Tyres are usually hard and dry which decreases their ability to provide good amount of grip while driving on Road and on tracks. Race car drivers and their teams try their best to maintain and soften tyres so that they can get better traction or grip to win the race.
There are various products in the market which will help you to make the tyres softer but they seem to be expensive. So here are some things which you could use to prep your vehicle's tyres before a race and make them softer.
Also see: DIY Method To Remove Tar And Gravel From Tyres
Step 1:
The best way to soften the tyres is by using kerosene. Take some rags soaked in kerosene and cover the tyres with it. It is best to be done two to three days before the race. Now wrap the tyres in foil and do not remove it until the day of the race. Using this technique will soften the rubber to get the desired traction or grip. It is advised to try performing this procedure every week to keep the tyres soft.
Step 2:
Next, try mixing one part paint thinner and one part diesel. Use a paint roller and apply the mixture of diesel fuel and paint thinner just like painting a wall. Roll the paint roller over the surface of the tyre and let the mixture dry on the tyre. As soon as you find the mixture to have dried on the surface of the tyre, apply a second coat.
Note: Do not soak the tyre too much because it would damage the tyre permanently.
Step 3:
Use a 36- inch grinding disk and rough up the surface of the tyre. The reason to do this is to allow the solution which was created in previous step to seep in.
Now create a mixture of acetone, Toluene and mineral spirits and apply it to the surface of the tyres. Make sure to apply it two days before the race so that it could create a chemical reaction and soften the tyres.
Step 4:
Use WD-40 spray and soak the tyre.This is done to remove moisture content from the surface of the tyre.This could be done just a day before the race. It does not provide all the grip that you expect but will give some grip.
If you want quicker results then use Xylene and Toluene mixture and soak the tyres with this solution for about 10 minutes.
By following the above steps, you could easily get softer tyres which will help you to get better traction while entering and exiting the corners.
