Greetings SCCV members and guests. There has been a good amount of movement with our Winter Season preparation including significant changes to our bolt tire rules. For those that are not active on Facebook, that may not be very noticeable. We’ll keep you guys updated on here as best we can to keep people better in the loop! Here is a summary of recent news and rule information.
1) Our membership listing for 2020 can be found here. Grab your membership soon as it will save you some money at the ITTs and save your member number!
2) The bolt tire rules and tech guidelines have been updated. You can find these in the “Ice Time Trial Rules” website page, but we will reiterate them here:
SUPER STUD TIRE RULES
I. Super Stud tires are allowed to include up to 30 bolts per foot of tread contact patch circumference; i.e larger diameter tires may include more bolts while retaining the same density of bolts in a given contact patch. To determine the maximal bolt count for your tires, use the following formula:
Circumference of tire in inches (rounded down) multiplied by 2.5 = total number of bolts per tire (rounded down).
**The factor of 2.5 is derived from (circumference in inches x 30 bolts per foot)/12 inches per foot. To simplify, 30/12 = 2.5, and simply use that to determine bolts per tire.**
II. Studs cannot exceed ¼” in diameter, and cannot protrude from the adjacent tread more than ½”.
III. Bolt tires found to exceed the required limits found in Rules I-II may be allowed to run in a non-points/non-competition manner at the discretion of the event chair and/or event coordinator. Tires found to be out of compliance by a large margin will likely be disallowed to preserve course conditions. Penalties will be assessed by the event chair and/or event coordinator on a case by case basis.
IV. The studs must be installed from the inside and with lock nut hardware on the outside. It is recommended to use washers on both the inside and outside to distribute stress.
V. Commercially available ice tires are allowed if adhering to the provided calculation formula (30 studs per foot of tread contact patch circumference).
VI. If using sealant, it must be white (no red/green/colored). Sealant is strongly recommended. Tire tubes are allowed as an alternative.
VII. Any competitor in a super stud class may challenge the legality of a tire. The challenge process will include the challenger and challenged competitor, as well as a tech inspector. Tech will inspect the tire for compliance.
VIII. Bolt tires must be off the vehicle during the tech process at events. If a challenge occurs, competitors must be prepared to remove one or more tires/wheels from the car if instructed to do so.
SUPER STUD TIRE TECH PROCESS
SEASONAL CHECKS: The club will full check all super stud tires at the beginning of the winter season, or whenever a new set of tires is introduced. Subsequent “abbreviated” checks will occur during the normal tech process at each event. Drivers will need to declare any changes made to the tires. If they are found illegal or have misled the tech inspector, penalties will be assigned by the event chair and/or event coordinator.
BOLT COUNT: At each event, bolt count will be checked by counting studs per foot in several areas along the contact patch. If more than 30 are found in a given 12” span, the entire tire will be measured and counted. Be prepared to remove one or more tires/wheels from the car if instructed to do so. Please have your tires teched before mounting them on the car to eliminate this hassle. The full-tech measuring process will occur as follows:
a. Tech will measure the full circumference of your tire to the nearest inch rounded down with a flexible tape measure.
b. This rounded value will be multiplied by 2.5. Total bolts are rounded down if not an exact amount.
c. The competitor will be expected to account for tread wear as the tires are used; the circumference may become reduced slightly and affect bolt count. Consider this in determining how many bolts you utilize; if the competitor exceeds the maximal bolt count when checked, they will not be allowed to compete for final placement in the event.
An example: 75.5” measured circumference rounds down to 75”. 75” x 2.5 = 187.5. Rounded down, this tire theoretically can allow 187 bolts. It is recommended to run fewer bolts than the maximum to ensure legality during the tech process.
BOLT HEIGHT: Bolt height will be checked by laying a ½” thick piece of foam against the contact patch of the tire next to the bolts. This will be done on both the inside and outside of the tire. If any bolts stick up higher than the foam, those bolts will need to be shortened or removed in order to comply.
3) As a group, we are holding ourselves to a higher standard of organization and structure. There will be greater attention paid to rules and regulations to help ensure everyone’s safety and a fair playing field.
Super Studded tires will require a full inspection and pass before they can be used in an event. We held a pre-season check this past Saturday, and a number of us are offering to inspect tires before the first event. The full inspection and pass of Super Studded tires WILL NOT be offered morning-of events.
If you wish to run your super stud tires, reach out to one of the following people so that they can do their best to tech you BEFORE the day of an event. Once your tires are fully checked and passed, we will also be performing spot-checks day-of events.
People available to tech tires, and their locations:
Connor Chapman – Colchester (Forum: connordfc)
Tim Fournier – Winooski (Forum: MX5VT)
Josh Benoure – Essex Junction (Forum: JoshB)
Ryan Chevalier – Hinesburg (Forum: Chevalier70)
Paul Dudley – Fayston (Forum: pdudley42)
If you are an out-of-state competitor interested in using super stud tires, please contact us to determine a solution for getting your tires checked.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions! You can e-mail the club at admin@sccv.org or individually message us.