Drag Racing Tech - Do You Run Tubes In Your Slicks?

Like the title says...I wanna know how many of you run tubes in tube required tires. Just thought I'd ask cause I've had mixed feed back....

It's a personal preference I know people who have gone faster with them and faster without them.

I ran them on my old '79 camaro with 28x11.5x15 et streets just because I heard they were more stable at the big end than running without. Also heard they were more stable period with tubes. Never tried them without. BUT I had been looking into the hoosier dot QTP tires and was thinking about running them without tubes...but I may go with the drag radials instead to avoid growing on the big end.

None here and I have rim screws. -Mark

In my experience if it's heavy or if it is stick shifted you are better off running tubes or another option would be a stiff sidewall slick.

I run stiff sidewall slicks and tubes. From my experiance having this setup, the car reacts alot faster and "hits" alot harder off the line. The only downside that I have found was that the tubes added more rotational weight.

I'm running no tubes on stiff walled slick, stick car

I use tubes in 10.5x28 stiffs and in my 11.5x28 QTPs. I have run with and without them, main reason I use them is there is never any leaks, have to use screws with tubes naturally.

I don't currently but they will next year, basically all because of the fact that my tires are flat after sitting a week... Granted I couldn't tell you how old they are :jest:

So it's completely possible to run M/T ET Drags w/o tubes???

So it's completely possible to run M/T ET Drags w/o tubes???

Yep. All the time. -Mark

Ran mine without tubes. Not for sure what I'm going to do next year but I hate adding air every week.

pain in the ass when the car sits for a week or so to fill them up everytime easyer to run tubes

i have used hoosier full slicks, hoosier QTP's, and i know many people who run hoosier radial slicks. no tubes in any of them

In the past I ran no tubes in my slicks. I found my tires went flat every few days or so. I switched to tubes,my tires never went flat again and my 60 foots got better.

I have never ran tubes. I run the 26x8.5x15 MT ET Drags. Time are in the sig.

I run tubes in mine,29.5x10.5 et drags. No leaks.:nod:

So it's completely possible to run M/T ET Drags w/o tubes???

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/xxbulaxx/burnout2.jpg

:D No tubes here.

ran my last to sets of et streets without tubes. never leaked air and never had problems. i think they recommend tubes if you want to run low pressures. never had tubes dont no what the difference would be.

i just smear liquid dish soap all over on the inside of the slicks two times then mount them and rarely do I add air to them, in fact the car has sat on jackstands all winter and only lost 2 psi. Do the sidewalls and the tread surface on the inside, 2 slicks uses almost a full bottle of dish soap but stops the leaks once mounted and aired up.

I just run the tubes less work for me

I tried to use tubes but both of them leaked so I had to return them

Last year I got so tired of adding air during the week and didn't like the car sitting on flats so it will be tubes from now on.

guess no one is willing to do the soap trick instead of tubes...

M/T since I started racing with slicks in 1994 and never had tubes. As mentioned if you soap/install the slicks/tires correctly sometimes there's no need for screws and/or tubes. Will Stevenson's drag radial Camaro has gone 7.51 at 191 mph without screws or tubes on the radials. I've seen quite a few 1.3X 60 foot cars without tubes or screws, so it can be done.

Derek

nope, never had tubes

how does the soap help with leaks and other stuff?

I thought slicks were porus and leaking from the rims wasnt the issues. Sitting on jackstands would take alot of pressure off the tires and I assumes they would leak slower.

No tubes here. I run 325/50/15 MT radials and 26x11.5 ET streets. Both without tubes.

Mine goes low 1.30 60's on Hoosier radials with no tubes or screws.

No tubes, Hoosier 29X10 with rim screws

Did the dishwashing soap on the inside, they can sit for weeks and not loose any air

No tubes here.
M/T Sportsman Pros.

I never ran tubes. Dish soap or tire slime works pretty good. I drive slicks on the street a lot and they're usually easier to plug when they get a puncture in the tread if they don't have tubes. Just my preference. I also hate drilling my wheels for screws. No tubes, no screws.

So you guys are saying the tire will not spin on the rim? I thought all tires were mounted with the help of some dish soap? What has changed since I last had a set of tires mounted? Please explain this dish soap method you speak of. :secret2:

So you guys are saying the tire will not spin on the rim? I thought all tires were mounted with the help of some dish soap? What has changed since I last had a set of tires mounted? Please explain this dish soap method you speak of. :secret2:


I think they are refering to coating the inside of the tires with dish soap to prevent leaks. I've not had to do anything to my Hoosiers. Guess I have been lucky to have no leaking tires so far, until they are about a year old. I have one set of 10.5 X 29" bias ply Hoosiers on their third season. I still use them on tracks too slick for radials. They still hook great, but will loose about 1 lb a day now. The radials are faster & quicker, so I run them when I can. Have only had to go to the bias tires twice so far this year. I mount mine with just straight water. I feel like it helps prevent slipping on the wheels, I could be wrong. No tubes or screws here. I'm not exactly sure how they do the dish soap thing. Never tried it.

i just smear liquid dish soap all over on the inside of the slicks two times then mount them and rarely do I add air to them, in fact the car has sat on jackstands all winter and only lost 2 psi. Do the sidewalls and the tread surface on the inside, 2 slicks uses almost a full bottle of dish soap but stops the leaks once mounted and aired up.

Been doing this for about 20 yrs and it works!

I filled my slicks with tubes to 13psi in April and they sit at 13.5 psi as of right now(I guess the heat made the psi rise) but all I am trying to say is they dont leak nothing and if you fill with nitrogen the heat wont even change the psi ;)