Mysterious Tire Cuts at TMP......anyone else?

[Ronnie V]

Hi Guys,

ok, This has happened twice now. I just replaced my 2 rear slicks because of a weird tire cut appearing across the face of the tire on the passenger side. I went to the track today to scrub my new rears and low and behold, when I got home I noticed the exact same kind of cut in my passenger side slick.

It goes across the face of the tire. When it happened on my old set of tires it started about a inch from the edges of the slick on both sides and was pretty deep. My new tire has the exact same cut in it just not as wide or deep.

I have checked everything, the truck I transport them in to the track, my car and anything in the wheelwell, and everywhere in between. It has me baffled!!! I don't tow the car on this set of tires. They lie on their side all the way to the track in the back of my Van. The only time they are on the car is when I am going out on the track.

Has anyone ever had a similar cut in their tire?? It almost looks like a razorblade or Screw embedded in the track somewhere as it is a clean cut on an angle. Like if I was sliding the rear end in a corner and something is catching the tire across the face of the tire, not with the direction of wheelspin.

If it is that, then why do I only have one cut? You would figure that if it was in the track on the line that I am running I would have a bunch of them.

Could it be in the turnoff or turn onto the track??

I am lost on this one and buying a new set of slicks every time out due to something cutting the tire is going to get expensive!!

Any help or insight here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ron

[timewarp9]

I have not experienced any damage as you describe, Although I have not been to S'ville. I run bias Goodyear slicks.

Are these radial's or bias slicks?

The construction of bias tires creates a sort of lap joint which is bonded during the curing process. Do not rotate against the grain of the bond until after the initial heat cycle. This is for bias tires.

Have the tires been heat cycled in the proper direction prior to running?

If you have run a bias tire in the wrong direction without a heat cycle, you may find the bond line showing.

I used to work for Dunlop in the racing division and this was an issue, so bias tires have a uni-direction. If they are radial then ignore this post.

If this does not help then contact the tire manufacturer as they could be defective assuming there is no other mechanical problem.

Jon

[Ronnie V]

Hi Jon,

many thanks for trying. They are indeed Radials.

I was out to heat cycle them today. Ran em for 6 Laps and went home. Saw the infamous "cut" that I just replaced in the exact same tire location.

unreal......only me.

Ron

[shanehutton]

Same corner of the car I would have a serious look around the wheel well. Are you 100% sure the tire isn't touching something on the car?

[Ronnie V]

Hi Shane,

I have looked everywhere in the wheelwell. If it was something in there cutting it you would figure it would be in the direction of travel. I am 100% it is not the car. Everything in there is fiberglass and nothing is even close to the tire.

These cuts are directly across the tire, they are not even on a diagonal. And again, only one.

My gut tells me there is something embedded in the turn off at the track. It almost looks like a cheap metal hose clamp that is on its side and I am running it over. Imaging a beat up straightened out hose clamp with the sharp side up being pressed into the tire.

That is exactly what the cut looks like. I am going to take some pics and post them tonight or tomorrow. As soon as I can get back to the shop.

Ron

[Ronnie V]

ok, after having a long talk with my father in law (a racer that has run more sets of slicks than I will probably ever see) we have come to the conclusion that it is most likely the tire de-laminating.

He seems to think that the tires are directional although it says NOTHING in the service bulletin about them being directional. Thus, its happening only on the passenger side. But why only the rears if my tires are all mounted in the same orientation? They are completely different sizes and widths front to rear, could it be that?

I am quite upset with Hoosier on this one. I am going to call them tomorrow morning as see if they have any answers. If I ruined 2 sets of slicks now due to no/bad information on Hoosiers part, there should be some consequences to pay on their part.

I will post here once I have a definitive answer.

Ron

[shanehutton]

Please post photos up as well so others will know what to look for.
Good Luck. Hopefully you can get some info and potentially some new rubber.

[DEK]

Ronnie, just a for your info. Goodyear bias slicks are directional and it also matters if the car is FWD or RWD. On a RWD car, the fronts go one way and the rears go the other. The fronts on a RWD car receive braking force , the rears receive more driving force than braking force.
For a RWD car, the "builders mark" goes to the right on the rear and the fronts are the other way. Never ran a FWD car.
Don't know about Hoosiers

DAVE KING

[Ronnie V]

all good info here.

Thanks guys.

I now have a sneaking suspicion that it is indeed a mismount issue.

Every slick I have ever run has had a Bar Code printed on the Sidewall. Hoosiers don't although the do have a "Serial" number.

I am going to have a good look at the sidewalls again tomorrow. It might just be me not mounting them correctly. Which was the most likely case right from the beginning.....however, Hoosier paints their logo on one side of the tire. I have all the painted sidewalls to the inside of the car. If they are mounted wrong right now then I would have had to mount one side with Black sidewalls and the other side of the car with the white lettering on the sidewalls. That makes no sense either.

I have an email in to Hoosier as well.

[racecartech]

Ronnie,

I run the same slicks as does Martin from NowCritical IT. We have both been to TMP and not experienced those cuts. My tires are all mounted white out on a rwd car.

Where do you park there and where are you going through the pits? Maybe you are not on track when the damage occurs.

[wmija]

This is too weird . . . I just purchased a set of wheels with used 710's on the weekend that were allegedly only run at TMP, and 3 of 4 have similar cuts, basically perpendicular to the sidewall. most of the way across, fairly straight but wavy enough to not be a seam or delamination, (I've had that happen to my Hossiers and it's not like that at all), material has been extruded out of the cut . . . I'll take pics tonight but no guarantees that I will be able to figure out how to post them . . . maybe if my 14 yr old is around to show me . . . Wayne

[Slowpoke]

Originally Posted by wmija

This is too weird . . . I just purchased a set of wheels with used 710's on the weekend that were allegedly only run at TMP, and 3 of 4 have similar cuts, basically perpendicular to the sidewall. most of the way across, fairly straight but wavy enough to not be a seam or delamination, (I've had that happen to my Hossiers and it's not like that at all), material has been extruded out of the cut . . . I'll take pics tonight but no guarantees that I will be able to figure out how to post them . . . maybe if my 14 yr old is around to show me . . . Wayne

There's a known problem with storing 710's in cold weather before their first heat cycle. They can crack in freezing temperatures. There's pictures here in a thread I think in the autoslalom forums.

[Ronnie V]

Originally Posted by racecartech

Ronnie,

I run the same slicks as does Martin from NowCritical IT. We have both been to TMP and not experienced those cuts. My tires are all mounted white out on a rwd car.

Where do you park there and where are you going through the pits? Maybe you are not on track when the damage occurs.

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the info. two words you said..... "white out".

That is my problem. In the end, just like most matters when it comes to cars........I am the idiot.

I had them all mounted incorrectly and only the one tire for some reason is de-laminating. I had a talk with Hoosier and the 4 digit serial # has to be on the inside.

They are being re-mounted right now in the correct orientation. I am going to run 5 Laps sessions to begin with Sunday and keep a eye on the suspect tire.

It was when I spun the Car a few weeks back that messed me up. I thought originally it was a cut from the Spinout as I noticed right after that run. Then the thought process takes over with a helping of "it can't be me" and I end up looking for a screw that I think is stuck in a track somewhere. Sigh. Oh well, I guess I am smarter now.

Thanks for the help guys. And make sure your tires are mounted in the correct orientation.

Ron