paulkish
old fart
RUSH has stated they will mandate speck Hoosier tires, with NO prepping allowed. I know no prepping has been discussed in the past and I still have a few questions.
I think in the past allowing prepping over not allowing it has come down to it's too expensive via sending samples out, chain of command, etc., to prove a tire has been prepped. In light of that I'm thinking there may be several things which can be looked at and tested for at the track via minimal equipment purchase.
It would become look at tires in a specific way which all will pretty much understand and if several or all of the indicators show the possibility of prepping then the tire is deemed to be prepped. The racer would be DQ'ed and then have to prove the tire was not prepped. Maybe if DQ'ed the tire could be cut in half with the racer getting one half to use to prove it was not prepped and the track or RUSH official would get the other half.
Below i'm listing some possible questioning of a tire which maybe if all or a percentage show fail or tire prepping a DQ would follow. We trust the judgement of tech inspectors using tech tools to DQ an engine and I see no reason the same could not apply to tires.
Question 1:
Is having a minimum durometer reading enough to show it's likely tires have been prepped?
Question 2:
Is there a meter or sorts available to read for chemical prepping available? If there is would it show it's likely tires have been prepped?
Question 3:
Is visual inspection enough to show it's likely tires have been prepped?
Question 4:
If a chart was developed showing normal spring rates of each speck tire at maybe a few given air pressures and the tire did not fall into the chart correctly be a way to show it's likely tires have been prepped?
I'm thinking if you fail all of the 4 above it would become accepted by racers who ever was being tested was prepping their tires.
I added in the spring rate test for tire prepping not remembering ever hearing thoughts on it before.
I have a final question which might be an additional deterrent to racers using prep on their tires. The question is I think currently samples are taken to be sent out to a lab to be tested for chemicals which would indicate prepping. Is there an easy quick test maybe taken from the inside of a tire, something like put the sample in the jar, shake it up and see if it foams or changes color to indicate a tire may have been prepped? If there is or are some easy quick potential identifiers there use could be the 5 thing which could be done. It would be a do a cheap test first to see if it's worth sending out tire samples to be expensively tested.
It might be something as simple as the acidity or alkaline reading from the inside of the tire. Might all or most all new or un prepped tires be below or above a specific acidity? Sure it would mean there would be things you might use to mount tires which would cause them to fail testing but it would be up to the racer to make sure they did not use those mounting helpers. It would be no different then running your alcohol engine on gas after racing and then the next time out fail a fuel test.
I think that x number of easy inexpensive tests are possible where it would become understood that if you failed all of them or a certain number of them you would be DQ'ed and it would become accepted by other racers because of the tests failed you were prepping.
It might be as easy as before being allowed to enter a RUSH race the racer would be required to sign stating they are aware of the type of tire testing and it's possible short comes but agree to it and it's outcome.
I think in the past allowing prepping over not allowing it has come down to it's too expensive via sending samples out, chain of command, etc., to prove a tire has been prepped. In light of that I'm thinking there may be several things which can be looked at and tested for at the track via minimal equipment purchase.
It would become look at tires in a specific way which all will pretty much understand and if several or all of the indicators show the possibility of prepping then the tire is deemed to be prepped. The racer would be DQ'ed and then have to prove the tire was not prepped. Maybe if DQ'ed the tire could be cut in half with the racer getting one half to use to prove it was not prepped and the track or RUSH official would get the other half.
Below i'm listing some possible questioning of a tire which maybe if all or a percentage show fail or tire prepping a DQ would follow. We trust the judgement of tech inspectors using tech tools to DQ an engine and I see no reason the same could not apply to tires.
Question 1:
Is having a minimum durometer reading enough to show it's likely tires have been prepped?
Question 2:
Is there a meter or sorts available to read for chemical prepping available? If there is would it show it's likely tires have been prepped?
Question 3:
Is visual inspection enough to show it's likely tires have been prepped?
Question 4:
If a chart was developed showing normal spring rates of each speck tire at maybe a few given air pressures and the tire did not fall into the chart correctly be a way to show it's likely tires have been prepped?
I'm thinking if you fail all of the 4 above it would become accepted by racers who ever was being tested was prepping their tires.
I added in the spring rate test for tire prepping not remembering ever hearing thoughts on it before.
I have a final question which might be an additional deterrent to racers using prep on their tires. The question is I think currently samples are taken to be sent out to a lab to be tested for chemicals which would indicate prepping. Is there an easy quick test maybe taken from the inside of a tire, something like put the sample in the jar, shake it up and see if it foams or changes color to indicate a tire may have been prepped? If there is or are some easy quick potential identifiers there use could be the 5 thing which could be done. It would be a do a cheap test first to see if it's worth sending out tire samples to be expensively tested.
It might be something as simple as the acidity or alkaline reading from the inside of the tire. Might all or most all new or un prepped tires be below or above a specific acidity? Sure it would mean there would be things you might use to mount tires which would cause them to fail testing but it would be up to the racer to make sure they did not use those mounting helpers. It would be no different then running your alcohol engine on gas after racing and then the next time out fail a fuel test.
I think that x number of easy inexpensive tests are possible where it would become understood that if you failed all of them or a certain number of them you would be DQ'ed and it would become accepted by other racers because of the tests failed you were prepping.
It might be as easy as before being allowed to enter a RUSH race the racer would be required to sign stating they are aware of the type of tire testing and it's possible short comes but agree to it and it's outcome.
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