In previous articles we have defined certain key terms that will be used in this article as well as given an overview of all the products both Inside and Outside offered in the PTS program so now its time to put it all together and outline how to create and maintain a proper tire program for Maxxis tires. There are obviously many different types of tracks, conditions, regional variances when it comes to how much bite a specific track condition creates, so this will be a detailed overview so you have an understanding of the basics and you can create a ticket to go over your exact track conditions in greater detail and formulate the correct plan of attack. So with that said, lets outline some things that are in common with every track condition and some things that need to be detailed when creating a ticket for us to better serve you better.

When looking at each entity of what makes a tire program click, my advice is to never look at them individually but more how each complement one another, and there are several to address and some you may not even thought would affect how a tire program performs but it has more effect than you would think. 

If most were asked which tire would bite more, a fresh tire or a scuff, most would say a fresh tire would bite more de to being new and that's true if no other variable existed. When you introduce Inside Prep, re rolling of tires, wiping tires to build a volume of bite the answer to the question now changes. This is a key phrase to understand when it comes to building a tire program and its the foundation statement that we always want customers to understand when it comes to the age of a tire and how that affects bite

So what exactly does that mean, well to be honest it has less meaning on the hardness of the tire than you would think. We emphasize toughness or the opposite which is referred to as tenderness rather than harder and softer because there are many things that you will do to the tire during the aging and curing cycle that will not affect the durometer of a tire but will have a large affect on its toughness and the bite a tire can produce.

There are generally three groups of tires that you will always have in your tire program that will cover very low grip wet situations to higher bite day time conditions. Below is the list of those groups and how to properly set those up while focusing on the terminology laid out above.

This is our terminology for tires that are produced for track conditions that have moisture in them due to weather, over preparation, or calcium slick. These                             will not generally be newer tires but will be tires that have been ran and flipped and are low on rubber. These tires typically produce the best prep tires because the tire is tougher from age and heat cycles and will allow you to wipe more while dropping the tire durometer getting more volume of chemical in the tire preventing it from running out through a run. These tires and the chemicals that will be used on them generally work in a range of 46 and below and there are couple of things to notice prior to setting this tire up. Take and warm the tire up to simulate the operational temp of the tire on the track and if you feel its too far out of range to wipe you can re-roll the the tire to help with this. Generally speaking you want to be within 5-8 points within your target range before you start to wipe. Wet Track will be what you use during the week to build volume in the tire and we recommend wiping this every other day 2-3 times per day and wiping each set more than the next until the desired durometer is reached. The only other preparation method we suggest for this group specifically in the upper durometer range is to leave at least one set alone that is preferably re-rolled to wipe at the track. The reason for this is if there is a condition where the tracks starts to dry out but still requires an aggressive prep wiping at the track will provide less bite on a tire than one that is wiped during the week due to the volume that is wiped and also how deep the volume goes in the tire. You can use the Wet Track, Gold or Extreme Green at the track with the Green being a great fire off prep, and the Wet and Gold used if further softening is needed. Wiping cold will make the prep less aggressive and wiping with heart will aid the ability to soften more and drive more prep deeper in the tire.

This will be the group that requires the greatest amount of tires and preparation to setup and maintain. The first process of putting a tire into circulation is to properly prepare the surface, and this can be done by buffing the tire to remove the factory glaze or by cutting the tire and removing rubber. Typically a cut tire is needed on all Jr1 and Jr2 applications and for higher bite conditions in stock classes specifically heavier divisions like #400.

Once this process is done, the next thing is to roll the inside, reference to the two inside preps and the conditions that they work for to determine which one fits your tire program the best. Once you are ready to roll the tire, we normally recommend not rolling several amounts in different sets of tires but rather find an amount that works best based on the track conditions and time of the year with a good starting point being 75-100cc in the cooler months of the year and 50-75cc in the warmer months. Follow the directions in the previous articles for roll time and preparation and once your done rolling they are ready to take to the track and scuff.

This date is when the tire cycle starts for that group of tires. We recommend fixing (4) 900's and (2) 600's per age group of tires and scuffing needs to be done when the track is good enough to build heat in the tire and get the tire back to a smooth finish. Once the tires are brought back to the shop, the curing process will start so the inside will naturally over time become less reactive to temperature and the surface of the tire will become more firm which is what we reference to as tougher and you will now start to add bite in the tire by wiping either one of our weekly conditioners, High or Medium Bite depending on your conditions. Adding bite to the tire keeps the durometer more stable while still allowing the tire to cure and the end result is a tire that that can produce short run speed wit the bite on the outside while allowing the tire to be more consistent through the run with a more stable durometer achieved through the curing cycle. Our general recommendation is to have tires when possible in a 2-3 week window, which will allow you to narrow down your variables when tuning tires as now you can control a specific age, the inside is now the same with all sets and you will have a varying amount of bite through the wipes that put on during the curing time.

Re-rolling tires is needed when you feel the tire is tougher than you would like it to be when checked at an operating temperature with heat. This process will allow inside to be added back to the tire and when the tires gains heat on the track the durometer will come down and keep the tire more consistent through the run but still allow you to have the benefits of the older rubber. Re-rolling can be done as much as 14 days in advance all the way up to 24 hours out with the understanding that the longer its allowed to cure the less bite that is created as well as having less affect on the toughness of the tire. We recommend 30-50cc when re-rolling and for higher bite tracks especially during warmer weather allow at least 10 days to cure before running. Re-rolling works especially well for Saturday night race tracks and many conditions during the cooler months of the year when the ambient temperatures are under 60 deg.

New rubber can work in certain geographical areas of the country like in the upstate of South and North Carolina where traditionally at some of these tracks like Patriot new tires are the fastest with no outside wipe at all. Generally speaking new tires or within a 2 week scuff run specifically good on tracks that go dry slick and you can can't add bite to the tire with outside chemical and the only way to make bite is from the freshness of the rubber and the inside prep. These tires are never a bad idea to bring for a couple of reasons, you may end up needing them or you will inevitably scuff them to start the next layer of your tire cycle. 

So to wrap up this section, I feel having a good understanding of what to fix, how to fix them and what changes can be manipulated with changing how the tires are fixed at the track will build a race winning tire program that can win races at any level of the sport. When building this program and if needed creating a help ticket so we can go over some of the specifics in greater detail, there are some things that affect what advice I give and here are some things to look at and make sure you have answered so the I can advise with greater accuracy what to do:

Understanding the tendencies of your track and having a baseline lap time is of the upmost importance to building and operating a successful tire program. Knowing how weather, kart. count, time of year, and overall preparation affects how broad of a tire window you need will crucial. Knowing if a track condition requires aggressive prep, how abrasive it is on tires, and a general durometer range using a Intercomop durometer will be things that I will ask if help is needed so please make sure to have that info ready.

I have a good understanding of what karts are on the market and know that some are softer and while others are stiffer and this affects how much bite needs to be generated to build a successful program. This affects how much inside, and more importantly whether tires need to cut and how old of a tire will generally work based on track conditions.  

The class being ran and the overall body weight of the driver along with the chassis being ran play a role in how the kart works the tires and thus determines exactly how you fix tires one the track conditions are addressed.

If further information is needed please create a ticket and we will do our best to answer your questions or schedule a time to call and go over things in more detail.