[Mjones60]

I have a coworker that races go karts on the weekends, and he asked if there was a chemical that could be rubbed on the surface of tires to lower the durometer reading.  The tires don't have any treads, and the idea is to get more traction on the track by softening the tires.  I believe he is looking to lower the durometer reading by 3 or 4 points.

Does anyone know of any organic solvents or other chemicals that may soften the tire?

Thanks.

[curiouscat]

Try Methanol, toluene, naptha, turpentine. They might work. But not sure. All that vulcanization & additives make modern tires very hard to break down.

If you want more exotic perhaps N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone.

Or perhaps just pre-heat the surface a bit?

[Corribus]

I don't know much about tires, but maybe it's easier to mechanically treat them to increase friction/roughness?

[billnotgatez]

Mechanical softening is basically what Dragsters do

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Fuel

Before their run, racers often perform a burnout in order to clean and heat tires. Additionally, the burnout applies a layer of fresh rubber to the track surface, which greatly improves traction during launch. A burnout may cover up to one quarter of the track's distance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnout_%28vehicle%29

A burnout (also known as a peel out or power brake) is the practice of keeping a vehicle stationary (or close to) and spinning its wheels, causing the tires to heat up and smoke due to friction. Technically the tire is not burning and the smoke is primarily a vapor (similar to steam). A tire that is set on fire will burn with a thick black smoke but that is rarely the result of a "burnout".