my car and even with the unseasonal cold temps in Vancouver this past week, the tires are quiet and grippy. I don't think it has a broader temperature band than PS2s so I believe it's the fact that they are fresher tires. I've found the PS2's to be a poor 'value' since it seems you can't keep them to the point where you've reached maximum wear. I'm hoping the Super Sports offer better value.

alexb76

I just checked the DOT numbers, 0507 for fronts and 1206 for rear. So rears are exactly 5yrs old.

alexb76

Thanks, I will drive on em some more to see how they perform rest of the season... DEFINITELY last summer on these... thinking REAL HARD about Super Sports, or maybe RE11 or new S-04!

utkinpol

if you left them to freeze during winter it could affect rubber.

alexb76

I am sure there were days it got pretty cold, but they were in a cover and in a garage, so wasn't like they were totally outside in the dold/freezin weather.

I am going to track em this Monday... see how they do and will take it easy. If still bad at track temps, would boot em off for Super Sports!

Clifton

Keep in mind that tires are like a bubble gum - you can keep chewing well after the flavor is gone, but it will never taste as good as it was when it was new. In other words, you can have plenty of tread left, but the flavor (the sticky) of the tire eventually wears off.

As to your track day, I'd burn'em up good, but I wouldn't put 100% stock in them on the high speed sections.

purrybonker

I'm sure it's just the cool weather we've been having. OTH, I have my 2 year old PS2's at 5/32 and 7/32 R/F on Carrera Sports and have been pretty impressed with the grip around town lately. I never bothered going to winters this year.

Any place to track around here other than Mission?