Thread: Too much excitement?

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Another Saturday at the track... Broke my best time and speed in time trials with a little help from a slight tail wind with an 11.888 @115.5 mph...

First round eliminations running a '56 chevy dialed at 12.58 to my 11.95 (less wind and bad air)

Good run and good launch ran 11.954 on the 11.95 but lost by 6 ten thousandths (0.0006). He ran 12.614 but beat me at the tree with a 0.021 to my 0.051.

This is where the excitement starts... did my customary smack to the steering wheel as my win light fails to come on and get ready to give a thumbs up to my opponent when my right front tire comes apart (at 90+mph)

In retrospect, I'm surprised I was able to remain calm and focus on keeping the car under control. Rubber is flying everywhere, I didn't know if I hit something or the tire just failed but I was also surprised I wasn't in the wall (or the chevy) already... thankfully, the tread came off but the tire held its air.

Tore up the car a bit with a few skid marks to the fender and pulled the rear of the fender out... didn't dent or wrinkle the steel any. Peeled the chrome under the driver's door back like a banana and scratched up the door pretty good (I needed new paint anyways )

Even though this sucks and is undoubtedly my most serious race-related catastrophe thus far, I consider myself pretty lucky cuz things could have got much much worse.

Anyhow, tried to find replacements for both front tires on the way home and I guess the skinny 165R15's aren't the most common tire you'll find these days... At Goodyear they had one tire and they were 10 minutes to closing time... I figure this will get me through the weekend and I can get the other one on Monday.

My wife got me a camcorder for my birthday and today was our first time using it so as soon as I figure out how to get it off of there I'll post it up...

-Chris

Glad you and the car, for the most part, came out ok. Sounds like a wild and hairy ride.

Thanks... glad to be here and the car will be on the strip again tomorrow hopefully keeping it's hooves intact....

-Chris

Here's a few pics from the aftermath... don't have the right cable for video so that will have to wait. Video clip didn't catch the mishap after the run anyway.

1) Examining the tire with mangled trim in hand..

2) Thank God for steel belts...

3) Superfluous wounds...

3) How's this for a stance?

That is some serious tread loss, good thing it didn't blow.

I'll have to get the alignment rechecked but when I rebuilt the front end last year got it set to 0 on camber and toe with +2* caster and always tracks straight, but looking at the wear on the inner tire looks like it was sitting on the outer edge... with a BBC and skinnies the outside does wear quicker from turns but I didn't expect that wear from going straight... I did take about 80 lbs out of the front of the car with the new motor and radiator... maybe this accelerated the problem?

I noticed the last couple weeks the tread was wearing low (~2/32") and added the tires to my list of projects for the winter... didn't think one would go on me this soon though...