By Organisation

If a tire is exposed to high temperatures (like being stored in a warehouse) for extended periods of time, then the tire can harden and ‘dry out’ as oils leave the compound. Obvious when you think of it, since it is rubber and not really designed for a heat cycle that lasts for months continuously!

At a national race in Florida earlier this year, an importer/supplier brought the tires to the event. Some (based on date codes) were almost 2 years old and stored in the top level of a warehouse, zero climate control. They were almost 2 seconds/lap slower than ‘fresh’ tires (based on date codes). Absolutely repeatable, across all teams and chassis. Needless to say it caused quite a stir in the paddock for the weekend. (Just to make things interesting, the fronts were older/harder than the rears, so the grip/balance was way off to boot). Nice. Nothing to do with the Mojos pictured.

Kart tires are always delivered wrapped in clear plastic. When you remove the plastic, if it is ‘brown’ or hardened, then likely the tire wasn’t stored properly and you might have degraded performance. The oils should be in the rubber, not on the plastic.

One other thing, apart from the visible appearance of the tire upon delivery (it should look ‘new’ and ‘shiny’), it’s always a good idea to have some idea on how to read the tires’ date code to infer date of manufacture or at least differences between non matched tires (L/R or F/R).

By RennList