Plastic Wrap?

[stockcar5]

Monkey see monkey do.

Why roll your car around the shop all week with tires you plan on running on race night? Those tires are in the shop or trailer ready to go (unwrapped).

[let-r-eat]

Kinda like having "Can't Touch This" on your spoiler. Makes people feel better.

[Kromulous]

Tire Programs?

I thought most people, that i see anyway, just buy new ones every run. You dont need much of a program, cleaning wise anyway LOL.

[cjsracing]

let-r-eat, I for one don't worry about the UV protection aspect because i keep my tires inside so seran wrap is cheap and works for me. After I grind them I wrap them and it keeps them from drying out and getting dusty. Grind 2 tires on Sunday, wrap one but not the other let them sit in your shop until Thursday and then unwrap the wrapped one and you will see a difference in the 2.

[Bubstr]

The plastic protects against Ozone, which attacks rubber. Any electrical devise produces Ozone. Especially a welder or air compressor. Never store tires close to anything electrical.

[lindsey97]

What about storing them in your trailer? Hot and cold? But if I wrap them, it's ok to store in my shop? Hard for me to believe the ozone and UV produced from these items in your shop can damage tire that quick. I figure most tires are worn out before that could happen.

[RacerX10]

Hard for me to believe the ozone and UV produced from these items in your shop can damage tire that quick.

I think your skepticism is fully justified .. I'm calling BS on the "ozone" and UV damage thing, short of any reviewed sources.

[billetbirdcage]

I think your skepticism is fully justified .. I'm calling BS on the "ozone" and UV damage thing, short of any reviewed sources.

Highly debatable if any of the wrapping actually does anything and if it does is it so minute that it matter?

A quick search in google (it's the internet I know) does show there is at least something there as far as degrading the tire. Not saying it does or doesn't make a difference but.....

What causes a tire to dry rot?

There are several factors that cause a tire to become dry rotted. The environment the tire is exposed to, the age of the tire and the frequency of use will all contribute to this condition. Although the rate at which a tire becomes dry rotted can be slowed, eventually over time all tires will expire.
The environment in which a tire lives in is mostly responsible for dry rot damage. When a tire leaves the manufacturing plant it is immediately exposed to three unavoidable components of our environment: ozone, UV light and oxygen. These three components immediately begin breaking down the rubber molecules the tire is comprised of. This is deterioration is caused by two chemical reactions known as crosslinking and chain scission. Cross linking increases the density of the rubber, causes color fading and reduces the strength, flexibility and over all durability of the tire. (7) Chain scission results in a loss of elasticity in the rubber. (10) The combination of the two chemical reactions produce cracked, frail, faded rubber.
UV Damage

The sun exposes your tires to a form of radiation called UV light. Both natural and synthetic polymers absorb UV light produced by the sun. Since tires are made up of a rubber compound, which is a mixture of polymers, mainly natural rubber and synthetic rubber, photo degradation immediately takes place when tires are exposed to the sun.
Ozone Damage

Ozone, a type of oxygen, occurs naturally in the stratosphere high above the earth and close to ground level in the troposphere. The most destructive ozone, that we and all our things are exposed to, is formed as a result of manmade pollution. This type ozone production happens through a process initiated when sunlight merges hydrocarbons from oil refineries with unburned car exhaust containing nitrogen oxides. (8)
The damaging effects of ozone on tires first became apparent during the 1950’s when tire manufactures observed that rubber was deteriorating sooner in Los Angeles than other parts of the country. The link between ozone and tire cracking was then confirmed by researchers from Cal Tech. (8)
Oxygen Damage

Oxygen has been noted in Introduction to Rubber Technology (1959) to be the most destructive rubber degrading element of our environment. Unlike UV light, oxygen attacks a tire from the inside and the outside. The majority of cars on the road utilize compressed air, which is composed of approximately 21% oxygen, to maintain factory recommended tire pressure. The oxygen level of the compressed air degrades a tire from the inside, while the same destructive process is occurring on the outside of the tire.
Tire Age

No matter how much care is taken to reduce a tires exposure to UV light, oxygen and ozone, tire age will always come into play. Protectants mixed with the tires rubber compound designed to shield the rubber from UV oxygen and ozone do not provide indefinite protection because they are consumed by these elements as the tire ages. Another uncontrollable result of tire age is inner liner thickness. The thickness of the inner liner will decrease with age from constant exposer to oxygen and heat. As the thickness of the liner decreases, oxygen increasingly passes through the liner, seeping into the rubber of the tire exposing it to even more oxygen.
Lack of Use

The rubber compound that makes up a tire contains a protective wax that is intended to protect the tire from oxidation. The protective wax provides protection when it reaches the surface of the tire through a process called “blooming”. Blooming is a process where protective wax works its way to the surface as the rubber tire flexes and compresses during use. When the tire is not in use the wax protection left at the surface from the previous use is consumed by oxidation, leaving the tire unprotected. When a tire is not in use the protective wax is not replenished because blooming only occurs when the tire is in use. Therefor tire degradation can vary depending on how often the tire is used.
What do tires contain to help prevent dry rotting?

In the earliest days of car manufacturing tires were not black, they were white, which is the natural color of rubber. Since white tires where highly vulnerable to UV damage and oxidation they were constantly needing to be replaced. To combat this problem manufactures began adding a filler called carbon black. Blending carbon black with the rubber compound used to produce a tire increased structural integrity making it less susceptible to rapid UV light damage. This ultimately resulted in a tire with a greater lifespan.
In addition to carbon black, manufactures added a special wax and other protectants called antioxidents and antiozonants to provide even more protection against ozone, oxidation and UV damage.
Maximize Tire Life

Although tire aging is unavoidable there are a few things you can do to extend the life of your tires.

Avoid tire shine. Most tire shines contain petrochemicals and silicone that will dissolve the wax protectant, antioxidant and antiozone added by the tire manufacture leaving your tire with less protection from dry rot.
Avoid excessively washing tires. Overly washing your tires with harsh cleaners might make your tire look nice in the short term, but what’s really happening is you are removing the protectants needed to preserve the tire.
Drive vehicle frequently and never let your tires site unused. Regular use will ensure that wax protectant is constantly moving to surface of tire where it is needed to protect against ozone damage.
Use an aftermarket product that will add additional protection from harmful elements. 303 Protectant is ideal because it does not contain harmful petro chemicals or silicone oils that strip away the tires manufacture added protectants. 303 Protectant will enhance protection from UV light and is long lasting because it absorbs into the tire. Your tires will also stay cleaner because of the water repellent and anti-dust protection provided by 303 Protectant. Best of all your tires are left with that new tire appearance rather than the unnatural glossy look left by most tire shine products.

References:

303products.com
https://www.litigationandtrial.com/f...ging_NHTSA.pdf, NHTSA Research Report on Tire Aging to Congress 2007
Introduction to Rubber Technology 1959, M. Morton
http://www.aqmd.gov/news1/Archives/H.../marchcov.html, LA ozone study

http://www.ucar.edu/learn/1_5_1.htm

http://www.thcnet.com/downloads/techozone.pdf, Ozone Can Cause Serious Problems for Natural Rubber Latex Gloves
http://web.mit.edu/roylance/www/Hihara_Degradation.pdf, Environmental Degradation of Traditional and Advanced Engineering Materials
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...stions/4302788, Is Nitrogen Better than Air in Car Tires
http://www.bridgestonetrucktires.com...v7iss1/ra7.asp, What do We Need to Make a Tire
http://www.bouncing-balls.com/chemis...ion/ageing.htm, The Aging of Rubber Vulcanizates
http://www.hallstar.com/techdocs/ANTIOZO.pdf, The Use of Antioxidants in Rubber Compounding
http://www.drb-mattech.co.uk/uv%20degradation.html, UV Degradation Mechanisms

[billetbirdcage]

^^^if that wasn't clear that is a cut and paste from a google search^^^^

[Punisher88]

These aren't plastic but is on topic. Popped up on my Facebook feed yesterday.

[Punisher88]

Ok that didn't work. But there is a guy making covers for dirt late model and modified tires on Facebook. Complete set for 180 for late models. They look pretty nice.

[Matt49]

One thing to keep in mind that I think a lot of racers take for granted is that just because a tire punches the same as it did when new on the durometer, that does not mean that tire will behave the same on the race track. The oil inside the tire that are lost over time will cause the tire to not respond to heat the same way. So it may punch the same but when heated not chemically change the way it is supposed too to maximize grip.
This is where the tire dope comes into play. Good tire dope will not change how the tire punches at room temp but will change how it responds to heat on the race track.
And no, I do not use tire dope (anymore)...I used to race karts which taught me everything I needed to know about it. The main thing being that it makes you sick just being around it and I'm not going to puke every week and constantly expose myself to carcinogenic chemicals to win races.

[Kromulous]

In my experience, the breaking down of the sidewalls (stiffness) after repeated races, particularly on a harder compound tire will trump all other factors.

Soft tires wear so fast i dont hardly see a point.

Maybe we can try to start wrapping our hard tires.

[lindsey97]

Man I don't think I can afford a climate controlled "Tire Cave". But proper care is crucial. Are we on to vacuum sealing in a black bag? I guess we have to figure out what works for each situation.

[cjsracing]

I don't know what's the correct thing to do, all I know is I do my tire work (grinding and siping) for the upcoming weekends races on the Sunday or Monday before. If I grind and sipe on Sunday and don't wrap them and they sit in the corner of my shop all week they look like they need to be ground again come Friday. If I grind and sipe on Sunday then wrap them when I get to the track Friday and unwrap them they look like I just ground them 10 minutes ago. And I just use cheap seran wrap.

Add in that I have a open trailer and live on a gravel road the wrapping keeps the dust from the road off them.