Tire Tread to pass tech

[rschiela]

Hate to be that guy, but also want to use my tires efficiently. For a street tire, how much tread is really required to pass tech, assuming a sunny day (I don't track in rain)? Guide says 1/2 tread. Assuming 6/32 to start, that would be 3/32. So, if I'm touching wear markers, I would fail tech?
Thanks for your input. [And yes, I know when you think "just one more session", the worst things can happen And I'm still asking. I want to be safe, but frugal.]

 

[Shifty10]

Honestly, at the end of the day the reason for the rule is safety. Tires degrade in performance with wear but also with time and heat cycles.

Short answer to your question: if the wear bars are flush with the tread, it will NOT pass tech.

My personal philosophy, a set of new tires is cheap compared to crashes.

 

[Otto Man]

^ 100% concur, wear bars flush, replace it. Use your tires efficiently and sell them to a street only rider to recoup some $...look at getting a new tire as insurance.

 

[rschiela]

Thanks for the wise words of wisdom. I will heed your suggestions and get a new set of hoops before next event. I suppose it isn't a worthy goal to try to make my own set of slicks.

 

[D-Zum]

New tires have more rubber. That rubber holds heat which leads to greater adhesion to the track surface. As your tires get more time on them you can let out one or two psi of air to compensate for the lost rubber with a slightly larger contact patch.

 

[bmart]

1-hold heat
2-consistent shape offers consistent grip. Once you get the high points...things get squirrely pretty quickly.