Windex for dirt oval tire prep

Windex cuts oils, therefore it IS a cleaner of a sort, but not necessarily the sort you want. It's also quite mild as it's mostly water. I'm told there's a coming shortage of it. There are endless varieties of home-brews here on Bob's, and commercially, but all of them are not a substitute for seat time and proper chassis setup. If you're lucky enough to not be locked into one type or compound of tire, you could find the one most appropriate for your track type and hardness and then determine a prep regimen from there.
 
And if I'm prepping a tire, I sure wouldn't be cleaning them with simple green nor dawn, that's just killing your prep as both are grease removers.
Any baby shampoo and plenty of clean water
I tell people this all the time and people think I'm crazy.
Simple Green, 409, Purple, etc are very strong degreasers - they bring the oil (and prep) to the surface of your tires, that's why they feel "good" after you clean with them. (That's also why if you race at a no-prep track, I recommend using Simple Green straight up to clean your tires.} The problem is, after a while, there's no oil (or prep) left in your tires any more and they become like pencil erasers - dry with no bite.
There are good tire washes available on the market that are inexpensive, and work very effectively. Ours is called Green Apple Clean.
If you cannot afford a good tire wash product, you can use some baby shampoo or dandruff shampoo, and a very small amount of Dawn blue dish wash soap to a gallon of water. Something with a low PH.
Simple Green works great for cleaning air filters though.


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🏁Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
32 years of service to the karting industry ~ 1Cor 9:24
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
 
I have 2017s only ever been wiped with simple green to clean and as a PRW, that still get that same good feeling after wiping with simple green as the PRW , that are still winning races and setting fast times. No signs of a pencil eraser yet and they only got maybe 3 good runs left in the tire. Plus 6 sets of 2018s and 4 sets of 2019s all the same.
 
I use Windex for cooling the tire while cutting and refinishing.
It definitely won't help you as a tire "prep."

FWIW, I also use it to clean windows occasionally. :)


-----
🏁Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
32 years of service to the karting industry ~ 1Cor 9:24
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
So i cant wash it in windex and water like simple green and water then spray my tire prep on
 
It's all in prepping the tires to match the current track conditions, I've seen guy's wipe prep, immediately spray on simple green, massage into tires, wipe dry with towel go out and blister the field.
 
I have 2017s only ever been wiped with simple green to clean and as a PRW, that still get that same good feeling after wiping with simple green as the PRW , that are still winning races and setting fast times. No signs of a pencil eraser yet and they only got maybe 3 good runs left in the tire. Plus 6 sets of 2018s and 4 sets of 2019s all the same.
Are these the same tires that you run that you say need no prep for the tracks near you?
Then I think this is self explanatory.

If I'm adding chemical prep to a tire, I do not want to use a strong degreaser to clean those same tires because it pulls prep and oils out of the rubber.
Now, if you need less prep in your tires, have at it. That's why I said in my previous post that you can use it at no-prep tracks.
 
So i cant wash it in windex and water like simple green and water then spray my tire prep on
You can do whatever you want. If it's working for you, do not change a thing.
It's not the way I (or most others) are working tires, but that does not make it wrong.
If it's working for you, have at it.
 
You can do whatever you want. If it's working for you, do not change a thing.
It's not the way I (or most others) are working tires, but that does not make it wrong.
If it's working for you, have at it.
Im not gonna argue with a professional like you, your a credible source, therefore I will listen, your right though, simple green is not that good to use, I like dawn and water better or windex and water personally I don't like simple green, I can see what your saying now, but dawn or windex works for me with water, then I spray on my tire prep, i've won my first feature with dawn and water washed, & prepped tires, im not to sure about simpler green
 
Im not gonna argue with a professional like you, your a credible source, therefore I will listen, your right though, simple green is not that good to use, I like dawn and water better or windex and water personally I don't like simple green, I can see what your saying now, but dawn or windex works for me with water, then I spray on my tire prep, i've won my first feature with dawn and water washed, & prepped tires, im not to sure about simpler green
Dawn is also a degreaser.
Cheap equate baby shampoo from walmart
 
Are these the same tires that you run that you say need no prep for the tracks near you?
Then I think this is self explanatory.

If I'm adding chemical prep to a tire, I do not want to use a strong degreaser to clean those same tires because it pulls prep and oils out of the rubber.
Now, if you need less prep in your tires, have at it. That's why I said in my previous post that you can use it at no-prep tracks.
I’m curious, it seems like everyone is wiping their tires with SD-20 on dry dusty tracks. I think I was even told it helps pull the prep to the surface. We’re new but these guys are fast doing this, is there something different about SD-20 then a traditional degreaser?
 
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