Treatment for Urethane Tires?

[HO RacePro]

I race in the IHSR series, and I have been treating my rubber tires with NSR Tire Oil. From what I can gather that is standard practice in IHSR competition. And I have been having good results with it. I give all my rubber tires a dose the night before every event.

But there is a class where the spec tire is a Paul Gage urethane tire. For no particularly good reason I have been treating those tires too, although I have no evidence that NSR Tire Oil, or any other tire treatment, has any effect on urethane.

Polyurethane in general is pretty impervious stuff. I strongly suspect there is no tire treatment that will improve its grip.

But I'll ask anyway. Does anyone know of a tire treatment that works on urethane tires?

[dungeonracer]

We rub Simple Green on the tires just before the race. It usually lasts about 10-15 laps before the grip goes away.

[chrisguyw]

Ed, ..You are correct in indicating that urethane (and Silicone) are quite impervious to many , if not all additives/chemicals, which in many non slotcar applications is a very good thing,.....the best you can do is to keep them clean. Many variations on cleaning have been tried/used,........at our local clubs and commercial tracks we have been using Isopropyl alcohol for many years with good success, but, unlike "treating" rubber tires with various oils to change the composition, the cleaning of urethanes/silicones only offers improved grip for a few laps.

Cheers
Chris Walker

[Brumos RSR]

Best I’ve seen is a light scuff of 2k sand paper in between heats if allowed.

[RichD]

I have not heard of any treatment for urethane tires beyond simple washing with a good surface cleaner. Organic solvents might actually damage urethane tires if you treat them often. You might consult this database to see what plays well with urethane: Chemical Compatibility Database from Cole-Parmer (coleparmer.com)
If urethane tires have been trued they will need to be polished until the tread is perfectly smooth to get the best grip.

[PETER GUNN]

After many years of experiance with all makes of urethane tyres i have found the best way is to keep them as clean as possible here i use a drop of washing up liquid after gluing and truing , as said before these tyres need polishing to get the best out of them, i carry a roll of adhesive tape to use on the tyres between races , forget about additives just keep them as clean as possible