Street Tires on the Track

[Maverick]

Have a question for drag racers. I saw a comment on another forum suggesting that street tires reduce traction for later racers with drag tires or slicks. True? If so, there had to be a few annoyed racers after my last runs.

[Basement Paul]

That's only true if you have extra dirt in your tires which is way more likely with a street tire with all the tread. It's probably a good idea to do a good burnout at least the first time down the track with street tires just to clean them off.

-BP

[MostMint]

I wonder if the rubber from street tires has less grip?

Up to now I was thinking same thing BP said.

Also street tires have grooves and pick up water - need a good driver to heat the tires up good and get rid of the water. Through a whole line of street cars there is almost always one guy who can't do a good burnout.

At my local track they usually put the street cars separate from race tire cars for time runs.

[oldvettedad]

Definitely cars with street tires do screw up the rubber left down by the faster cars with slicks. Never thought about why, but it is true. BP and Mostmint both make sense with their thoughts. In any event the street tires actually pick up the rubber at the start line. Most of he tracks, on race day anyway, separate the street tire cars from the slick cars. Some even move the start line over a little for the street tire cars. On Test and Tune days it is sometimes catch as catch can.

[Maverick]

Interesting comments. Jim

[MostMint]

More thoughts:

Street cars are a fact of life at the drag strip and you pay just as much to get in as the race only cars

Track mgmt has to own keeping the separate groups happy

A good bracket car should not be designed to be that close to the edge of traction that a street car can mess up traction. My bracket cars were built to win races and that requires consistency.

[Maverick]

When I washed the car yesterday, it had pieces of rubber on the rear quarters. Off the track, I assume. Don't think I was ripping up my street tires that much.

[TireSmoker]

When I washed the car yesterday, it had pieces of rubber on the rear quarters. Off the track, I assume. Don't think I was ripping up my street tires that much.

Those are little black trophies. You should have a smile on your face as you wash them off, remembering how much fun it was to put them on there.

[MostMint]

Or put them in a pile and take a picture:

[Maverick]

Or put them in a pile and take a picture:

HOLY CRAP!!!!

[Fred32v]

The Right-of-Passage!



And there is more in the tire wells.

[MostMint]

I was heating them up good. That stuff was so thick I peeled it off. And with FWD its on the rocker panel, a little on the doors and a bunch also underneath.