Legal Bill

Ok, I just got a set of autocross Hoosiers and it came with a little pamphlet about heat cycling. Well, I don't have a track to run on like the brochure recommends, and I'm not sure how I'm going to do laps for 10 to 15 minutes without a track, and I'm a little concerned about running the car to the "maximum possible" on the street. So do any of you have any recommendations about how to heat cycle these things and not get arresed?

As usual, thanks for your help.

Bill

PS. I did a search and found a post about driving in a figure 8 in a parking lot. Is that the best way? Doesn't sound the same as running hot laps on a race course.

Ludedude

Figure eights are about the only way to do it yourself without a track. There are some tire shops that can heat cycle tires for you in an oven type device as well.

lig

I used a huge empty parking lot to heat-cycle my V700s.

Figure 8's - big drifts - all the fun stuff.

Worked like a charm.

CoralDoc

Plus, the big figure 8s helps to scrub in the tire and remove all of the mold-release compounds that don't do much for grip.

jguerdat

I put my Kumhos on and drove at 75-80mph on the Interstate for ~100 miles to produce a heat cycle. I did some "wobbling" when I wasn't around other cars (so they wouldn't call in for a drunk driver) to try to use the whole surface. Can't tell you how much it helped but it didn't seem to hurt. Might be a good idea to cautiously under-inflate them, too, to build more heat...

PoweredByCamry

How to do this is one of those widely debated topics where everyone has a different way but no one has ever tested it to see how well it works. Many people claim it helps with longevity and consistency, some say it doesn't make any difference. I personally don't know. I never heat-cycled Hoosiers but have ordered Kumhos both heat-cycled and not from TireRack, and I've done my own versions. It's really hard to say whether it works or not, though my longest lasting set ever was heat cycled.

Based on the theory of what you're trying to do, I'm not sure I'd go with the oven technique. Supposedly you are trying to break the weak bonds without breaking the strong bonds, and I'm not sure temp alone is enough to do this or whether it helps to have rolling friction. Part of the problem is no one has ever given a specific temperature range the tires need to get to.

Crazy 8s would probably be the best but could land you in jail. If it's warm enough outside, you can get them pretty toasty by just driving down a freeway, and this is probably the safest bet. Try using pressures on the low side as it should make them heat up faster, and drive as fast as you practically can I don't know if this will actually make your tires last longer, but it could make you feel better.

Peter

silvershadow

I spoke to the product manager at Hoosier several months ago, and he said definitely heat cycle them. He said to go to a parking lot and drive figure 8's. He also indicated that you don't have to drive real aggressively either. You want to heat them up, then let them sit for 24 hours before using them. I think it may have something to do with driving some of the plasticizer out of the tread, and perhaps allowing some crosslinking to occur - not sure though - just speculating.

lig

All I can say is that the first 200 feet of driving on the brand new Victoracers was exciting. I think they used Armor All for the mold release compound. Almost looped the car exiting the driveway of the tire shop.

Legal Bill

[QUOTE]Originally posted by silvershadow
I spoke to the product manager at Hoosier several months ago, and he said definitely heat cycle them.

silvershadow

Now that is very strange. Hmmm, I spoke with Jeff (can't remember the last name) at Hoosier back at the beginning of February. Makes me wonder? Have they learned something in the couple of months since I talked to them.