Auto Racing: tire care, wheel hub, falken tires

Question
Hey there,we race a FWD neon, on a short track paved oval, we are currently allowed and are running Falken tires, 200mm treadwear, my question is what do do with them after the race, how to clean them properly, do we remove the old rubber and asphalt that is stuck on them, should I worry about it.

Answer
Hi Louis:

Well, most of us road racers do.  Where you might get up to 70 MPH on the straights, we nearly always get to in excess of 100 MPH, and it will rattle your teeth.  

Take an old wheel hub and upright assembly and mount it somewhere, even a vise will do, then with an electric heat gun and a scraper, heat the stuff and scrape from the tire's surface, while your girlfriend slowly rotates the wheel for you, she'll love you for it!!

This will save you a lot of tire scrubbing on pace and warm up laps, and make your first green flag laps a lot more pleasant as well.

Good luck in your series !!

Dan Liddy
Sarasota, Florida