The three different tire compounds as shown in iRacing. Hards are white, Mediums are yellow, and Softs are red.
iRacing Tire (Tyre) Compounds[]
The wet tire (tyre) compound for rain is usually identified with a blue stripe which is not seen in iRacing.
Tire (Tyre) Compounds are a new feature that came to iRacing back during the later half of the 2020 year. They feature the soft, medium, hard, and wet tire (tyre) compounds. The wet compound was introduced in the 2024 season 2 build for iRacing's tempest rain feature. These compounds are only on a select few racing vehicles in iRacing which mainly includes the Indycars, Formula 1, LMP2, LMdh (GTP), GT3, Formula Ford, GR86, F4, and Super Formula Lights cars but as time goes on, more and more road racing cars will receive tire (tyre) compounds. All of these compounds by the way are slick threads usually meant for dry track conditions. Note that the Formula 1 and Indycar cars do not have the wet compound for the rain feature yet and that the intermediate compound, which is identified by a green stripe and is used when a track is transitioning from wet to dry and vice versa, is not present in iRacing yet.
The tires (tyres) themselves have a grip and durability scale. Grip is numbered from 1 to 5 in ascending order and its sorted from most grip to least grip while durability is numbered 5 to 1 in descending order and its sorted from least durable to most durable. The numbers are shown like this: 3-3 (grip on left, durability on right).
Soft Tire (Tyre) Compound[]
The soft tire (tyre) compound are the tires (tyres) shown in red as seen on the picture above. These tires (tyres) have maximum grip, more than the mediums and hards, but they have shorter life expectancy than both medium and hard compounds. Soft tires (tyres) also allow the car to accelerate faster without spinning the rear wheels, brake harder without looking, and allows the car to take corners at a higher speed. Downside is that soft tire (tyre) compounds wear a lot faster than the medium's or the hard compounds and are generally used for qualifying. Their numbers are C3 to C5 with C3 being more on the hard side and C5 more on the soft side. Softs usually have their grips and durability from 3-3 to 2-4 and 1-5.
Medium Tire (Tyre) Compound[]
The medium tire (tyre) compound are the tires (tyres) shown in yellow as seen on the picture above. These tires (tyres) have a balanced mixture of grip and life expectancy and do have a longer life expectancy than the hards but less overall grip than the softs. Medium tires (tyres) allow the car to accelerate more balanced-like between spinning and not spinning the wheels, brake in a more balanced manner, and allows the car to take corners at a more moderate speed. The compound itself is also used when the track temperature is on the slightly higher side. It still gives racecar drivers a strong option in terms of strategy and drivers can drive longer on mediums than on softs. These tires (tyres) are also seen in qualifying usually by the top drivers for a good race strategy. Their numbers are between C2 and C4 with C2 being more on the hard side and C4 being more on the soft side. Mediums usually have their grips and durability from 4-2 to 3-3 and 2-4.
Hard Tire (Tyre) Compound[]
The hard tire (tyre) compound are the tires (tyres) shown in white as seen on the picture above. These tires (tyres) have less grip overall than the mediums and softs but have the longest life expectancy than both mediums and softs. Hard tires (tyres) however allow the car to accelerate but can spin the wheels easier and have to brake earlier while looking, and allows the car to take corners at a more slower speed. They are also more durable than the other sets and usually middle or back row drivers use these sets of tires (tyres) to try to finish the race without another stop with the hope of getting in the point standings. Track conditions may favor these compounds over the mediums and softs like when the track is very hot for example, the hard compound may equal the medium compound in grip but is still rare. Hards usually have their grips and durability from 5-1 to 4-2 and 3-3.
Wet Tire (Tyre) Compound[]
The wet tire (tyre) compound are the tires (tyres) shown in blue as seen in a picture above albeit are not blue striped in iRacing as they would be in the real world. These tires (tyres) have limited amount of grip but have drainage cut into the tires to allow water to disperse out of the tire (tyre). They have a pretty good life expectancy although acceleration is somewhat limited and wheel slippage is quite common requiring drivers to learn more skills and knowledge with the compound during races that have rain. Braking can be tricky as the car can loose control since aquaplaning or hydroplaning can occur while driving which is when a wedge of water builds up between the tire and the road surface resulting in less road contact and less responsiveness to steering inputs. The tires (tyres) have a good durability and track conditions that are wet will favor these compounds while on dry track conditions, drivers will need to switch to soft, medium, or hard tire (tyre) compounds at the earliest convenience. Wets usually have their grips and durability from 4-2 to 3-2.