Rubber Compound of Tires

[firebob]

Is there some identifier of what the rubber compound is on the side of the tire it's self? I know there is a load and Temp rating but is there any way to identify how sticky the tire will get when it heats up?

Robert

[iadr]

There is a number on the sidewall between 0 and 1000 - smaller number = softer rubber (technically shorter wearing, but softer=grippier no matter how you look at it.) Most are between 120 & 620. Performance tires generally run under 400, and "track day tires" run under 220.
That's about it. You can't compare your specific request "hot adhesion" via any stat on the tire sidewall

Those 2 pairs of letters (AA, A, B) are given after a lab test of a mounted tire run on a machine against a steel roller, and are univerally considered useless.

The load/speed rating (a number between 70 & 130 followed by a letter and often and additional XL), tell the maximum load and sustained speed rating.
A lot of people know that but a bit of background not everyone knows: The way cheap tires get high speed ratings is a sidewall that's rock hard, because tire flex (what old timers call radial bulge) is what builds up heat and limits the maximum sustained speed. A tire made of cheap materials with a soft sidewall will breakdown on the laboratory "autobahn equivalence test". A tire that's made of cheap materials but a stiff sidewalls fairs much better. But- and this is important- good materials (Brand name, often European brands) open up greater possibilities- really they can be much softer structure and still have the best performance. In other words you don't necessarily want a stiffer sidewall- it's not the magic answer to "firming up" your set up. In fact more downsides than anything.

Lastly, there's a pretty strong relationship between what's good and what's expensive. You get what you pay for.

One more PS- the website Tire Rack has customer surveys that really work to compare tires via real customer feedback, but not every brand and model is on there.