Tire compounds

I race at an indoor track, where the dirt is a mixture of clay and dirt and I’m sure other special ingredients.  For the most part, it acts like a clay track.

Most tires come in a few different compounds, usually soft, super-soft, and indoor clay.  Soft and super-soft have high and higher grip, but do so by using a very soft compound that is squishy.  This makes them stickier, but at the expense of life.

Clay compound tires actually have less overall grip than soft or super-soft, and are a firmer type of rubber.  So why do racers use them if they’re not soft and sticky?  Well two reasons – one, the firmer rubber deforms less on hard, almost concrete-like clay surfaces and gives better feel.  Two, you are supposed to sauce the tires with a special tire additive liquid to soften the rubber and give the grip you’re looking for.