Dave_D

Hi all,

What are the general criteria for inspecting tires at a race event? Above wear bars? Penny test? I'm driving eight hours to an event next week and would hate to find out, upon arrival, that I cannot compete. Factor in the price of Premium unleaded these days....

Attached are images of my fronts and rears. [These are Z-rated Michelin Pilot Sport 2s, so tire rating is no problem.] Wear bars on fronts are noticeably deeper in tread than on rears. Closeup image of rears shows wear bar to be halfway to tire surface.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Dave

Joe Weinstein

You're going to be just fine with those tires. They just don't want
bald street tires or visible damage, such as age-cracks etc.
*If* they even look. The last event I went to, the guy just
checked all the boxes from the sign-in desk!
Joe

Jim Michaels

I agree with Joe. You should have plenty of tread. You should not even be quite at the wear bar when you get back home. I've found tire inspection criteria to vary quite a bit in terms of remaining rubber. At minimum they want visible tread with no cord showing anywhere. Beyond that, some express concern if the rubber is at, or even near, the wear bar on street tires, in which case they might tell you to check your tires after each session. Tracks also vary considerably in abrasiveness. One track I ran on recently (Rockingham) wears tires twice as fast as another track I ran on (VIR).

Joe Weinstein

Pay attention to the wear during the event and at the end. You will learn about
how suitable your alignment is for track events. You will impose a lot of wear
during the event, so watch for getting beyond the tread, either on the inside
or outside edge. You can easily go to the cords (or worse!) on one edge, and
have plenty of tread on the other edge... (ask me how I know )
Joe

Dave_D

Well, that's a relief.

Thanks!!!

Dave