Cutting tires

[RockinRam96]

Who has tried cutting tires with a heated tire groover? Any particular schools of thought?

I decided to take the cheap road and cut the tires on my semi. The most cutting I did was to open up the shoulder. The centers I only really cut the tread a little wider. Maybe a hair deeper.

Before:


After:



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[BRE]

I've cut tires with a grooving iron but never semi tires and not for pulling...

 

[SmokeShow]

Adding some siping will help those lugs grip even better. Don't do too much siping though because that'll make them easier to chunk off.

 

[CurtisEmery]

Looks really good! I bet it hooks a lot harder.

 

[RockinRam96]

Adding some siping will help those lugs grip even better. Don't do too much siping though because that'll make them easier to chunk off.

Siping? I tried not to cut any deeper than where the tire was originally so I didn't peal any lugs off.

Looks really good! I bet it hooks a lot harder.

I sure hope it does! It should. Having close shoulder tires suck. A couple of times I've looked in the mirror and noticed black stripes on the track when I unhook.

I'm debating whether or not I want to cut a V into the center lugs. I'm sure it'll help, more sharp edges the better. But where do you stop?!

 

[Shainer]

Siping? I tried not to cut any deeper than where the tire was originally so I didn't peal any lugs off.



I sure hope it does! It should. Having close shoulder tires suck. A couple of times I've looked in the mirror and noticed black stripes on the track when I unhook.

I'm debating whether or not I want to cut a V into the center lugs. I'm sure it'll help, more sharp edges the better. But where do you stop?!

I'd say stop where you are. Try them out to quantify the change. Rinse and repeat.

 

[SmokeShow]

Sipes are basically slits cut into the lugs. Does just what you said, gives more edges to bite with & will make the hard rubber compound used in semi tires act softer.


My understanding is siping is a relatively common service for tires up north & in Canada where they get a lot of snow.

 

[prostockpuller]

Looks like you did a nice job on those tires. You might want to check with your local club rules. I know around here Ostpa and PPL do not allow cut tires on Semis.

See page 53 of the ppl rulebook:

http://www.propulling.com/images/pdf/2015/PPL_Rulebook_June_2015_Web.pdf

16. Tires
A.DOT tires only. Maximum tire size to be 11X24.5 or
10X22 or 315/80RX22.5.
B.Must have dual wheels and dual tires on rear axles.
Only “Bud” type wheels permitted
C.No chains or cables permitted.
D.Cut tires are not allowed. No construction/agricutural
or “bar” type treads permitted.

 

[BRE]

What kind of cutting iron are you using? Typically the easiest way to sipe is flipping the cutting tip around.

 

[RockinRam96]

Sipes are basically slits cut into the lugs. Does just what you said, gives more edges to bite with & will make the hard rubber compound used in semi tires act softer.


My understanding is siping is a relatively common service for tires up north & in Canada where they get a lot of snow.

Alright I know what your talking about now. I think I'll leave then the way they are for this weekend and see how it works out. This has got to greatly improve traction. I guess I could do that with the center lugs instead of cutting a V into them.

Looks like you did a nice job on those tires. You might want to check with your local club rules. I know around here Ostpa and PPL do not allow cut tires on Semis.



See page 53 of the ppl rulebook:



http://www.propulling.com/images/pdf/2015/PPL_Rulebook_June_2015_Web.pdf



16. Tires

A.DOT tires only. Maximum tire size to be 11X24.5 or

10X22 or 315/80RX22.5.

B.Must have dual wheels and dual tires on rear axles.

Only “Bud” type wheels permitted

C.No chains or cables permitted.

D.Cut tires are not allowed. No construction/agricutural

or “bar” type treads permitted.

We don't have any rules against cut tires. Ha ha. Our rule states we must use DOT approved tires. These tires are DOT approved and are regroovable. So that's my defense.


This is just a "budget" way to get more aggressive tires. And honestly I'm pretty happy so far. Hopefully this winter I can get a set of the recapped "grippers" like all of the semi guys run. The lugs aren't nearly as deep on these tires as they are on a fresh set of grippers.

Plus with my dads truck pulling so well and the KTA in our club I don't have to worry about winning and upsetting anyone. Ha ha

What kind of cutting iron are you using? Typically the easiest way to sipe is flipping the cutting tip around.

I believe it is made by Allstar Performance, it has a controller box with heat settings and a "gun". The cutting knives are made out of some thin metal with a sharp edge on once side. The electricity passes through the knife and it heats up. The knife is the weak link in the circuit. Not sure how well flipping the knife over would work because only one side is sharp. But I could use the narrowest knife in have and adjust the depth to be pretty shallow.

This is the groover I bought...
http://m.summitracing.com/parts/aaf-all10270




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[BRE]

Here's the style I've always used, and this is with the blade turned to sipe. Notice the grooving end is actually facing up.
However this is from our dirt track racing days. Tires are a wee bit different.

 

[RockinRam96]

I cut out about a 5 gallon pail worth of rubber from all 8 of my drive tires!


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