What Are The Differences Between Racing And Street Tires?

Posted on: 8 March 2018

You may think tires are tires are tires. But, there are more differences than you know, especially when you are looking at the difference between racing tires and street tires. There are some very important differences between the two, and you can't really change one out for the other. So, what are the differences between racing or track tires and the tires you are going to have on your car to drive back and forth to work every day?

Street Tires

The goal when you are using street tires is to make sure that you have as much traction as possible in all kinds of weather conditions. Your tires need to be able to work when it's rainy, sunny, snowy, icy, and more. That's why your tires have tread on them. Think of the tread like the bottom of your shoes. Shoes with tread are less likely to slip in dangerous situations, such as wet floors. The treads provide grip, and they grab onto the surface. That's what the tread on your tires does, too. It grips the road and hangs on so that the car will stay on the road. The rubber in the street tires is designed to be thick and sturdy. That will let the tire last for thousands of miles and for a long time. There are street tires that are designed to be high-performance tires that will use different chemical compounds to help the rubber provide a better performance. 

Racing Tires

If you look at a racing tire, you are going to see that there isn't any tread on the tires at all. That's why they are also sometimes called slicks. These tires are designed to work in a very limited set of circumstances. They are designed to work best in a certain temperature range and on a dry surface. They will hydroplane on a wet surface because there is just no tread. That's why races are often canceled when the weather starts to turn rainy. These tires are also fairly thin and aren't designed to last for a long time. A driver may get 100 miles out of the tire and consider themselves lucky. That's why you will see race car drivers pull into the pit and get their tires changed out a few times during a race; their tires are just worn. 

You can't put your street tires on an Indy car or a Formula One car. They won't work. But, you can't put racing tires on your car to drive around with on a daily basis. For more information, contact a business such as Frisby Performance Tire.

Share