Originally Posted by mkossler (Post 3480969)

Great question.

I have in the past relied on the manufacturers' position on the use of additives, and the cumulative data gathered on tires such as Vogue which come with viscous additives already applied (I'll look for some if you are interested).

That data notwithstanding, the issue of heat dissipation is only one factor (and yes, it radiates through the tire walls and if the wheel is cooler than the air in the tire, can conduct some into the wheel although the wheel generally has all it can handle from the brakes). The added mass (the "how much" is pretty easy to figure out, weigh the tire before and after the application) is required to deform along with the tread, belt, fabric, and airtight plies. That deformation requires energy, and produces heat as its byproduct. You have, in effect, introduced a heat source that the tire, wheel, and brake manufacturer did not engineer or compensate for.

The tires are, as I am sure you are aware and appreciate, very highly engineered. The temperature and performance rating on the tire is only of cursory concern to the casual driver, but translate to significant differences for high-performance applications. Remember the dentist that ran his F40 in the Silver State Challenge on V-rated rubber, and managed to disintegrate them, his car, and himself in the process?

I can tell you that in my experience :) , application of material such as that suggested by Steve will void any warranty, and will result in the manufacturer not being willing to stand by the performance, treadwear, traction, and temperature ratings on the tire in question. Try emailing any of them with the question.

I don't want to sound like I'm a stick-up-the-butt curmudgeon - all of this is moot if we are discussing casual driving applications of the street. I can think of plenty of places where I'd gain peace of mind by using a treatment like this. The decrease in serviceable lifespan would likely be worth it.

On the track, not on your (okay, my) life. YMMV, my OPINION and Postulation :)

Originally Posted by milt (Post 3481088)

Great answer.

I wouldn't think, either, that this is a good idea for track only tires. But, nowadays, most of us with sports cars use different tire sizes front to rear. We either need an inflatable spare, two spares or something like this for every day driving and occasional hard use.

I would consider the use of this product on my wife's Boxster for her piece of mind and the fact that run-flats are known to be rougher riding and nosier, neither of which the Box needs any more.

Originally Posted by mkossler (Post 3481103)

I want a Bob's Big Boy double decker!

Originally Posted by Eagledriver (Post 3481616)

This seems like a reasonable product however I doubt it can balance the tire. The material will just evenly distribute itself toward the "furthest" area it can get to from the center of the tire. It will make an even band around the center of the tire. In fact it will probably have a significant thickness only at the very center of the tire tread. It has no way of knowing where to go in order to balance the tire. In fact I would think that if the tire was severly out of balance it would gather in that area making the tire more out of balance. I think it would make more sense to carry a product like this and use it if you need to repair a flat (oh wait they already make one like that).

Originally Posted by milt (Post 3482505)

If you place tennis balls in your top load clothes washer and turn on the spin, eventually, the balls will catch up to the speed of the drum and find a balanced position. Any viscous material should do the same, but how quickly, we don't know.