Arctic2002ss

Is it just me or do my BFG KDW tires get much less traction now that they are somewhat worn? They were great when newer but now seem to want to spin a lot more. Is this just normal for a performance tire?

Xsta Z 28

iTrader: (2)

Usually as tires wear their traction diminishes . . .

LILWS6

my fuzions i had from when i bought the car seemed to gain traction as they are worn but it would be just me?? i also don't consider fuzions to be a performance tire. I had horrible traction with water.

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

ya think?!

What does common sense tell you?

HotRodNeil

When the tread wears away, and you have more rubber exposed to the road, I would think that traction would increase. However, the tread grabs the asphalt when it's new, so I'm not sure which has more effect.

LILWS6

^ thats how i thought about it but really how much rubber hitting the pavement are you gaining? Some tires are just made with say a harder layer of rubber farther down so this maybe the case with these tires. i work at a tire store and i'm shure the less tread there is the harder the rubber for some reason at least on most of our tires.

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

Rubber gets harder with heat cycles. That is one reason some racecars swap out tires after X number of laps, even when they do not look worn out yet. Outer tread is typically softer and grips better.

Arctic2002ss

That is what I was wondering about. Do they get harder with time and wear? I really feel that they now have less traction than they should. They are certainly now work out and have many miles left in them. I wanted to see if anyone else has had this experience.

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

ummm....did you even read the replies above?

OMGWTFBODY

iTrader: (5)

Is there any factor besides heat cycling that would affect it?

I can definitely see the tires getting hard from that.

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

On sticky tires - whether drag tires or summer type street tires - the tread is stickiest on the outside and hardest toward the core of the tire. It's like snow tires with the silicon impregnated compound. The more they wear the harder they get.