IS it recommended to heat cycle these tires?

 

Nope.

 

If you consider heat cycling = releasing mold compound, then yes--drive them on the street a little while or an autox weekend.

 

Thanks...anyone else? I know that with the Ao48s I had...I had to take them through heat cycles to get them to their maximum adhesion.

 

I thought he meant heat cycled like through Tirerack for R-comps or something. Mea culpa.

 

Be careful about the use of the term "heat cycling". That term is normally used to describe the stretching of the rubber molecules the first time a tire is used, NOT the tire's behavior every time it gets hot. As the Tire Rack website notes:

"The first time a competition tire is used is the most important. During that run, its tread compound is stretched, some of the weaker bonds between the rubber molecules will be broken (which generates some of the heat). If the tires are initially run too hard or too long, some of the stronger bonds will also be broken which will reduces the tire's grip and wear qualities. Running new tires through an easy heat cycle first, and allowing them to relax allows the rubber bonds to relink in a more uniform manner than they were originally manufactured. It actually makes them more consistent in strength and more resistant to loosing their strength the next time they are used. An important heat cycling step is that after being brought up to temperature, the tires require a minimum of 24 to 48 hours to relax and reform the bonds between their rubber molecules."

You can pay the Tire Rack $15 per tire to heat cycle tires for you. But I recommend the inexpensive way to heat cycle tires before using - just drive them at highway speeds for 15-20 miles, then take them off the car and let them sit for a couple of days.

 

Right, so then for Falkens, a street tire, just some street miles to wear off the mold compound, typical of just about all street tires. Not the "actual" heat-cycling process like for R-comps.

 

I would imagine that there could be a very small gain to heat cycling a set of high perf street tires like the Azenis, however, street tires have a much longer life and don't fall off in performance as quickly as r-compounds can. I certainly wouldn't pay anyone to heat cycle them and I would only do it myself if it was uber convenient.

 

Street tires usually need a couple hundred miles to wear off the mold release compound. This is not the same thing as the need to stretch the rubber molecules as described on the Tire Rack website for track tires.

I don't know what the specific prescription for prepping Azenis is. I think if I were planning to use them on the track, I would follow the heat cycling instructions (drive them on the highway 15-20 miles, then let them rest off the car), just to play it safe. If I were just using them on the street, I would just use them, and if they felt slippery the first couple hundred miles, not worry about it...

 

Mine (Azenis) have always needed ~500 miles to feel unslippery.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You can pay the Tire Rack $15 per tire to heat cycle tires for you. But I recommend the inexpensive way to heat cycle tires before using - just drive them at highway speeds for 15-20 miles, then take them off the car and let them sit for a couple of days.
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I doubt you will reach the proper temperatures to "heat cycle" new race tires on the street.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Grumpy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I doubt you will reach the proper temperatures to "heat cycle" new race tires on the street.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's the advice I got from guys who work at the Tire Rack and are racers.

Note that it's not just driving "on the street" - they told me they need sustained highway speeds (i.e. 70 mph).

Also note the wording on their website, where it says that they need an "easy heat cycle" (bold added) to break and relink the bonds of the rubber molecules. Driving at highway speeds is an easy heat cycle. Driving on the track is not.

Note that this is NOT the equivalent to getting them up to track temperatures, but IS the equivalent of the "driving" that their heat cycling machines do to track tires. (If you've been to the track, you've probably seen tires with the yellow "Tire Rack Heat Cycled" stamped on the sidewalls.)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

(If you've been to the track, you've probably seen tires with the yellow "Tire Rack Heat Cycled" stamped on the sidewalls.)
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As there are some who say this is a waste of money.

From the Tire Rack web site:::::

The initial run

The first laps for the tire are critical for setting up the durability and competitive life. The first session should consist of 10-15 minutes of running. The early part of the session should be run at an easy pace, with the speed gradually increased until the end of the session. The final lap should be run at the fastest possible speed. The intent is to achieve maximum tire temp on the last lap. At this point the car should be brought in and the tires allowed to cool at a normal rate. Optimally, the tires should be removed or have the car jacked up during this cooling.




Modified by Grumpy at 3:51 PM 4/26/2005

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sscguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Mine (Azenis) have always needed ~500 miles to feel unslippery.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I've never needed that many miles. They feel good to me brand new. If anything the only miles mine have seen when new were the first 30 or so miles on the way to the first event each time I buy them.

 

Do you track/autox them right away? That might be a difference, as mine definitely see mostly street time. Maybe there is something to heat-treating them then...

 

yes they are auto-x/track only tires. I still drive to the events on them, but the car never really sees any street use other than that.

 

Mine will see more streets but will see the track a few times in the next 3 months...Just wanting to make sure about these tires.