"Sticky" could be caused by different things as well. Applying some preps too heavily can make the tire greasy, and or, sticky also.
On a big car, I wouldn't be worried about the tire being sticky as long as it cleans itself while it is on the track.
Pavement tires pick up tons of junk when they're hot and you pull out of the clean racing line. It doesn't matter if the tires have prep in them or not - they'll do that. When they're in the racing line though, the tires should be clean and shedding rubber, not picking it up. That's the key for me.
The "super stinky concoctions" that you mention, probably have goat in them (mothball smell.) There is a time and a place for it (to soften quickly, rock hard spec tires, etc) but just a good conditioning oil would work well if you don't need to knock the duro down a bunch.
We've got three products that the big car guys gravitate towards.
- Pink Panther is our most popular. We use it mainly internal on karts, and it can be used internally on big car tires as well, but it can also be used externally. It works best outside if it can be needled in.
- Medium Rare is another good internal that can also be used externally. It won't drop the duro much, but really helps at adding oils back into the tire and keeping the tires clean while on the track. It will also help reduce tire temperatures over longer runs which is beneficial to pavement racers.
- Then there's our Street & Strip Golden Grip -- that's your typical goat based prep that you are probably familiar with the foul smell - works great to knock the duro down, but doesn't put much oil back in the tires.
Some folks mix this with our Pink Panther 50/50 if they are trying to re-run used tires that have several heat cycles on them. The Pink Panther will help put some oils back in the tire that are depleted with the Golden Grip and heat cycles.
We've had plenty of success with our preps used on big cars (dirt and pavement.)
If you have any questions on our product line, please feel free to give us a call at the shop during business hours Mon-Thurs 8-6edt.
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Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
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www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
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31 years of service to the karting industry
Linden, IN
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bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com