Tread?

[MistrCreazil]

So.. my car is pretty dead on the rear wheel tread. Like 1/32" left on both back tires. How much power am I losing by having almost bare wheels? The other day I jokingly raced another WS6, and my wheels spun for a good 2-3s while his caught and took off. Needless to say.. I lost.

As soon as I get new tires, will I feel a noticeable power increase with the extra grab on the road?

[Mike's TA]

So.. my car is pretty dead on the rear wheel tread. Like 1/32" left on both back tires. How much power am I losing by having almost bare wheels? The other day I jokingly raced another WS6, and my wheels spun for a good 2-3s while his caught and took off. Needless to say.. I lost.

As soon as I get new tires, will I feel a noticeable power increase with the extra grab on the road?

You'll have the same "power" regardless of tread.

Honestly, It's about as bad as some people saying "those GT Stickers on my Civic add 15 hp".

The correct term is Traction. And you already know that you are losing traction due to the loss of your tread.

Now, tread doesn't necessarily mean traction either. Look at dragsters, they have no tread whatsoever, but they still have a ton of traction. It's because of the compounds used in the "rubber" for slicks that make them have greater traction on a track. Along with heating them up before running that makes the compounds more "sticky".

No matter what kind of street tire you buy, If you just floor it, you'll most likely end up spinning your tires for a little while before hooking. Use your foot wisely and don't bury it in the floorboard until you know you are hooking up.

[MistrCreazil]

Thanks.

[V8MUSCLE]

it will feel like you gained a little power with new tires from the launch, but once the tires "catch up" you wont feel any differance.

even with brand new street tires on my car i can spin through second if i try, while spinning makes for a good show it will eat your tires, and hurt you as far as acceleration goes. ideally you will not spin at all the tires will hook and go.

think of it as your car is throwing 300 to the wheels, but your wheels can only put 200 to the road.