Drag radials expected life span??

[shakes_26]

Okay, so we've made a bunch of passes (50-60) on the drag radials, a few street miles to the track and back (maybe 300 miles total), how do you know when they're toast?

I really dont care about how many miles or hours on the dyno they'll last, but how many passes/burnouts (on average) they're good for. So this is really for the guys who have some drag racing experience on them.

Jerry....no need to chime in, you Sir, are far too abusive to tires, I've seen what your capable of!

Specifically I run the Nitto 555DR, but you BFG or MT guys answer up as well.

thanks

[SergntMac]

The thing to understand is that a drag radial has a softer compound than a regular road tire. Softer compounds are stickier, therefore, they wear out faster. Proper inflation and how you launch on them determines the longevity of sticky. Moreover, DRs are supposed to have some tread. They are born with 5 to 6/32 of tread depth, but less that 2/32 is still legally bald everywhere in the country, and may not qualify in a track official's opinion, in a DR sponsored/sanctioned event. Barry (CruzTaker) has had some experience with this.

Zack just replaced his BFGs from 2003, late in the '05 season. You could feel how they lost their stickiness. In their prime, they felt like flypaper, and if what ever you rolled them over tended to stick to the tire. I found popsicle sticks in the trunk after a day at the track. They got to be basketball smooth, and when stuff stopped sticking, they were done. I'd estimate he got 200-250 passes on them, and he never drove them on the street anywhere.

I started the '05 season with a set of BFGs in 265/35-18, and though they were sticky, they were too small for the power I put to them. I got maybe 10-15 passes before I realized they were overpowered, and providing less traction than my street tires with 18 PSI.

Brush off your DRs and roll them over some newspaper, if it doesn't stick they may be done. Measure your tread depth at the center of the tire, if any remains.

If you are serious about racing, I suggest you limit the passes to 100 or so, and then offer them up for sale to the generation behind you for a fair price. This reduces your investment over time, and you're getting something back from that, rather than paying 6 bucks a tire in disposal fees.

Just my .02C, hope it helps.

[DEFYANT]

I ran the Nitto DR pretty hard between 8/05 and 11/05. I thought for sure I was going to be ordering new tires. But upon closer inspection of the tires off the car... I was happily surprised to see they are in great shape.

I do not drive the MM everyday, but when temps are over the 50* mark, these tires are on the car.
Some pics of whats left after a few thousand hard miles:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/Defyant/DCP_1648.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/Defyant/DCP_1647.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/Defyant/DCP_1646.jpg

[shakes_26]

Mac,

yes I'm aware that DR's are a softer compound. And with the abuse I throw at them, well, they're not long for this world. But this is exactly what I was lookign for

[quote] Zack just replaced his BFGs from 2003, late in the '05 season. You could feel how they lost their stickiness. In their prime, they felt like flypaper, and if what ever you rolled them over tended to stick to the tire. I found popsicle sticks in the trunk after a day at the track. They got to be basketball smooth, and when stuff stopped sticking, they were done. I'd estimate he got 200-250 passes on them, and he never drove them on the street anywhere. [quote]

Thanks

Charlie,

Nice, you must baby those things!

I wound up having the right rear about bald due to the TrakLok go south on me. Basically didn't notice until SSHS5, but that day did a number on the DR's. Then again I must have made a dozen or more passes that morning alone.

[DEFYANT]

I was "easy" on them at first. But towards the end of the season, I found the better the burn out the stickier the tires = better run. I know that is a no brainer for most, I am just relating my experiance with these tires.

I am very happy I still have the OEMs on stock rims. These DRs are very slick on cold pavement. Almost like wet road slick!

[shakes_26]

Yeah, no kidding, You cna ask Tallboy what he thinks of the cold DR's, I pulled out of the Hampton Saturday AM at SSHS5, the DR's were on overnite, I gunned it to get into traffic....oh look theres the Hampton, and the Waffle House, Outback, Gas Station, Hampton (again), Waffle House (round 2)....

Cold DR's = pigs on ice.....

no offense to our law enforcement brothers, just a reference to how slippery ice is to hooved animals...

[MikesMerc]

Okay, so we've made a bunch of passes (50-60) on the drag radials, a few street miles to the track and back (maybe 300 miles total), how do you know when they're toast?


Rule of thumb...one season. Second Rule of thumb....they don't last as long as you think.

A few things I've found out from others runnng them, and mostly from running them myself:

1. The compound begins to break down from the word go. So, even when barely used, the tire ages towards the end of its useful life. The rubber becomes harder over time. This leads to reduced traction when cold (due to hardness) and when heated (due to "greasy" burnouts). I'm not saying they lose all their traction with age, but they do lose a noticable amount.

2. They are through when 1/3 tread remains. Don't buy into the misconception that with less tread the tire becomes "more like a slick." Nothing could be further from the truth. You need the tread depth high enough to allow a tiny amount of flex on launch. Low tread leads to the tire feeling and reacting like it has harder rubber.

3. I'm kind of surprised that with 50 passes they are not already shot. I guess it depends on the burnouts though. I've seen the DRs give out at few passes than 50.

4. Let your 60 foots do the talking. If you are beginning to think that your 60 foot is slipping due to lost traction, it probably is. If you go out more than two or three times in a row and feel like the track prep sucked due to fading 60 foot times, its probably your tires.

My DRs has plenty of tread when I changed them. I waited for too long. The new DRs cut .4 seconds of my 1/4.

[shakes_26]

Thanks Mike.

Hard to say, my local track, Moroso is known for crappy track prep, and I've witnessed it firsthand. I'm not sure if they know what VHT is.

Anyway, I show many of the symptoms you mention, however my factory LSD is shot also (not helping my case). That is being taken care of in the next couple of weeks.

As for times, well our last run the ET was about the same mid 12.6s but trap speed was up about 0.mph to 108.5, the 60ft times however... a 2.0 flat

I attribute a lot of that to the track, but I'm sure the LSD was not helping, and the DR's are down to 25% tread for the RR, and 50% LR.

I would not have guessed the tread would have made the difference. I'm going to research this some more.

thanks to all for their inputs.


Rule of thumb...one season. Second Rule of thumb....they don't last as long as you think.

A few things I've found out from others runnng them, and mostly from running them myself:

1. The compound begins to break down from the word go. So, even when barely used, the tire ages towards the end of its useful life. The rubber becomes harder over time. This leads to reduced traction when cold (due to hardness) and when heated (due to "greasy" burnouts). I'm not saying they lose all their traction with age, but they do lose a noticable amount.

2. They are through when 1/3 tread remains. Don't buy into the misconception that with less tread the tire becomes "more like a slick." Nothing could be further from the truth. You need the tread depth high enough to allow a tiny amount of flex on launch. Low tread leads to the tire feeling and reacting like it has harder rubber.

3. I'm kind of surprised that with 50 passes they are not already shot. I guess it depends on the burnouts though. I've seen the DRs give out at few passes than 50.

4. Let your 60 foots do the talking. If you are beginning to think that your 60 foot is slipping due to lost traction, it probably is. If you go out more than two or three times in a row and feel like the track prep sucked due to fading 60 foot times, its probably your tires.

My DRs has plenty of tread when I changed them. I waited for too long. The new DRs cut .4 seconds of my 1/4.