The Risk of Running Old Rubber
Yeah, we know drifting gets pricey, like dating an influencer during festival season expensive. Yikes. It gets tempting to cut corners where we can. One of the most tempting things to cheat on is running old rubber during competitions. We know we sell tires so its obvious that we are against it, but there is more to it.
Did you know that when you run rubber too many times they can harden from too many heat cycles meaning YOU LOSE GRIP. Yup that thing you need to hug close to the wall (or your competitions door) without wiping out. Yeah, it’s a big deal. That couple hundred you saved on not buying a set now cost you a fender or something way more.
Also, while we are on the topic, did you know tires expire? They have a shorter shelf life than a gobstopper. Tires are only guaranteed until 3 years from fabrication. Meaning after that the integrity of the rubber goes downhill. Do you want to be slaughtering your opponent in a battle only for your tire to fall apart giving you a DNF and an automatic loss? I mean honestly what’s worse, finishing second or not finishing at all? Obviously, that’s the worst-case scenario, in probability the rubber hardens giving you less control in high-rpm scenarios, like… drifting.
You can’t always predict the weather for every weekend, and that can be a challenge when the sky opens up and dumps rain onto the track. When using old tires your tread isn’t what it used to be and you’re more likely to slide across the pavement like a bar of soap in the shower. That’s why we back the Accelera 651 Sport because of its highly engineered tread pattern that is designed to slick away moisture from under your tire to give you unyielding grip in the wettest conditions. At the end of the day what’s the price of throwing on a set of tires than replacing a tire arms or two per season?
We now there are tire softeners you can soak old tires in to soften them a bit in the case you do need to run oldies, however there are VERY considerable risks. Softened tires may offer additional grip, but these chemicals can create unpredictable weak spots in the tire. In the U.S. many of these treatments are banned in a few competitive events, because of the competitive edge and because of the safety concerns. Lastly, hydrocarbon and plasticizer based softening agents can be extremely bad for your health if you breath in the fumes. What I’m saying don’t pretend to be Walter White in your garage, playing with chemicals tends to be a recipe for a bad time.
We get it, we know it’s tempting to head to the junk yard and pick up some oldies and throw ‘em on to be burned. We don’t need to tell you that cutting corners leads to going in circles, and you don’t want to be that guy that never gets ahead. We promise that loading up on rubber for the season doesn’t have to be a beat down on your finances. Check out Tire Streets’ bulk buying program, and other discounts to rev up your performance.