Tires

I'm with ya. I 100% agree.

Just looking for better, not best.

A lot of guys are running faster than I, on the same tires as I, with more horsepower or less weight. A slight advantage here, another there...
 
displacedtexan said:
It would take more than a handfull to make it a profitable venture for a tire company.
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not necessarily. The R&D is the expensive part, production isn't terrible. Its not like you have a ton of tooling involved in making a limited run tire, just the mold. The rest of it is simply built on a tire builder, most likely a "prototype" style versus production style. The curing and such can all be performed in the same equipment already at the plant.

Yes it takes an investment and risk, and oftentimes a loss at first, but the benefits of being the only one with it and getting your name out more can be worth it in the long run. Not always though.

Not sure why you would want low profile drag tires though. If they are your drag tires, and you are at the level you need slicks, I think you would be concerned about performance versus looks.
 
Such resistance to advancement. Thats weird. LOL. Why not go fast, and look nice doing it? Not to mention that buying a set of tires that fit the wheels one already has is significantly less expensive than buying a set of wheels and a set of tires.

I agree with both sides really, its been a good discussion. But even with a 17" wheel, the options are very limited. There would be no good reason to go with smaller brakes if we had a better selection of large diameter tire and wheel combinations.

One other thing I consider important when selecting track tires is that most of my tuning is done on the street. My track tires, and my street tires need to be the same diameter.

We all, or at least most of us, want our trucks to look nice. We all have different opinions about what looks nice. I sincerely apologize if this is your truck but the following are examples of what I don't want my truck to look like as far as the tire/wheel combo. $.02
 

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Sorry Derek, the truck is very, very, awesome. But a larger diameter wheel would look and perform even better right?
 

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bgreen776 said:
I sincerely apologize if this is your truck but the following are examples of what I don't want my truck to look like as far as the tire/wheel combo. $.02
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Funny, because the truck you posted a picture of (formerly owned by GAW diesel) is what I can only hope that my truck will someday be. That is one of the best 4x4 drag trucks that I've ever seen built.
 
Ya, me too! Its a SICK truck. :rockwoot: I'm just not a fan of the way the tires look on it.
 
You're worried about cost of new wheels, just sell the blingy 20's and get a cheaper set of 16's or 17's. Then you'll have enough left over for actual track tires, and you'll hook better. Looking nice is cool, but thats about it. Besides, plenty of people running fast on 305/50r20's.

I guess I don't get the OP's question.
 
Im forced to have a 32 in tire, if i slapped on a 30drag radial, id be around 4500rpm across the traps..i agree that a gear change would help me, but 332 or 355 would put alot more stress on tranny and such, and im just a weekend racer..ill just stick with nottos 305'/50/20 for now..im to slow for PS and have to back the truck down to run the 11.9 class...so its all good, just wanted to cut 30lbs per corner and try and run in the 10's... I still have no lock up either.
 
bgreen776 said:
Such resistance to advancement. Thats weird. LOL. Why not go fast, and look nice doing it? Not to mention that buying a set of tires that fit the wheels one already has is significantly less expensive than buying a set of wheels and a set of tires.

I agree with both sides really, its been a good discussion. But even with a 17" wheel, the options are very limited. There would be no good reason to go with smaller brakes if we had a better selection of large diameter tire and wheel combinations.

One other thing I consider important when selecting track tires is that most of my tuning is done on the street. My track tires, and my street tires need to be the same diameter.

We all, or at least most of us, want our trucks to look nice. We all have different opinions about what looks nice. I sincerely apologize if this is your truck but the following are examples of what I don't want my truck to look like as far as the tire/wheel combo. $.02
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Racing at the track and driving around on the street are so different I don't even know what to say to that comment... Do you really not understand that? At the track you have a warm, dry, sticky surface. On the street there is every different form of weather and countless other things you need to worry about. A load rating capable of towing, a narrower tire since you don't need maximum traction during acceleration and a narrower tire will perform better on ice, snow, cornering, longevity, and mileage. A shorter side wall for improved cornering characteristics while at the track a larger wrinkle side wall is more beneficial. The weight of larger wheels also makes them less desirable at the track. And I won't even mention compound, number of plies, or sidewall construction since you think they can use the same molds but construct the tires differently.
 
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bgreen776 said:
Such resistance to advancement. Thats weird. LOL. Why not go fast, and look nice doing it? Not to mention that buying a set of tires that fit the wheels one already has is significantly less expensive than buying a set of wheels and a set of tires.

One other thing I consider important when selecting track tires is that most of my tuning is done on the street. My track tires, and my street tires need to be the same diameter.
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1st statement: how are you planning on swapping tires at the track? You'll want 2 sets of wheels anyways.

2nd paragraph here: you have to tune for the track. It can change!

My local track had a day for bracket racers. It was a projected 89*, sunny, humid day. I get there and clouds start rolling in. A mini cold front came through. After my 2nd test pass, I wrote my time on the window. Granted I'm slow at 17 seconds because OD was giving me fits. I saw a couple box classes go and the air got cooler. Teams were running dead on their times. 1/2 way through the second class it dropped 5* to a chilly 69*, way different than the 75* we started with. Now teams are running faster and breaking out. I immediately go to my truck and dropped from 17.1 to 16.9. I ran a 16.94 I think it was. Other guy broke out. They ran us again and my 2nd competitor broke out with me running a 16.97. They ran one more class and broke for lunch.

During lunch the sun reappeared. It got hot and muggy quick, hitting the 89* in an hour. Now teams are running 3-5 tenths slower. I go to my truck and redo the time to 17.1. I thought I should have done 17.3 but I didn't want to break out. I ran a 17.39.

You cannot set it and forget it. Worse thing you can do.
 
mulisha said:
Im forced to have a 32 in tire, if i slapped on a 30drag radial, id be around 4500rpm across the traps..i agree that a gear change would help me, but 332 or 355 would put alot more stress on tranny and such, and im just a weekend racer..ill just stick with nottos 305'/50/20 for now..im to slow for PS and have to back the truck down to run the 11.9 class...so its all good, just wanted to cut 30lbs per corner and try and run in the 10's... I still have no lock up either.
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Swapping to taller tires would put the same stress on the trans as higher gears. It's still changing the final drive. The trans doesn't know where the extra load came from, just that it's there.
 
At the risk of further digging myself into this hole... :badidea:

little6cylinder said:
Racing at the track and driving around on the street are so different I don't even know what to say to that comment... Do you really not understand that?
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We are talking about street tires, on street trucks aren't we? Well, I think we are. LOL.

Forgive my ignorance and inexperience, I can only base my opinions on what I have personally done so far, and what I have read in books, magazines, and seen on the net. I will run mid to high 10's this summer on the same tune that I will drive to work with, and it will be clean. I think thats fairly respectable for a guy who lives in a village at the end of a long road in a state with with essentially zero people doing what we are doing. :rockwoot:

There is a lot more to a tune than full throttle right? I'm 6 hours from the one and only track within our state, and 5 days from the next track in the U.S. Some tuning is going to happen on the street.

little6cylinder said:
At the track you have a warm, dry, sticky surface. On the street there is every different form of weather and countless other things you need to worry about. A load rating capable of towing, a narrower tire since you don't need maximum traction during acceleration and a narrower tire will perform better on ice, snow, cornering, longevity, and mileage. A shorter side wall for improved cornering characteristics while at the track a larger wrinkle side wall is more beneficial. The weight of larger wheels also makes them less desirable at the track. And I won't even mention compound, number of plies, or sidewall construction since you think they can use the same molds but construct the tires differently.
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I get it. Forgive me for being blunt, but you aren't telling us anything we don't already know here. I will likely never run at the level you, and many of the guys on this forum do, but that doesn't make my goals invalid.

Is it wrong to ask for a tire that you want? The manufacturers are the experts, not us (most certainly not me), if its not practical or profitable, they will continue not making them. :)

I'm not opposed to buying more tires and wheels. Its really a drop in the bucket compared to the rest, but it all adds up, as we all know. A stickier compound 32" R20 would be great for some people, can we not agree on at that?
 
oldestof11 said:
1st statement: how are you planning on swapping tires at the track? You'll want 2 sets of wheels anyways.
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I trailer to the track, its too far away to risk carnage and not have a way to get home. But, for me, I would put the tires we are discussing on a second set of wheels, and swap them on in my garage before loading up. Which is what I would do if I were to run any of the current options that everyone uses now.

oldestof11 said:
2nd paragraph here: you have to tune for the track. It can change!
You cannot set it and forget it. Worse thing you can do.
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Yup. :Cheer:
 
No, we were talking about Street/strip tires. Not street tires. And if you are going to change wheels/tires to go race then why would want a 20" wheel? They don't work as good!

No it's not wrong to ask for a tire you want. But they don't make a tire like that for a reason. Obviously it's cost driven. I also wish there were more tires suitable for our trucks but unless diesel motorsports progresses exponentially I don't see it happening. The biggest problem I've run into is getting a wide, sticky tire that will handle the load rating of a 6500 lb truck.

I applaude you for being so into diesel Motorsports in a place without much of a diesel scene. Drag tires can and do work on the street but the soft compounds cause them to wear out so fast(especially in heavy trucks) that it's not worth the cost. My suggestion, put some drag tires on for your test hits on the street and for racing. Then have a separate set for driving on everyday.
 
Thanks man. We are trying very hard to change the way people here think about our chosen motorsport. Having a truck that looks like something new/young enthusiasts would want, or can at least relate to, is key to my own personal goals. We are years behind much of the "lower 48" when it comes responsible performance.

That said... I'm not going to let it slow me down. I'm going to work on tuning the engine, the suspension, and the chassis to go as fast as I can before I step up and get better tires. For now I am just enjoying racing the exact same setup I run on the street. Its quite fun to beat up on $100,000 cars with a basically stock truck on tires I run all year long. :rockwoot:

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bgreen776 said:
Such resistance to advancement. Thats weird. LOL. Why not go fast, and look nice doing it? Not to mention that buying a set of tires that fit the wheels one already has is significantly less expensive than buying a set of wheels and a set of tires.

I agree with both sides really, its been a good discussion. But even with a 17" wheel, the options are very limited. There would be no good reason to go with smaller brakes if we had a better selection of large diameter tire and wheel combinations.

One other thing I consider important when selecting track tires is that most of my tuning is done on the street. My track tires, and my street tires need to be the same diameter.

We all, or at least most of us, want our trucks to look nice. We all have different opinions about what looks nice. I sincerely apologize if this is your truck but the following are examples of what I don't want my truck to look like as far as the tire/wheel combo. $.02
Click to expand...
Bigger wheels offer ZERO advantage for drag racing, and actually have disadvantages.

Why would a manufacture design and market a tire specifically for drag racing, for a wheel that sucks for it?

If you're at the level where you really need a set of racing tires you probably will compromise a little on looks to get a tire that will do as much as possible to improve traction and ET.
 
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