I am getting 70 - 75.

 

Are they new or are they cycled? Were they shaved or cycled before you got them?

 

durometer readings dont mean **** - what is it you're trying to accomplish here?

 

Damn miss breakfeast today??? There are some clubs that set limits on tire softness, for one....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">durometer readings dont mean ****</TD></TR></TABLE>
really?

 

I am trying to get a better gauge for when the tires need to be changed. Everytime the tires do not do well in Auto-x is when they are almost gone, but they are not to the wear marks yet. You can feel the difference, so far a set can last me almost a whole season, but I am want to be able to tell ahead of time.
I thought I would see what I can find with the durometer readings. I am getting new tires today I will measure them and see the difference.
Interesting thing is that the rear tires are much older and have seen more runs, while the fron are pretty new, I had to replace them after I installed the camber kit and my Toe was off, balding the tires. so I would have expected the front ones to give me a different reading, but the don't, they pretty much read the same as the fonts.

Just wondering what experience anyone else has with this technique to monitor the life of the tires?

If it is even worth it in auto-x or it may only really apply to road racing.

 

I appreciate if anyone can point me to some good information on the durometer readings

thanks

 

Just out of curiousity, how many events do you run per season? I have over a season and a half on my Azenis, and they're barely half worn. This is with ~20 events on them.

 

about 16 or 17 events, but one of our sites is brutal on the tires, anyone in the SF region will attest to this at Golden Gate Fields, I'll try to take a pictures later, that place takes chunks of the tires. At least off the Azenis, I don't think it is the same on Victoracers and such

 

A couple of years ago when the Falkens first came out, I borrowed a durometer and tested it on someone else's new Azenis. It read 52. My Hoosier take offs were less, but not by much.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">durometer readings dont mean **** - what is it you're trying to accomplish here?</TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Renegade &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am trying to get a better gauge for when the tires need to be changed. Everytime the tires do not do well in Auto-x is when they are almost gone, but they are not to the wear marks yet. You can feel the difference, so far a set can last me almost a whole season, but I am want to be able to tell ahead of time. </TD></TR></TABLE>

If someone has a durometer in New Engladn, I'd like to offer my tires up for testing.

The tires I won both the ProFinale and Nationals on my wagon are
1) OVER 1 year old (put on before the Peru Pro)
2) past the wear bars
3) have seen about
a) 35 local autoxes
b) 2 national tours
c) 5 pro solos
d) 2 pro finales
e) 2 nationals and
f) a divisional
4) Been drivin close to 7K miles
5) sat all winter on the car while the car was parked in the yard.

So I'd have to agree with RJ's rather blantant comment... durometers don't mean _____ when it comes to finding a 'lasting' tire.

--KC

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KC &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So I'd have to agree with RJ's rather blantant comment... durometers don't mean _____ when it comes to finding a 'lasting' tire. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Not to mention you will not find a very strong positive correlation between tire wear ratings and their durometer ratings. especially in different weather conditions.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Renegade &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Everytime the tires do not do well in Auto-x is when they are almost gone, but they are not to the wear marks yet. You can feel the difference, so far a set can last me almost a whole season, but I am want to be able to tell ahead of time.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Say what?

You know when it's time for new tires when you do 3 runs and your tires are just as hard as when they are cold (or you have cords showing). There's no need for some scientific method to know when to get new tires, just toss them when they don't stick anymore.

If I were competing on street tires I would just buy a new set once a year.

 

ive never read, heard, seen much about durometer and testing tires, except for the fact that longacre sells a little tester. they have an article about how to take the measurement properly and why. http://www.longacreracing.com/...ID=18

make up your own mind as to if its important to you. all i know is one person telling us his reading and not telling us anytihng else like history of the tire, current temp, or just even the pressure at which he took the reading seems meaningless to compare after reading the article.

 

I got a hold of a durometer last night so I did a quick check to see what they were at, I would have figured that since the rear tires have more abuse on them it might be different, but they are the same.

I did not collect much history on the tires just a quick reading, what I am trying to avoid is hitting that day that I really need new tires but have to wait 2 to 3 weeks to get a set of azenis because of national back order or pay extra just because someone has them and know they can charge more. I figured I would look a little more into the durometer. I have not read or heard much on durometer either, does it matter more for race tires than street tires?

So what is the overall opinion, durometer does not matter?


what are some of the ways to tell before it is too late?

My last set of tires were almost at the wear bar and they were not sticking, this was before the end of the season, probably 5 events or so. Not that I am the best driver, but I could tell the difference when I got the new set on.

 

i really dont know if you read or understood that article. let me paraphrase it for you. durometer testing is a tool that you can use to guage the performance of your tire but shouldnt be used alone and should be evaluated along with the other aspects of the tire's condition such as the tires use and tread depth. and if you are going to take durometer readings, then make sure you do it consistently and record the present conditions during the reading.

 

I understood that, I read it earlier, but I was just wondering what is the overall opinion, more on how come more people do not do this.

I know that it takes more than just the durometer reading. Everything is factored in, such as what the asphalt is doing to the tires and how hot they get (the heat cycling) and so on, just like the paper says. I can see that it would be difficult to keep track considering the inconsistency of the location and the different number of places that the events take place at.

I guess I not only post what I am getting but hope to get suggestions other than the durometer readings (along with everything else needed to keep track of the tire performance) to gauge when I may need new tires ahead of time. I do not know everyone at the events, but I have never seen anyone take a reading. What other way is there besides digging my nail to check for hardness, performanc of the tires on the run and or number of events?
Most people go by experience and judgement call to when they need new tires, I hope to get a similar system, if possible, to order tires ahead or time.

Well I guess in the end I could always just have a set sitting at home, for when I know I need them, I won't have to wait too long or pay extra.

How do you know when you need new tires?

Maybe it will take me a couple of more new tire cycles to tell when I may need tires ahead of time, but if I can try a few things along the way why not.


I have access to a durometer, but I am also trying to learn the techniques to competing, I am always open to suggestions. With just one year under my belt I am still green on most of this.

 

well you'll probably need a year's worth of data and at least 2 sets of tires before you start actually gathering information that you can use towards planning the replacement of your tires.

But to each his own.

 

a lot of racers just go by feel and lap/race times, and of course ultimately if the tires are damaged, either corded or severely flatspotted. if you really arent consistent enough as a driver to know by feel or lap times if the tires are over, then dont bother and run em til theyre corded. and quite frankly. azenis are a street tire. as good as they are, they are not race rubber.

 

Here's how I would replace them:

Keep using them until I notice that the car is pushing more then usual and the tread is worn down to the wear bars at least. Then I would order some new tires but keep using the old tires until the new ones arrive.

Street tires don't degrade so fast that you need to keep a fresh set around. They won't get much worse in the week or so that it takes to get new tires from The Tire Rack.

 

If a tire is a single compound, then the durometer reading should be static throughout the tires life. I would imagine only age, or severe heat would alter that.

Cheers,
Roy

 

I don't think durometer readings mean jack **** if you're comparing one tire to another. Now if you're just taking readings from a single set throughout its life span(new, heat cycled, abused for a little while, almost dead, dead), then they might be beneficial (all this IMO) when using the info to purchase another set of the same brand. I bought a durometer earlier this year and took readings on various tires on a warm winter day in south Florida. My Bridgestone S-03's were "softer" than Falken Azenis, yet I think the Falkens are stickier -- or at least "better" -- than the S-03's ... after competiting with both tires on the same car.

FWIW: durometer readings on the slightly worn Falken Azenis Sports on my Firebird an hour after a drive home from work ... 64-66.

Pat
'00 Lightning, for sale soon
'91 Sentra SE-R, undented and no longer for sale
'90 Formula WS6, running again and future ESP project and no longer for sale

 

when to replace falken azenis:

is there any cord showing yet?

falkens are a street tire. they don't heat cycle out like hoosiers or victoracers. if you run in the rain alot, have a pair of tires that have decent tread depth for the rain. for the dry, if the threads aren't showing, the tire is still good.

nate