·       Hard, Fast Tracks (Hot Weather) – When the temperatures are warm and track bite is high, you will need to carry tires that are prepped very lightly.  Normally you want to carry one set of tires with no inside prep work done, and another set with two ounces in the right side tires, one ounce in the left front, and no prep in the left rear.   

·       Hard, Fast Tracks (Cool Weather) – The recommended amounts of prep for these conditions would be similar to those above. You could use up to one ounce extra all the way around for slightly more bite, and to get the kart to come-in quicker. If your tire selection is limited, you could run tires prepared for the conditions described above, or for the conditions described directly below, depending on the individual track and available bite.

·       Average Bite Tracks – Tracks like this are what most racers experience for the majority of their races. For these conditions you would carry one set of tires prepped with two ounces in the right sides, and one ounce in the left side tires.  A second set should contain four ounces in the right side tires, and two ounces in the left side tires.  This will give you good options for daytime and nighttime.

·       Tracks with Less Than Average Bite – Tracks that never pick up much bite require tires with slightly more inside prep. A set with four ounces in the right side tires and two ounces in the left side tires would be your baseline set.  You would also want to carry a set with six ounces in the right side tires, and three ounces in the left side tires.  These tires would be effective if the track is glazed over, or if it is really dusty.

·      Wet, Slick Tracks – This condition exists mostly with red-clay tracks that stay wet. This is often caused by humidity keeping the surface wet throughout the night, never letting it get bite.  A set of Maxxis with six ounces in the right side tires and three ounces in the left side tires would work well.  If it is an open tire rule situation, you might consider switching to soaked Vega tires at this point. 

·    As you can see, the amount of prep varies by conditions.  A great tire program would consist of sets with no right side prep, two ounce rights side, four ounce right sides, and six ounce right sides.  The left side to match would have about half as much prep as the right sides.  Sometime the left rear will have even less than half as much as the right sides.

 

Pre-Treatment Procedure – With the introduction of Venom Bite Pink, the pre-treatment procedure has been drastically simplified.  Instead of having to choose which prep to use during the week, you simply use Venom Bite Pink for most conditions. 

 

Pre-treating should be done during the week prior to race day.  We suggest having the external pre-treatment done at least 48 hours prior to using your tires. 

 

After you have rolled the tires internally as described above, it’s time to roll them on the outside with Venom Bite Pink.  As a base treatment, we will roll all the sets for 20 minutes a piece, just for conditioning.  This is rolled at air temp, somewhere between 70 and 90 degrees.  In cold weather you might put the prep in a hotbox at a low temperature. 

 

If you are looking to soften your tires, you can roll in Venom Bite Pink for up to an hour at a time.  If more softening is desired, repeat this again.  Venom Bite Pink should only be used for softening a Maxxis or Firestone to around 50 to 52 on the durometer.  If you need to go softer, use Venom Soak II.

 

If you don’t have a tire roller, you can substitute the 20 minutes of rolling time by wiping three coats per day, for two days. 

 

If you do need to soften your tires below 50, a roller is very useful.  Put the Venom Soak II in the prep pan and roll your tires for an hour at a time until they reach the desired durometer reading.  Let them cure a minimum of 48 hours before racing if possible.  Heat up to 120 degrees can help this process go quicker.

 

Again, if you don’t have a roller, you can wipe coats until the desired durometer reading is reached.

 

At Track Prepping – Prepping at the track is best done with a cloth rag, using light coats of prep.  Unless otherwise noted, this is the way we intend all Venom Juice products to be externally applied.  Prepping with paper towels is not recommended. Having tires warm to the touch makes prep absorb into the tire quicker, and tires normally run best when they’re already warm to the touch when you go to the grid. Typically, they do not run as well when they are hot to the touch. The heat produced from good sunlight is ideal. In cooler weather, a hotbox or tire warmers work nicely. Make sure all prep has dried into the tire before going onto the track. Below is a list of track conditions, and the preps we recommend for those conditions, when running these tires.

·       Wet Tracks: Wet tracks typically require an aggressive prep. A tire pre-treated with Venom Soak II would be ideal. Venom Soak II is also the best for these situations at the track. Wipe it on with a rag for surface bite. For tracks that have a lot of surface moisture, tires should be wet at the grid. If you need to further soften the tires, apply multiple coats to a warm tire. If this prep is over softening, or seems to be locking down the kart, switch to using Venom Bite Blue. 

·       Damp Tracks: Damp tracks can often fit in the same category as wet tracks, but the moisture is normally not as concentrated at surface of the track. These tracks conditions can borderline on tires treated with Venom Soak II or Venom Bite Pink.  If you need a lot of bite at the track, wipe or roll Venom Soak II onto the tires.  If the track dries slightly, or bite starts picking up, use Venom Bite Blue as your surface prep.

·       Dry Slick Tracks: Dry slick track are unique.   They are packed down, but the surface produces minimal bite.  If rubber is laying down, it is often very shiny and slick on the surface.  Abrassion is minimum.  Normaly Venom Bite Black cut 50/50 with Acrysol will work on these tracks in warm weather where sunlight is present.  If the weather is not as nice, or if you are racing at night, wiping coats of Venom Bite Blue cut 50/50 with Acrysol will work well.  Occasionaly, if the track is not biting at all, a single heavy coat of Venom Soak II will help fire the tires off. 

·       Dusty Tracks: Venom Bite Black is our best prep for dusty tracks.  It should be used straight, and applied to a warm tire.  Up to three coats between each round can be applied.  Make sure that any slick film left by the Venom Bite Black has soaked into the tire before taking the kart to the grid.

·       Hard Biting Tracks: When racing on hard tracks with bite, Venom Bite Black cut 50/50 with Acrysol is the ideal prep.  Usually, one to two light coats heated into the tire will be ideal.  If the track falls off towards evening time, you might need to switch to Venom Bite Blue cut 50/50 with Acrysol. 

·       Cold Weather: Treat your tires for the track condition described on the previous page, that best matches your situation. If the weather is cooler than normal (usually below 55 degrees), you need to prep as described, plus use an additional coat of Venom Bite Green. Make sure that all prep has adequately soaked into the tire. Allow extra time, as prep takes longer to absorb into cold tires.

 

Retreating Tires – After running tires, or even after taking them to the track without running them, they will require work before your next outing. If you have run the tires, follow the same directions as for pre-treating, except use about half as much prep. Pay attention to durometer readings, to avoid over-prepping your tires. If you haven’t run the tires, simply hit them with one or two coats of Venom Bite Pink, just to freshen the surface.

 

Venom Cuts and Venom Juice are Trademarks of Eric Rendleman Performance.