Tire Screws

[Cogan]

Has anyone had to use tire screws with a radial slick? I know there are alot of variables invovled but just curious. Thanks!

[1320quick]

I run 30x9 MT ET drag radial slicks on my Nova (when I can afford them). I was told not to use rim screws on them. I run them with no tubes and no screws on a 15x8 wheel and they work great like that. That being said, I do run tubes and screws when I run bias ply slicks.

[Cogan]

Thanks for the reply. I was told that some of the competitors in the drag radial classes have been staking their tires. Don't know if it is because they are running too low of air pressure or what. Plus some of these cars are running in the 8 sec zone. Thanks again for your input.

PS - have you ever marked your wheels and tires to see if there is any slippage?

[1320quick]

Thanks for the reply. I was told that some of the competitors in the drag radial classes have been staking their tires. Don't know if it is because they are running too low of air pressure or what. Plus some of these cars are running in the 8 sec zone. Thanks again for your input.

PS - have you ever marked your wheels and tires to see if there is any slippage?

Your right, I've seen some guys in the drag radial classes do that. In fact, I was in Vegas two months ago for the PSCA winter nationals and I saw that a lot of the wild street cars were running beadlock wheels. I doubt many of those guys are running low tire pressure because the drag radials will not hook very well if the pressure is too low. I do know one of the cars running beadlocks on his drag radial was running 16lbs in his tires. Yes, I have marked my drag radials and they do slip. Maybe 1/4" each pass. My Nova has been 1.40 60's and 9.50 @ 146mph on the drag radials without screws.

[Cogan]

1/4" per pass!!! Is this normal with what other people are experiencing? I wouldn't think that slippage is very desireable. Have you ever seen a loss of air pressure after a run? And also, do you know why the tire manufacturers do not recommend staking radial tires? Just curious because I am building a stocker and plan on running radials. So I'm just doing some homework. Thanks.

[Rick M]

We have ran drag radials for sometime and our experience with them is they tend to spin on the wheel more when they are new.After a few heat cycles they still move just not as much.Within the first couple of passes they will make 2-3 revolutions. This is running between 13-15 lbs. We are considering a beadlock wheel to see if it really makes a difference.

[jones_performance]

Thanks for the reply. I was told that some of the competitors in the drag radial classes have been staking their tires. Don't know if it is because they are running too low of air pressure or what. Plus some of these cars are running in the 8 sec zone. Thanks again for your input.

PS - have you ever marked your wheels and tires to see if there is any slippage?

Your right, I've seen some guys in the drag radial classes do that. In fact, I was in Vegas two months ago for the PSCA winter nationals and I saw that a lot of the wild street cars were running beadlock wheels. I doubt many of those guys are running low tire pressure because the drag radials will not hook very well if the pressure is too low. I do know one of the cars running beadlocks on his drag radial was running 16lbs in his tires. Yes, I have marked my drag radials and they do slip. Maybe 1/4" each pass. My Nova has been 1.40 60's and 9.50 @ 146mph on the drag radials without screws.

keep in mind alot of the psca wild street cars are putting out around 1000hp and up.

[Cogan]

True, there are many variables involved in whether or not the tire will slip on the wheel, power levels, track conditions, weight, air press, etc. But why do the tire manufacturers recommend tire screws for bias tires but not radials? Doesn't make sense to me. Any ideas?

Rick, beadlocks may skew your results in the test you want to try simply because the beadlocks that I have had experience with weigh approx 22 lbs more than conventional non-beadlock wheels. (11 lbs per wheel) This added weight usually kills several hundredths in the quarter, depending on the combination.

Thanks guys!

[Rick M]

Are there any beadlocks that are lighter than others?11lbs per wheel seems heavy.

[Bob West]

I run Hoosier 30x10.5x15 radial slicks, they usually move 3-4" total with fresh mounted tires. They then settle in and dont move any more and they are a beotch to get off the rims after 100+ passes. 1.37-1.41 60fts on any given day @ 3800lbs.

[Cogan]

Rick,
The only beadlock wheels that I have dealt with are Weld Wheels. Again, these are approx 11lbs per wheel HEAVIER than a non-beadlock wheel of the same dimensions. I think both Holeshot wheels and Bogart make a beadlock version of their wheels. I don't know first hand, but I've heard they are a bit lighter. As for myself, I wouldn't even think about running a beadlock wheel unless I was running well over 200 mph. I personally think that they are overkill for cars running under 200mph. Plus they cost $1000 + per wheel!!! Ouch!!! then you lose a couple of hundreths. Last year I developed a specialty insert and tire screw for those who are tired of stripping their nice wheels with a sheet metal screw. You can see them at www.kaizen-ms.com. Look at the tech info for all the details. Hope this helps. Take care.

Bob,
thanks for your info. By the way, 3800lb, 10.39 ?! That's pretty brutal.......................I like it.

Thanks guys!