IMCA Hobby Stock Tire Problems

[hobby28]

I am having trouble with the Right Rear tire ripping chunks out on the outside edge and can't seem to figure it out. The car is really fast and winning races. There is no tire rubs and plenty of suspension travel. The right rear is getting a lot more heat than the LR but the car is not terribly loose. Do I just need to find a softer tire for the dry slick track this time of year?

[carowner73]

Too much rubber on the tire, the heat is boiling the oil in the rubber and causing the blistering. Either cut some of the rubber off of your tire or put a seasoned tire on the car. Definitely do not go to a softer tire.

[hobby28]

I am not allowed to modify the tire in any way, and I have tried a seasoned tire also and it still ripped it up. I guess I need to tighten the car up some more, but it is so fast I hate to change it much.

[SRXSRULE]

I wouldn't change anything. Soft tires = grip = FAST car. Soft tires can chunk out = $$$
Its up to you, hobby stock wins are 150-200 bucks on regular nights, 300-500 at specials. A tire cost 60-90.00 depending on what your running. I never got more then a couple nights out of a RR. Run it one night, flip it and run it again. Then sell them for 25-45.00 to the guys in the back 1/2 of the field. Eric

[carowner73]

What exactly is your tire rule, have you tried going harder in just the feature. Also if its a radial, they will never know you cut it if you dont camber cut it. If its a racing tire, all you can do is sipe it to fix this issue or go to a harder compound. Some hoosier tires, even though harder will still fire quick and the softer tire is really unneeded.

SRX, i agree softer is more grip, but not always faster. If the track is locked down softer wont help, if the track is abrasive a soft tire will just give up quicker. He says the track is dry slick, where i come from, all a soft tire will get you on a dry slick track is spun out or to the back.

Another question, are you putting new tires on before the feature?
and have you tried heat cycling you a rr for a few weeks before running a feature on it.

[hobby28]

The tire rules are DOT street tread 205/70/15 no mud or snow tires. I have been running goodyear viva 2 that are 440 treadwear, and switched to another tire that is a 680 treadwear and it chunked out worse. I normally start my new tires on the LR and run a race or two and then rotate it in on the RR. It seems like the softer tire chunks out less. I run on a high banked 4/10th track with a dry slick clay surface. Momentum is crucial.

[carowner73]

The goodyear 6 ply tire.... gt+4 is an excellent tire for dry slick high banked tracks. We used to run on a similar track and dominated with this tire.... they work best almost slick and old. You swear it wont work but just try it. Dont know if they come that small(205/70/15), we ran the 225/70/15 that came off the state patrol cars. They were very dry, hard, and plentiful at the time. Any tire with tread on it would give up, the only new tire that i know of that can take the abuse of a dry slick track and not give up is the bf goodrich radial t/a... but i have seen them chunk as well.

[SRXSRULE]

You cant compare tread wear numbers between different brand tires, IE goodyear 440 vs cooper 600, the cooper might be softer.
Buy a tire durometer gauge, there only like 60 bucks.

IMCA hobby stock features are only 12 laps, its almost impossible to get too soft of a tire. there not going to give up in 12 laps. The thing that makes a bigger difference is the number of sipes in the tire, More Sipes closer together is more likely to chunk apart. Eric

[hobby28]

Good advice on the durometer, I think I will pick one up. I agree on the sipes also I try to find tire with blocky treads similar to a cooper cobra.

[MM90]

I ran Cooper Cobras on my stock car/pro am and they would chunk out some. Not sure if my class would be harder on those tires than a hobby stock and they were a bigger size. I did win a feature with them when the track was super slick.

[Krooser]

The guys around here use Primewell tires... I think they get 'em at Wally World or Sam's Club. Pomp's Tire also has 'em if you are here in the upper midwest.

[MM90]

Sams and Wal-Mart are the best place for DOT race car tires. Take your tape measure because you can get some good stagger with the same size tire. LOL Just don't put them on your daily driver.

[carowner73]

Cooper Cobras are real easy to overheat, we run longer features down south so the cooper would go away easy. We ran allot of 40, 50, and 100 lap shows on radials and the cooper was not a prime choice for these races. If the 12 lap feature is true, then I dont really think you are going to gain allot with different tires.

[boogityk5]

I ran Firestone and Cooper and both chunked, went with a turbo-tech and didn't see any chunking. I also run a high banked 4/10 with 3200# car

[hobby28]

Which particular turbo tech tire did you run? Was it the 205/70/15 size that I have to run? I found a Touring LSE in my size.

[powerslide]

It sounds like the tire has too much rubber and too many edges. Probably think i'm crazy but alot of the kart guys get new tires and put them on a tire lathe and turn them down. Here is a link to a guy cutting some rubber off. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAasIWzUJaU

I think the kart guys use a bondo grater/rasp.

[boogityk5]

I ran the radial GT but I also ran 275/60/15 not sure if they have them in your size.