It’s a common understanding that tyres affect the overall handling of the vehicle. Where road tyres are ideal for everyday usage, racing tyres are designed for specific situations. Using racing tyres in place of road tyres can be dangerous and can sometimes lead to legal troubles as they are not approved for roads. Therefore, knowing whether racing car tyres are better or conventional tyres when changing your car tyres is crucial.
Let’s take a look at racing tyres vs road tyres and understand what key differences make them suitable for specific cases.
To understand the differences between racing and normal tyres, we have delved into tyre design, specs and usage. Alternatively, this will also help you understand why maintenance of tyres is necessary for safer driving.
Tyre threads are probably the key difference between racing or road tyres. Racing tyres few or no threads. This increases the track grip of the tyres due to increased contact surface with the road.
Unfortunately, tyres with no threads are meant for dry conditions and do not perform well in wet weather conditions. Driving with racing tyres on wet roads is potentially unsafe as it leads to aquaplaning.
Aquaplaning refers to the build-up of a water layer between tyres and the road while driving at high speed. Since the tyres lose road contact, the driver is unable to handle the vehicle properly due to a lack of steering response.
This is why threaded tyres are preferred for driving on city roads as they offer better traction in slippery conditions.
Where road tyres can last for up to 15000 km, race tyres have a shorter lifespan of 60 to 120 km. That is around a single race. Since race tyres are designed for performance and speed rather than durability, the rubber wears off quickly. Due to the same reason, race cars like F-1 often get their tyres changed during the pit stop.
Racing tyres are usually wide, tall, lightweight and rigid to withstand higher downforce as compared to road tyres. Since road tyres don’t have to bear such force while driving on city roads, they are not designed to bear the significant load.
During a high-speed race, racing tyres will experience immense heat due to constant throttling. Such tyres are designed to tolerate high temperatures and prevent changes to tyre pressure. Although races last for a short duration, unlike road tyres, race tyres will not burn out.
Standard tyres are made of elastomer materials i.e. rubber-like solid with elastic properties. When it comes to racing tyres, the material composition varies for the type of track and race. For instance drift racing, drag racing and road racing will have different requirements.
Such is the case for popular race events like Formula One, NASCAR and MotoGP. Hence, the race tyres are engineered for specific track conditions, temperature and load.
Compressed air is common in most tyres as it is free, easy to find and widely used. Although nitrogen can be used in both road and racing tyres, it is more preferable for racing tyres due to an added advantage.
Nitrogen molecules are larger and slower than compressed air. In case of tyre damage, nitrogen will not leak out of the tyre as fast as the molecules. Hence the tyres are able to maintain pressure for a longer period of time. This comes in handy during high-speed races where tyre pressure is integral for optimum performance.
Sports tyres with no threads, referred to as slick tyres are usually illegal for road usage. Some sports tyres do come with threads and grooves, which are usually less than road tyres. Such tyres lie in the grey area in terms of legality.
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Racing tyres are specifically designed for performance and particular track. Even the material for racing tyres is a combination of different rubbers. Hence, they tend to be more expensive than regular tyres.
The key difference between track and road tyres is in the application. Where road tyres are meant for longevity and extensive usage, racing tyres are just focused on ultra-performance on the tracks.
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