Burris No Prep vs Prep

With a brand new set of Burris 33a’s. How does one determine if any prep is needed or will a new fresh cut non prepped tire work best?

What are the differences in track conditions that determine prep is needed or a new non-prepped tire is best.

I know if the track is wet you need the prep. But, let’s say you’ve not have rain in a week and the watering of the track doesn’t seem to be extreme.
 
Where do you race? High momentum tracks in East TN a lot of people don't prep Burris until they get harder (60+). A new 33 should duro about 52. Best way to find out how much prep you need is to run no prep, and slowly work your way up. Fresh cut should be buffed. You want to try to maintain that as much as you can, because once they seal up they won't grab the track as well.

I am new to karting as I assume you are, but I find kart tracks harder to read than a traditional big car track. I usually just hotlap and make a decision off a combination of how my kart feels plus what my laptime was. If my time is fast generally the track will take more prep, but there are alot of different situations that can effect your decision. Once you start racing more you will learn to feel how your specific chassis and engine feel with the right combo of roll speed and grip. There isn't really a set rule for this because sometimes I feel like I'm sliding, but I also know that more prep will bog my kart down.
 
We raced last weekend at a Burris only track and while I have a few sets of danged near new Burris tires I will not wipe anything aggressive on them. Track was hard red clay with a bit of sandy stuff blowing across and I wiped with bite prep only. Tires were great. We just dont see many wet slow tracks so bite is all I use on them. Very pleased.
 
Where do you race? High momentum tracks in East TN a lot of people don't prep Burris until they get harder (60+). A new 33 should duro about 52. Best way to find out how much prep you need is to run no prep, and slowly work your way up. Fresh cut should be buffed. You want to try to maintain that as much as you can, because once they seal up they won't grab the track as well.

I am new to karting as I assume you are, but I find kart tracks harder to read than a traditional big car track. I usually just hotlap and make a decision off a combination of how my kart feels plus what my laptime was. If my time is fast generally the track will take more prep, but there are alot of different situations that can effect your decision. Once you start racing more you will learn to feel how your specific chassis and engine feel with the right combo of roll speed and grip. There isn't really a set rule for this because sometimes I feel like I'm sliding, but I also know that more prep will bog my kart down.
This is our 2nd year. We’ve had our share of success. But, when traveling to a new track we get input from out tire guys. They help tremendously. But, I’m trying to learn more.
 
With a brand new set of Burris 33a’s. How does one determine if any prep is needed or will a new fresh cut non prepped tire work best?

What are the differences in track conditions that determine prep is needed or a new non-prepped tire is best.

I know if the track is wet you need the prep. But, let’s say you’ve not have rain in a week and the watering of the track doesn’t seem to be extreme.
First off some tracks will never make enough grip or have enough abrasive material in there make up to warrant a straight up never prepped 33, but there's only one way to know for sure and that's try it, and if they start out to dry there no where near there maximum grip potential, so in this case UNLESS there is abrasive material that will work the tire enough to fire off, most times tracks like that probably safe that a never prepped 33 will go. It takes moisture for any track to make maximum grip, and the longer there is moisture available from the original watering while karts are making laps the more grip it will make, which is all that calcium does it continues to purge moisture longer as karts are running it which turns into more grip, once proven the track will make enough grip for a straight up never prepped 33 to fire off, the best way to know when you can get on them is watching lap times, but even then you gotta know your competition because there's a certain few that can make a prepped tire go half second quicker than everyone else,also it's not always a brand new freshest set you got that will be the fastest once you can get on never prepped 33s, also remember there are tracks that start out with enough moisture you would think they would grip up enough for a never prepped tire BUT they seal over known as moist slick and a never prepped 33 won't fire, you'll eventually get a feel for where the tracks at based on just a visual, then the sneaker test push down on the ball of your foot hard and twist your foot back and forth and feel if your sneaker is gripping good or very little, for tracks I know well, I watch lap times and know when they hit a certain point in Sr Clone classes it's time for a never prepped 33, reminder you gotta know your competition can't go by just one person hitting a certain lap time, I always make sure I know lap times for 3 different classes ahead of our karts going out, then as lap times continue to get even better that's when more cured or older date codes come into play. Anyone that been on here awhile knows how I feel about guarantees you want one go buy a refrigerator !!
With that being said if the track is ready for a straight up never prepped 33, I'll GUARANTEE you it will always be faster than a prepped 33.
Also remember Burris 33s are the most chemical sensitive kart racing tire there is, atleast out of everything I have experience with, and once the track makes the transition to where a never prepped 33 will hook up IF you stay on a prepped 33 you'll get the dreaded chemical slide, and it doesn't matter if it was only wiped once last year, you'll get the chemical slide, now the more the tire had been prepped the worse the slide will be, that's when it turns into the hospital wobble, obviously the more times you've been to any certain track the easier it gets to figure out when it's time to get off the prep, and another reason to always enter a throw away class that runs ahead of the class that counts the only way you'll know 100 % for sure is bolt them on and run them.
 
From my experience, seldom is a track in those 3 states going to bite up sufficiently to fire a Burris 33 or be fastest without prep. Between the dirt we've got to work with, the track prep (or lack thereof,) and lack of big car counts, our tracks simply don't bite up enough to merit an unprepped 33.
Like Mike said, many times a prep that adds bite but does not soften (like our Black Bite 2.0) will be the ticket. Now, how much bite you need can certainly vary. Get carried away and you'll lock the car down. You still need to match the bite in your tires to the available grip in the track. Heavily prepped or little to no prep - your stop watch will tell you what is fastest.


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🏁Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
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33 years of service to the karting industry ~ 1Cor 9:24
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
 
We are returning to J&M in Columbia Ky this weekend. We’ve had success there with No Prep and last time there we prepped heavy due to rain. As Ken mentioned, I know it all about water content. I’m just trying to learn that threshold of when the no
Prepped tire will be better.
 
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