Moparts
What brand of slicks is better?
Posted By: hugo
What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 03:52 AM
I have to buy new tires for my car. I currently use 32X14.5 goodgyears d-5 compound. THe tires worked good but after about 50 passess my et went from 1.30 to 1.36. THis was at a good prepped track in the summer time. When tires went to 1.36 they were about 3 years old becuase a stopped racing for a year. NOw their opening the track here in Laredo Tx will probraably not be a very good prepped track since they have not used it for quiet a few times. What brand would be better the same ones or should I go to M/T, Hoosier or Phoenix? Wich tires hook better and last longer? On a side note I am not running tubes so I will have to use stiff sidewall and somethig in the 103 roll out. What do you guys recommend?
Posted By: Mopar Dragster1
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 04:33 AM
I run Hoosiers on my dragster and really like them. How heavy is your car? Leaving off a brake or not? Why type suspension do you run? All of these are critical to what size and compound you may need.
Posted By: hugo
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 04:51 AM
My car is 2880lbs ready to race. Ladder bars in the back and strut fornt suspension in the front. Ladder bars have 5 adjustments and in the front and my ladder bars are in the upper hole. The car hardly picks up the front tires about 1 inch when tires were new. I felt it when it left the line. I run a poweglide with a transbreak leaving at 5000rpms. Engine is indy headed 499 making around 774hp.
Posted By: Chris2581
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 05:04 AM
Phoenix with tubes here.
Posted By: moparacer
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 05:19 AM
Until they get some good rubber down nothing is going to work very good.
I used PH338 Phoenix slicks last year and went 1.30_ 60 fts and they hooked all summer in the heat.
I also like the M/T 32X14 3074S. Its a stiff sidewall but it worked great on my car.
Posted By: steeldust
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 05:43 AM
Quote:
I have to buy new tires for my car. I currently use 32X14.5 goodgyears d-5 compound. THe tires worked good but after about 50 passess my et went from 1.30 to 1.36. THis was at a good prepped track in the summer time. When tires went to 1.36 they were about 3 years old becuase a stopped racing for a year. NOw their opening the track here in Laredo Tx will probraably not be a very good prepped track since they have not used it for quiet a few times. What brand would be better the same ones or should I go to M/T, Hoosier or Phoenix? Wich tires hook better and last longer? On a side note I am not running tubes so I will have to use stiff sidewall and somethig in the 103 roll out. What do you guys recommend?
I run GOODYEARS 33X141/2 they worked the best for my bird but MT & F/X was OK to but now on my DUSTER i was running MT 31x10.5w and they are good but now i went to HOOSIER 32X13 ? But i think your slicks got to old after one year and they set all winter your 60 ft will go away and will go slower because the rubber will dry out 
GOOD LUCK
Posted By: StandOnIt
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 01:50 PM
My car is 3300 at the tree. I have never had good luck with the M/T tires. Hoosier for me. I would love to try Pheonix but they dont have a tire with the section I need. Goodyear... the best tire overall but pricey and don't last that long (as I have heard). My SS friends will only run the Pheonix on thier Stocker, Super Stocker, 2 Comp Elim cars and I think even on the 68 Hemi Baracuda.
Posted By: Belvedere500ci
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 03:11 PM
Cant say enough about Hoosier and the 30x9 Radial!
Posted By: 70satelliteguy
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 03:29 PM
Goodyears work the best for me also(31.0/14.0/15 D5 with low 1.30's at 3550 but they do go away after about 50 passes!
Mike
Posted By: dmking
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 05:05 PM
hoosier i like better than the goodyears i had. i am running 30x10.5
the goodyears sidewall even after the soap treatment leaked so much air i had to tube them.
Posted By: Keith Richards
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 06:18 PM
I typically run GY 2078's (33x15x15's)and get 150 + passes out of them they are a stiff sidwall, one important thing I do is switch them side to side (rim and all)every 25 passes, this seems to not work the sidewall in only one direction. I did run a similar Hoosier a few seasons back and while they hooked good they just were not consistent in the 60' like the 2078's. The 2078's currently on the car I bought used with few passes on them from Al they are a few years old and are proving once again in there consistency as the last 4 races which have been cold races they haven't varied more than about 4/1000 run to run and have typically been within 9/1000 all day which makes for a very predictable car running 9.09 - 9.11 with 60's in the 1.27 range.
Posted By: hugo
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 08:59 PM
YOur car is very similar to mine in et's mine is going 9.28 at 3700 corrected alt. The fastest I've been is 1.29 when tires were new.Are you running tubes? Why is changing the tires and rims from side to side very important?
I guess the rubber on my GY's got old and my et increased...
Posted By: Keith Richards
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 10:10 PM
Quote:
YOur car is very similar to mine in et's mine is going 9.28 at 3700 corrected alt. The fastest I've been is 1.29 when tires were new.Are you running tubes? Why is changing the tires and rims from side to side very important?
I guess the rubber on my GY's got old and my et increased...
Yes, I run tubes. In the past when I ran the tires one direction it seemed that the sidewalls would wear out before the tread did. Meaning the 60' and reaction times would lose consistency. Works for me. 
Posted By: hugo
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 11:00 PM
Have you ran without tubes and if so do the tires last less? Could it be that my tires did not have tubes and thats why they didnt last long what do you think?
Posted By: hugo
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 11:05 PM
By using tubes do you get more passes out of your tire compared to without tubes?
Posted By: moparacer
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 11:37 PM
Its harder on the sidewalls if you run them without tubes. That is why we rotate them every now and then.
I think a lot of your problem was the age of the slicks.
I could never run a 3 year old set on my car.
Posted By: hugo
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/11/12 11:55 PM
thanks....
Posted By: jamesc
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/12/12 03:10 AM
i won't argue that the age of slicks can/will impact their performance. having said that the tires on the sig car were probably at least ten years old (obviously sat a good bit) and i replaced them thinking they had to be bad. you know what the performance difference with the new tires was...absolutely nothing, zero.
Posted By: top8x7b
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/12/12 04:00 AM
goodyear goodyear goodyear ,just remember you dont need to do john force burnouts,and they will last d5 compound for car like yours
Posted By: hugo
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/12/12 04:57 AM
Tubes on no tubes?
Posted By: 540dust
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/12/12 05:04 AM
I like the Phoenix F9 compound, and run 14x32W which would be very close to your size. This size is slightly over 15.5" tread width, right at 18" section on a 15" wide rim and rollout varies on different sets, although they are advertised as 102" I believe, the range from 102.5" to 104" (so its real important to get a matched rollout set). These work the best for me, its been a while but have tried Hoosiers, Goodyears and Mickeys. One problem with Phoenix in the recent past has been availabiliy but am told that will not be an issue this year, we'll see.
Posted By: 383man
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/12/12 07:37 AM
I like the 30 x 9 Hoosier radials I use. Ron
Posted By: 440Jim
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/12/12 01:51 PM
I can only say what great success I am having with Phoenix slicks. I run the 12.2 x 31.25 W which have 13.6" tread, 31.8" dia (99-100" roll out), and 16.5" section width on 14" wide rims. I can't fit wide section widths on my car. So look at their 14x32 (various).
I have been getting over 200 passes on each set. The last set went 240 and 225 on the ones before that. I do rotate them side to side (leaving them on the rims) every 20-25 passes, and run inner tubes to stiffen the side wall and make them last longer. 11 psi at 3225 lbs and 1.2x sixty foot times (727 trans).
Posted By: Max Wedge Savoy
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/12/12 02:44 PM
I've ran Hoosier 9x30 radials for years. No tubes, 22-23psi and just a poof of smoke.
Posted By: hugo
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/12/12 05:06 PM
Hey Jim if the slick is already stiff wall is their a need to run tubes? Are your slicks non stiff wall and thats the reason you use tubes?
Posted By: 540dust
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/12/12 08:04 PM
I went from running tubes to tubeless for the last couple of years and haven't really noticed much difference in performance consistancy or et/mph, although tire changing is a little more simplified, I do have to add air every week, approx. 1 lb.
Posted By: 440Jim
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/12/12 09:29 PM
Quote:
Hey Jim if the slick is already stiff wall is their a need to run tubes? Are your slicks non stiff wall and thats the reason you use tubes?
Phoenix doesn't say if the "W" tires are stiff wall or not. I do feel the added tread rubber of the "W" will slightly increase the stiffness, but I doubt it is much. I was killing sidewalls for awhile, and was only getting 90 passes before the tire stopped working, and it had plenty of rubber left. So, I made changes:
1) Added inner tubes
2) Changed from 12" wide rims to 14"
3) Lowered ladder bar front mount hole
4) This allowed raising tire pressure 1.0 psi to 11.0 psi
5) religiously rotate slicks
All that, and now I go over 200 passes. I even ran one set until the chords showed through the rubber (mistake).
Posted By: hugo
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/12/12 10:44 PM
Do your tires last less passes without tubes or about the same?
Posted By: hugo
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/12/12 10:48 PM
My ladder is at the top hole of the five adjustments where do you have yours 440Jim and where did it use to be. When you lowered your bar you think that was what helped you not kill the side wall or the rims?
Posted By: racerx
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/13/12 01:36 AM
Quote:
i won't argue that the age of slicks can/will impact their performance. having said that the tires on the sig car were probably at least ten years old (obviously sat a good bit) and i replaced them thinking they had to be bad. you know what the performance difference with the new tires was...absolutely nothing, zero.
Same here....i had a set of the M/T that were manufactured in 91 and ran a best of 1.28 60'at 3350.but the slicks were taken off during the off season and kept in control climate.I'm looking to replace my 10.5w's with a set of TT.5's to run in some of the TT.5 stuff.............. 
Posted By: moparacer
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/13/12 01:46 AM
Quote:
My ladder is at the top hole of the five adjustments where do you have yours 440Jim and where did it use to be. When you lowered your bar you think that was what helped you not kill the side wall or the rims?
If you are in the top hole of a ladder bar setup you are killing the tire and hitting it too hard I bet.
Raising the ladder bar hits the tire harder, and lowering it hits it softer.
Most every car has to have the ladder bar angled down in the front or it will hit the tire too hard.
Posted By: 440Jim
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/13/12 02:00 AM
Quote:
Quote:
My ladder is at the top hole of the five adjustments where do you have yours 440Jim and where did it use to be. When you lowered your bar you think that was what helped you not kill the side wall or the rims?
If you are in the top hole of a ladder bar setup you are killing the tire and hitting it too hard I bet.
Raising the ladder bar hits the tire harder, and lowering it hits it softer.
Most every car has to have the ladder bar angled down in the front or it will hit the tire too hard.
Overall, I agree.
It does depend on a lot of factors including car weight, gear ratio, engine torque, etc. Not to mention where the builder put the holes in the first place! So you can't compare one car to another by hole location alone. But the movement he mentioned is my understanding also.
My car combo was hitting the tire too hard and killing the tire, so I made several changes to correct that.
Hugo, if the lower bar of the "triangle" is pointing up any amount, I think your car (combo dependant) would benefit from lowering it 1 or 2 inches. Weight transfer, front end settings, and shock adjustments all play a role.
Your strut front suspension likely doesn't have the travel/weight transfer of a stocker, but as long as you are not spinning bad (maybe a 1/2 or 1 turn) you should be able to adjust the chassis to work with the low torque multiplication of the PG transmission and somewhat less weight than I have. But ladder bar rear suspensions tend to hit the tire hard, so lowering the front mount on a high horsepower car (which hits the tire on its own), can help with the tires.
Posted By: moparacer
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 02/13/12 02:13 AM
Quote:
Not to mention where the builder put the holes in the first place!
Yep, I had a truck one time that had ladder bars on it and the brackets were too high for the ride height.
Had to cutem off and move them down.. 
Posted By: hugo
Re: What brand of slicks is better? - 03/02/12 02:39 AM
Update I put my new tires without tubes and went to the local track which did not had a very good preparation (so I thought). Well just of the trailer it went it's ever best 9.16 at 145.5 and 60ft's 1.27. We are sittiing at 450 elevation and temperature was 60F. Past best ever was at a very good track in Monterrey Mexico elevation was 1400 and temperature was 82. Well going back to this weekend update I went to race the final and car actually got faster and was dialing 9.12 in semifinal and final and going 9.13 letting go just a bit. I think the car would have gone the 9.12 or even lower (9.11-9.10). Oh the 60ft's went to 1.25 twice. In the final it was very cold temperature was at 49F. I did not do anything to the car as far as moving ladder bars. Like I said before they are in the top hole and I measured them race ready they were 5 degrees down so I did not want to move anything. From previous best only things I changed was a front strut that was shut down (hard) it was rebuilt. The car use to be very stiff because of that. I placed the stiffnes in the strut in the middle more softer and soften the rear schocks 3 clicks and rear spring were replaced form 175 to 130. I guess it was the tires after all what do you guys think..
