Making the Car Safe for You
Tires, Wheels and Brakes
Safety items? Yes, good tires and wheels keep you in control of your racecar. Good brakes may help you avoid a bad situation.
Tires
The rules are very specific about tires. You can only run stock passenger tires, no studded snow tires, no racing tires or racing recaps. Tires cannot exceed 8 ½ inches in width. I've run all types of tires and brand names, from new tires to ones that I have pulled out of Big-O's discard pile. Make sure that your tires are in good condition. Check all of the carefully before you go to the next race.
Check Tires for the following:
1) No cuts or slices of rubber in the sidewall or tread.
2) Look for separation between the tire and the tread.
3) Avoid weather-cracked tires or tires that have had sidewall repairs. Enduro Races put a lot of stress on the sidewall of the tire.
4) Look for expose of the steel core in the tire tread.
If you find any of the above, I would highly recommend replacing these tires. A tire blows out every now and then. Chances are someone will get into you and you will cut a tire first. That cost me a good finish twice last year at CNS. Better tires may resist some of the fender banging.
Tires are not cheap and yet are racing depend so much on tires. You can get some fair tires by searching tire piles at your local tire store. Every now and then you get lucky. You can find good used tires for about $10 to $25. New street tires, that you can use for Enduro Racing, will start around $50 a piece.
Don't forget to check you tire clearances between the tires and the fenders on your racecar. Cut away anything in the fender well, which might damage a tire during a race. The rules allow for you to cut fenders for tire clearance.
6) Front and rear fenders may be cut to allow for tire clearance
TIRES AND WHEELS
Tires will not exceed 8 ½ inches of thread width.
Tires must be stock passenger tires only.
NO studded snow tires.
NO racing tires or racing recaps allowed.
You are required to run steel wheels, no aluminum wheels. Aluminum wheels tend to break during the stress of racing. An 8 inch wide wheel is the largest width you can use.
Be careful using stock wheels, these also may come apart in the center. You can used stock wheels on the left side of your car, but I think that they are stressed more on the right side of the car, during a race. I've run stock wheels on the left side without any problems.
The white wagon type wheels start at about $25 a piece. You gennerally can pickup used wheels for about $5 to $15 each at the junkyard. Make sure there are no cracks in the center of the wheel. Rusty wheels may not hold air in the tires. You may have to sand them and repaint before you used them.
The rules do not specify anything about offset wheels. I've seen Enduro's with them, but I am not sure, if they are legal.
If you bend a wheel replace it. It will wear out your tires and make your racecar harder to handle.
ENDURO RULES
TIRES AND WHEELS
Wheels will not exceed 8 inch wheel width.
Wheels must be steel and may be of heavy duty type, reinforced or plated centers.
There are no rules about brakes in the rulebook. Most all other racing classes require that all 4 brakes are in good working order.
I am very hard on brakes in my Enduro. A set of stock front pads only last 2 or 3 races when we run at CNS. I don't use as much brake when we run on the dirt.
When building your Enduro check your brakes for the following:
1) Leaking brake lines and hoses
2) Leaking Master Cylinder
3) Leaking wheel cylinders
4) Check Front Pads and Rear Shoes for wear.
5) Replace or Resurface Drums and Rotors as needed.
6) Make sure that the brakes do not catch or bind.
7) Make the brake fluid is clean and clear.
8) Soft spongy pedal - Bleed and Adjust brakes
9) Check your Emergency Brake cables.
When building your Enduro, do not remove that Emergency Brake pedal or cut the Emergency Brake cables. You might need them in a race. How do you ask? What if your brakes go out during an Enduro Race? Scary thought, but it could happen. If you keep your Emergency Brake pedal, you can still stop the car, if you loose brakes.
Keep the Emergency Brake pedal in the car. Remove the handle and take a tie-wrap and use to hold the Emergency Brake in the open position. Just like someone was holding the handle open all of the time. With this set up you can use your left foot and depress the Emergency Brake pedal, this will engage the rear brakes. When you let up on the pedal it will return and release the brakes. Just another way to keep you safe.
Don't forget to check those bearings, pack if they need it, replace them if they are worn out.
Brakes, after the Engine and Transmission, are probably the most abused item on the racecar.
Check those Tires, Wheels and Brakes, after every race. Remember, you've got to go to work on Monday.