Track Tac

Tire prep chemicals and when to use them Part 1

T

TritonJrBluePlate

Member
This is not a thread for "which tire prep" etc.
Not looking for someone to say "pick a brand and go with that"... been doing this exact thing for three seasons.

I want to learn how to think for myself.

What are some of the "main" base chemicals used in tire prep?

methylNapthalene = Goat Pee
Acrysol
Accetone
Kerosene
Mineral spirits

Etc...
 
95 shaw said:
Carlson had an article on his website that explained what a lot of the common preps were made of. And the chemicals and what they did.

https://www.carlsonmotorsports.com/CRETech.html

Here is the whole list.

Be sure to thank Brian.
Click to expand...
Thanks - that article was written maybe 15-20 years ago now. I'm sure a lot has changed since then, but should still be accurate information (at least for the time frame.)
I suspect the OP is looking for more generalizations - like when to use a mineral spirit based prep versus a high flash point /highly evaporate prep.
Keep in mind that some chemicals pull oil out of the rubber while others help drive it in. Does the chemical open the pores of the rubber or close them? Does it evaporate quickly or slowly? Do they soften the rubber or simply condition (make more pliable) the rubber by adding oils?
Most softeners (acetone, Xylene, MEK, etc) are very harsh and will soften dramatically. They also dry rubber out and evaporate quickly. Something with a mineral spirit base will evaporate more slowly.
Then you get into elasticizers, and plasticizers. Rubber modifiers that change the rubber significantly. Solvents and the such do enough to change the molecular structure of the rubber itself, things get much trickier when you staring looking at things under a microscope.
There's no magic bullet chemical that will do it all. Some preps are mixed with as many as 6 components....finding the "right" mix of those can take years of mixing and testing. I don't think that Randy, Matt, Josh, or myself are going to be divulging any of our current product recipes anytime soon. :)

This is why I always tell people to work with one prep line and stick with it (pun intended.) It takes far too long to learn what chemicals do what and how much of which to mix to be competitive. It takes years and hundreds of sets of tires ruined. And by the time you even think you've got it figured out, the chemical suppliers change their product slightly or makes it so expensive that it's not feasible to mix anymore.



-----
🏁Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
www.youtube.com
35 years of service to the karting industry ~ 1Cor 9:24
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
 
CarlsonMotorsports said:
Thanks - that article was written maybe 15-20 years ago now. I'm sure a lot has changed since then, but should still be accurate information (at least for the time frame.)
I suspect the OP is looking for more generalizations - like when to use a mineral spirit based prep versus a high flash point /highly evaporate prep.
Keep in mind that some chemicals pull oil out of the rubber while others help drive it in. Does the chemical open the pores of the rubber or close them? Does it evaporate quickly or slowly? Do they soften the rubber or simply condition (make more pliable) the rubber by adding oils?
Most softeners (acetone, Xylene, MEK, etc) are very harsh and will soften dramatically. They also dry rubber out and evaporate quickly. Something with a mineral spirit base will evaporate more slowly.
Then you get into elasticizers, and plasticizers. Rubber modifiers that change the rubber significantly. Solvents and the such do enough to change the molecular structure of the rubber itself, things get much trickier when you staring looking at things under a microscope.
There's no magic bullet chemical that will do it all. Some preps are mixed with as many as 6 components....finding the "right" mix of those can take years of mixing and testing. I don't think that Randy, Matt, Josh, or myself are going to be divulging any of our current product recipes anytime soon. :)

This is why I always tell people to work with one prep line and stick with it (pun intended.) It takes far too long to learn what chemicals do what and how much of which to mix to be competitive. It takes years and hundreds of sets of tires ruined. And by the time you even think you've got it figured out, the chemical suppliers change their product slightly or makes it so expensive that it's not feasible to mix anymore.



-----
🏁Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
www.youtube.com
35 years of service to the karting industry ~ 1Cor 9:24
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
Click to expand...
Yes Brian that is the kind of thing I'm looking for. A tire guy asked me "why are you using a goat based prep on dirt that is xxxxx color?" (I forget the color) he said by rule of thumb "This type of prep needs to be used when the track blackens up".

Is there a document that outlines these types of applications?
 
TritonJrBluePlate said:
Yes Brian that is the kind of thing I'm looking for. A tire guy asked me "why are you using a goat based prep on dirt that is xxxxx color?" (I forget the color) he said by rule of thumb "This type of prep needs to be used when the track blackens up".

Is there a document that outlines these types of applications?
Click to expand...
No "document" that I am aware of.
If someone were to spend the time to glean everything posted on this site alone I would think that you could come up with some sort of generalities and direction.
Maybe someone has posted something online at one point or another, but there's no "no goats" pages of what and when to use tire preps.
You are sure welcome to make one! ;)
 
TritonJrBluePlate said:
Yes Brian that is the kind of thing I'm looking for. A tire guy asked me "why are you using a goat based prep on dirt that is xxxxx color?" (I forget the color) he said by rule of thumb "This type of prep needs to be used when the track blackens up".

Is there a document that outlines these types of applications?
Click to expand...
Theres no document, and will never be one because everyone has differentiation opinions. Different regions of the country, along with all the different tires, would really make things so confusing and wrong we would all be lost.
The highlighted statement above could mean track is rubbered up for some while others its a prep groove, and goat would be the very wrong choice. Just one example of why there is no document.
 
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