>> This is more to Roger than anyone else. Is tire softener enough of a
>> performance advantage that you need to worry about it?
>>
>> Mark
IMHO, a *softener* is not a good thing to use. Primarily, it degrades the
rubber. Not sure I'd want my rubber disintegrating at a critical moment.
What you need to *worry* about is keeping a good, gummy tire on the car.
That's the performance advantage. So how do you accomplish that? Some people
just make sure they have new rubber (or nearly new), at least for major
events. Well, maybe *worry* is too strong a word. It is a factor addressed
by those who want to be at the peak of competitiveness. But a set of new
donuts is a major cash outlay and what the tire treatments can do is make
that not so necessary by letting you use your old tires longer.
As Roger alluded, I sell a tire product (Formula V Traction Treatment), so
you can believe what the salesman tells you or not as you deem fit. FVTT is
NOT a softener. It is a restorative/preservative.
But as Bruce Haden wrote:
>Can't speak for DOT tires, but the stuff I've tried works on
>slicks. I've used 2 diff types and they both prolong the life of the tire.
>They DO NOT make it any softer than it was originally. I use it as
>a money saving product to extend the number of decent runs I get
>from a set. I don't inhale :-)
This is exactly the purpose and attribute of Formula V Traction Treatment.
And yes, it works on DOT tires as well. Tires get harder with time, use,
heat cycles. FVTT restores the tire to near its *original* softness. It
prolongs the life not by making it last longer (if it gets hard, it'll last
a REALLY long time), but by making its *useful* life longer. I take my tires
to cord now. Didn't use to, because they would get hard and become
worthless.
It'll work on ANY tire, but its apparent effectiveness depends on the tire's
difference between new and old. If it was already a 70,000-mile tire, the
difference between its relative softness new and hardness old is somewhat
slight. FVTT will keep it toward the new end of that spectrum, but it is a
rather small spectrum so may not be worth the effort. OTOH, if you are on a
set of 5,000-mile DOT gumballs, the difference between new and old is as
considerable as for a set of slicks, so the apparent effect is similarly
remarkable.
There is no big-buck purchase we make more repeatedly than buying a set of
tires. A helmet maybe every 10 years. Some trick car part likely lasts the
life of the car. Tires are bought at least annually, for some drivers as
many as 3-4 sets a year. The primary purpose of FVTT is to let you reduce
that tire cost while maintaining a competitive level.
If you want to try some, I sell it in 1-gallon jugs for $39, shipping
included (anywhere in the Lower 48). $72 for 2 gals. All I need is an
e-mailed order with an address UPS can find (commercial address preferred,
not required). A gallon treats a set of tires about 20 times. If your tires
can be made to work twice as long or even half again as long, it is
accomplished for less than 10% of the cost of a new set of tires.
--Rocky Entriken
Ikke så Hurtig Racing
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