Re: Launching with four drag radials
what ever happened with green dots
You may already be aware that green dots are tires that are re-treads.
The compound was supposedly soft, and since the tire sizes came in stock SyTy wheel rim dia & widths,
some folks used them for racing. The thought <I think> was that they were cheap,
and for 1/4 mile, not that much of a risk for blowout, tread separation, etc.
But realize, Im guessing, as I dont think they are available amore.
Personally, I agree with Dave. The trick is to find tires that have a compound, and
size for our vehicle (if you dont have the luxury of having two sets). Nittos are known
to last somewhat longer for street use, but the compound is not soft. Some,
like the M/T`s require some amount of heating, and are problematic on rain/street conditions.
Hoosiers come in radial and bias ply, (bias ply doesnt flex like radials), and I hear they
also require hazing for grip.
BF Goodrich are somewhere in the middle.
So the trade off can be:
-Are you confident that green dots (if available) are safe for your hp/torque/application
-Can you afford 2 sets of tires (for street, for strip, for fronts and rears, or for rears only)
-Do you need "lots of grip" which usually means lots of parts breakage (axles, prop shafts, u-joints, trannies, etc)
-Can your suspension handle "lots of grip" (axles wrap around, wheel hop, etc)
-Would it make more sense to tune, and concentrate on more top end top perf mods
-Is you stall converter sized properly, and would your brakes hold for higher boost launches
-Is your vehicle lowered to the point that cladding, bump stop, or other such problems occur
-Is your reaction time so poor, that even a great launch might not help you or tranny shift points
-And do you visit different tracks (or streets) which vary greatly in traction anyway.
...I found an article long ago that mention "storage" of drag radials/racing tires was a often
overlooked point. They claimed that taking the tires off the rims, wrapping them in
air tight plastic, and keeping them out of heat/sun preserves the compound for future use.
I hear bias ply tires can separate under weight; dunno if radial cords do the same.
As I cant find the article anymore, and there is seems to be very little consensus about tires,
even among expert racers. I think Mike/RPM admitted that he was very surprised that
the Ghetto Machine pulled the wheels based on the 275`s he had on the rear.
So if 1,450 hp can hook with this size, (and if you read the Drag Week or Hot Rod
Street Winners) some of these vehicles run 8`s on smaller drag radials maybe
tires are not as critical as say tire pressure, size, suspension, track compound etc.
I remember Les/Mark (with the Stokes Sy) saying that he would rather have a bit of
"slip" than experience Ed`s front/rear/axle incident at the track. I also remember
a rather lenghty thread on green dots (safety vs speed). Lastly, some manufacturers
even post that certain rims and/or tires are not recommended for extended street use
(due to pot holes, sand, rain, ice, tar/nails/road-side junk, leaves, stop/go hiway traffic,
extended heat, etc). But I guess this is only relevant if you desired a 1-set all purpose tire.
...then again, you may have only wanted to know where to buy green dots.
And this I dont really know.
-Larry
