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rim screws

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 11:08 pm
by kyleracer
I just bought a set of rear wheels & tires and was wondering about the rim screws subject ! They are 12" welds with 33x14 slicks (goodyear -D-5) they only have 4 screws on both the inside and the outside ! is this enought ?? :? I know someone that used to talk on here was kicked off so I think it is safe to ask, not to bring up sore subjects :lol:LOL

Re: rim screws

Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 6:12 am
by John_Heard
Special Ed contends most cars don't need rim screws. And quite a few get by without them just fine, but I can say I did see a car loose a tire (Drag Radial) on the starting line this summer that wasn't running anything so it can happen.

If it were my car, I would be to put at least 4 more per side in them for more even wear on the side walls. On a heavily abused set of tires you can see stretch marks where the rim screws are "hooking" the tire to the rim, the more screws the more even the pull on the sidewall - anyway that seems to help. I run 16 per side on mine.

Re: rim screws

Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 12:50 pm
by Bruce69Camaro
Hey John

Play nice...."Special Ed"....

He has a good side to him, just not about rim screws.

Bruce :smt003

Re: rim screws

Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:37 pm
by kyleracer
Thanks for the info John ! I was wondering because the 4 screws seem to be pulled loose and trying to come out. Did not know if they were this way for a long time or not. I got them at a swap meet and did not think to ask at the time. Am trying to get in the 8's on motor alone and wanted to be sure they did not spin on the rims. I asked locals and was told anything from 8 to 32 a side were needed :scratch:

Re: rim screws

Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 11:05 pm
by WDCreech
With my 474, my car used to run high 8s. I had the tires mounted with 8 screws per side, on each wheel. Since I went to a 606" engine, I use beadlocks.

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Re: rim screws

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 8:00 am
by go to guy
The FACTS and the TRUTH...

"Special Ed" has been racing nearly 20 years, far longer than most that post on these mesage boards and has NEVER seen a drag slick come off a wheel no mind because it wasn't screwed to the rim! :roll:

"Special Ed" has been racing 36 weekends a year for a very long time, has made over 4000 passes in his former ride a nearly 2 ton '68 Chevelle that has gone 1.28 60 foot on 10" tires and has made 300 passes to date in his new ride, an '02 Firebird that has gone a best of 1.20 60 foot with the front tires, 1.31 with the back on 13.5" tires, running as quick as 8.95 with a restrictor plate, slowing his car to run sub 9.05 at nearly 150MPH every week regardless of weather.

Neither car has ever had the tires screwed to the rim and never will!

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbKYio6OvKM

Weekly, he watches numerous mid and low 7 second 1000+HP piperacks going 1.teens to 0's in 60 foot without having their tires screwed to the rim like these for example...

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as well as countless door cars running 10's , 9's and 8's in addition to knowing and seing that the majority of stock and super stock racers too do NOT have their tires screwed to the rim!

This '69 Camaro running a nothing special n/a 400 sbc that "Special Ed" spec'd, topped with a 4150 carb, backed by a glide, 10" converter and 4.56 gear running on 10" tires and through the mufflers, launching off the footbrake to a best of 1.27 60 foot, is another of many that ain't got his tires screwed to the rim either yet somehow has managed to win multiple track championships without the tire coming off the rim! ;)

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Personal choice aside, most running them don't need them!

Further, there is no NHRA rule, never was mandated screwing slicks to the rim and only in the last 10 years have they mandated bead locks for certain classes.

Now of course there are cars that need to secure their tires to the rim but the majority of those posting on message boards like this and those you'd see running their car at the track on grudge night/test/tune days who have their tires screwed to the rim...DON'T!


THE PROOF IS IN THE PERFORMANCE

"Special Ed" don't bullshit and can back up every that he states!

If you want to see what he states in person, he's easy to find, bracket racing every weekend March through November at one of 7 tracks(ETown, Island, Atco, Numidia, Maple Grove, Cecil County, MotorMile, Piedmont) in 4 states(NJ, PA, MD, VA, NC)

You also won't see him check, add or reduce his tire pressue between rounds yet somehow his time slips show his runs only vary thousanths of a second from pass to pass! ;)

That said, message boards as a whole aren't the best place to get advice for those that want to shorten their learning curve, spend the least $ achieving their goals, get it right the first time and RACE rather than endlessly working on their junk...since most that offer it on these boards are not serious and accomplished racers but rather career test/tuners, wannabe heads up racers, dreamers who are perpetuating myth, rumor, hearsay and marketing they've been told by another, read online or in a magazine!

Do yourself a favor and spend time at the track on RACE day, not test/tune days and/or go to an NHRA divisional or national event talk to serious sportsman racers that compete weekly in their venue chasing a championship and see for yourself who isn't screwing their tires to the rim!

Re: rim screws

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:49 am
by kyleracer
oooooh he is back !!! :shock:

Re: rim screws

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:50 am
by go to guy
How about saying thanks for taking the time to enlighten me/us like you did to John or is it he told you what you wanted to hear and I told your the TRUTH? :roll:

Re: rim screws

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:56 am
by kyleracer
no time ---going racing ! I read the book you posted before - thanks anyway !!! did not need to read it again :roll:

Re: rim screws

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:57 am
by go to guy
You mean testing/tuning :roll: and you ain't doing it today! :-P


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Re: rim screws

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 11:25 am
by Moparious Maximus
I run a heavy car on fairly small tires, and its pretty fast. I run low 8s and have been in the 7s. I used to run without screws and now I have 8 per side, I run my tire pressure at 9 psi, its gone up in smoke before and its shook the tires hard, but most of the time she stands up and goes.

Re: rim screws

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 11:28 am
by vegaracer
Welcome back Special Ed :roll:

Re: rim screws

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 11:50 pm
by WDCreech
"Special Ed" has been racing nearly 20 years, far longer than most that post on these mesage boards and has NEVER seen a drag slick come off a wheel no mind because it wasn't screwed to the rim!

I have never seen a slidk come off of the rim either, but I have seen them slip on the rim and shear off a valve stem. If you have any doubts about this, put a mark on the tire and the rim, then check to see if the bead has moved after you make a couple of launches.

Re: rim screws

Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 12:03 am
by go to guy
Can't shear a valve stem when you don't run tubes! :-P

It's almost 2010...who uses tubes? :roll:

Re: rim screws

Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:22 am
by John_Heard
LOL - Well, the facts are regardless if Special Ed's has seen it happen or not, I have, along with thousands of others at the 2009 Ozark Raceway Park Street Machine Nationals on Steve Napier's Flat Black Nova, who was running in Drag Radial Class. I'm willing to bet that Steve will indeed be switching to screws, beadlocks or glue to help prevent it from happening again.

Edwardo, I'm glad you've never lost a tire running them the way you do, as I would hate to see anyone stuff their car into the wall. However note Kyleracer's talking about an 8 second car, quite a bit faster than your car and beadlocks or screws are the norm for cars running that fast.