Thread: slicks or drag radials?

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ok my camaro will be running low 13s maybe high 12s when its done. i want slicks but ive heard you can only get around 25 good runs out of them which i definitely cant afford if i wanna race at least once a week. will drag radials do just as good a job?

Since no one else is jumping in, and it's late, I'll give it a shot. You can get more than 25 runs on slicks on a 12-13 sec car, but the consistency starts going away. If you are running the brackets, you want to et exactly the same, or very close to it every run. As slicks age, the consistency starts to become erratic. I used to get a whole season on my slicks, or at least most of a season.

We just bought a set of slicks from a 7 second Mustang racer. He sells them after 5 runs, because he can still get some money back, but he can't trust them to bite the same much beyond that time.

As for Drag Radials, some of the more experienced racers on here will have to answer that for you. I've run only M&H slicks in my life, so I have no experience with them.

Don

thank you sir! i have a set of mickey thompson 29.5x 10.5 slicks in my garage. how can i tell if theyre any good?
i may run slicks at first because i just plan on going to test and tune and occasional bracket racing

On a 13 second car a set of slicks will last a looooong time. People who only get 25 runs out of a pair are trying to do a pro stock style burnout or something. On a 7 second car, yeah they do go away quick but not on a bracket car in the 13's. From my observations, most of the inconsistancy blamed on slicks, tune up, weather, or whatever comes from inconsistant staging, burnout, and launch technique. Establish a system for prepping, staging, and launching the car, use the same procedure every time and consistancy will come from habit.

thanks man!

thank you sir! i have a set of mickey thompson 29.5x 10.5 slicks in my garage. how can i tell if theyre any good?


Look at the wear holes in the part that touches the pavement. They get shallower as the tire wears out. Also, the tires should not be hard, but have some softness to them when you depress the surface with your thumb. Finally, look for dry rotting and cracking in the sidewalls. The rubber should look somewhat alive, not dead in appearance. Run tubes also.

Tech should have more info on this, as he has probably checked more slicks than any of us.

Don

ok thanks man i appreciate it!

While DR hook good slicks hook better.

As others have said, slicks should last a long time on 12-13 second car. To help them last, keep them out of the sun as much as possible, don't store them outside between races. Dress the sidewalls with Armor-all occasionally so they don't dry out. Well cared for they should last a full season at least, maybe two. I found the serious 10.5 inch tire racers to be a good source for used tires as the others have said.

Pat

ok thanks guys. ill look around at the track

I personaly would not buy anyones USED slicks.You never know what you are getting.They could have flat spots ,or the tire might be far off center of the rim.Or better yet "ya there new ,only five runs" ,till I ran through some coolant ,or oil.How do you get good traction from a tire soaked in oil?

It only cost a little more to ride first class.Just save up a little more and get some new ones ,fresh out the box.

Like any other used part, you have to use your head. Slicks are no different. Look at the person you are buying them from. and the appearance of the tires.

The tires we bought came off of a car my Son has seen in magazines (they are top contenders in the 10.5 tire class), and we had a long conversation with the guy, so he came across as a straight shooter. The slicks had very good depth on the inspection holes, and the rubber had a "live" appearance to them , with no sidewall cracking, etc. His reasons for selling them seemed very logical to us. He finds that consistancy starts to slip after so many runs, but if he sells the tires after 5 or 6 runs, they are still not so torn up as to be not sellable or unusable.

They came off of a 7 second car, so they will work great on my Kids potential 11 to 12 second car, and he got the set for $ 100.00. I'm not opposed to using whatever used parts we can get, and have usually gotten great deals.

I've run used slicks on 3 or 4 of my own drag cars over the years, and they have all been fine.

Don

I guess I should of said If you are SERIOUS about racing just buy a new set and be done with it.I have seen plenty of racers in magazines ,and on T.V. that would cut your throat in a dark alley ,and be all smiles 20 minutes later.Just cause youve seen some one in a mag. doesn't mean there a straight up honest guy.

This is just my oppinion ,you want used go for it.

I agree with the comment about used slicks. There's nothing wrong with it. Often times a used slick can be picked up as cheap as 1/3rd of the cost of a new one. This could be considered a better deal because while that pair of slicks that has 10 passes on it are ruined for that 5 second car, they could be considered as just broken in for that 7 or 8 second car (1/8th mile). '

A visible inspection is all that is really needed to determine if a pair of slicks is good or not. It's not like that old block that Billy Bob traded you for a case of beer that has 10 years worth of rust in the cylinders. There you need to have it dipped, fluxed, sonic checked, then if it's a bad block you've wasted your time and lost a chunk of money. And yes, i can make this comparison because tires are just as important as the engine. Without an engine, the tires don't move, without good tires, the engine don't move. Tire flaws are pretty easy to see.

Also, BigTruckDriver, i wish i had your money. If you can afford to buy everything new because your too good for slightly used parts you must be doing something right. Not everyone has that luxury. Thats why people buy used things. Just because something isn't good for one racer doesn't mean that it's not perfect for another. A pair of tires that aren't any good for a 5 second car would be perfect for a 7-8 second car. It's not rocket science...That 200+ dollars you saved by using a good pair of used slicks could be put into something else. Like that fire suit and helmet that you forgot to buy. Or maybe a set of 5 point harnesses to help keep you strapped in the frame of the car where you have the best chance to survive in the event of an accident. JMO. I like good used parts that save me a lot of money that are just as good as if i bought them from the factory. 10 passes is nothing on a set of slicks for most cars...Hell, thats just broken in!

Na ,I always have my eyes opened for used parts,but I just cant do it with slicks, to much depends on them.If you can find a good deal like the guy stated then thats fine (probably one out of ten sellers),just wanted to let the thread starter know that most of the slicks being resold are likely trash.