How NOT to boil the tires?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 134
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From: New Taxes York
How NOT to boil the tires? Hey all...
Been enjoying the hell out of this LS2 swap in my 69 Camaro for a few years. I never had my heart rate increase at 6 oclock in the morning like it does when I drive it to work at a buck twenty...except when the coffee kicks in.
I've never had a single hiccup with it. It doesn't like hot humid weather, but nothing a better tune can't fix.
My dilemma is that the car is so light and the power so hot that it's far too easy to boil the tires... at ANY speed.
I'm still running the cliche' BF Goodrich T\A's. They might as well be made of plastic, they're so hard, but I never figured I'd swap in a beast-mode LS so they were fine.
It can get scary at times if I'm not careful. The first time they cut loose at 65mph and the car started to head sideways, I knew I needed to do something about the tires and suspension.
Short of stickier rubber, what upgrade(s) will help keep the rear planted better and make the car quicker? Fast is easy...quick takes science.
Its a 4l65e, 3.42 gears, Hotchkis lowering springs front and back, plain AC Delco shocks and poly bushings throughout.
Cal-Tracs? A tuned shock? Both?
I don't want to re-engineer the car... just looking for simple bolt-ons. Unfortunately I'm still running 15" wheels so my tire choices for better traction are severely limited.
Suggestions that I won't need a loan to afford?
Thanks all
Been enjoying the hell out of this LS2 swap in my 69 Camaro for a few years. I never had my heart rate increase at 6 oclock in the morning like it does when I drive it to work at a buck twenty...except when the coffee kicks in.
I've never had a single hiccup with it. It doesn't like hot humid weather, but nothing a better tune can't fix.
My dilemma is that the car is so light and the power so hot that it's far too easy to boil the tires... at ANY speed.
I'm still running the cliche' BF Goodrich T\A's. They might as well be made of plastic, they're so hard, but I never figured I'd swap in a beast-mode LS so they were fine.
It can get scary at times if I'm not careful. The first time they cut loose at 65mph and the car started to head sideways, I knew I needed to do something about the tires and suspension.
Short of stickier rubber, what upgrade(s) will help keep the rear planted better and make the car quicker? Fast is easy...quick takes science.
Its a 4l65e, 3.42 gears, Hotchkis lowering springs front and back, plain AC Delco shocks and poly bushings throughout.
Cal-Tracs? A tuned shock? Both?
I don't want to re-engineer the car... just looking for simple bolt-ons. Unfortunately I'm still running 15" wheels so my tire choices for better traction are severely limited.
Suggestions that I won't need a loan to afford?
Thanks all
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Joined: Mar 2014
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From: Ohio
Caltracs and split monos did wonders for my car, but they're about $1000 combined. The split monos still ride surprisingly nice.
Boil the hides Street tires get hard with heat cycles unlike strip tires. You have several years on the tires and, I'm sure, more that a few burn outs to harden the rubber. Few trade offs with rubber compounds. High wear with soft tires and not good in the rain with treadless but you already know this. Stickier tires will do much better...for a while. Get a brick and place it under the throttle pedal!
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 134
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From: New Taxes York
Thanks all
I knew tires were the first thing to go. As far as hardening them with burnouts, it's tough NOT to. I'd love to be able to be quicker from a standing start without ending up in a cloud of smoke. I didn't build the car for straight-line or drag racing but this is ridiculous.
I'll start with tires and look into a better shock. I'm not ready to dump too much more into it because there's other things I need to upgrade as well.
And I'm not concerned with ride...it's already stiff but not jarring. It's an expensive and ugly looking toy that surprises people, not a luxury family vacation cruiser.
I knew tires were the first thing to go. As far as hardening them with burnouts, it's tough NOT to. I'd love to be able to be quicker from a standing start without ending up in a cloud of smoke. I didn't build the car for straight-line or drag racing but this is ridiculous.
I'll start with tires and look into a better shock. I'm not ready to dump too much more into it because there's other things I need to upgrade as well.
And I'm not concerned with ride...it's already stiff but not jarring. It's an expensive and ugly looking toy that surprises people, not a luxury family vacation cruiser.
As much as the drag racing people do not like them the nitto 555r are a good compromise for DD duty, I have had them on my LS mustang for years making over 500+hp. Yes you do loose something at the track, and like any DR they are not the best in the rain, but it is manageable and I usually get 2 years out of em.
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Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 134
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From: New Taxes York
The 555's we're my first thought. They've been a go-to choice for a long time. I don't drive it in the rain unless I get surprised and then I just keep my foot out of it.
I'm only running a 235 now, and the wheel offset has them close enough to the outer lip that I rolled them for clearance. If I can stuff a 255 in there without rubbing I'll be ahead of the game without having to replace the wheels as well.
I'm only running a 235 now, and the wheel offset has them close enough to the outer lip that I rolled them for clearance. If I can stuff a 255 in there without rubbing I'll be ahead of the game without having to replace the wheels as well.
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Teching In
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 27
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Sticky Mickeys or M&H Race Master DR's for the win 
Nitto's arent a terrible choice but even with 555 R's you need to heat the living chit out of them to get any traction out of them (with big power).
I drove a 9 Sec 780 RWHP truck on the street for many years and I could smoke the tires at parkway speed like I was power braking it from the line. At the time I was running standard 555's, I switched to MT Et Street DR's and the difference was night & day. After that I could go almost 3/4 throttle from a stop and keep it under control. You might get some spin but nothing like before
Just remember once you stop spinning when you unleash all that power you put a lot of other stuff under severe load. Drive Shaft Loop & Bars are a must, Adj Shocks would also be a smart move.
PS
BF Goodrich T\A's are a joke for traction so they need to go no matter what
Nitto's arent a terrible choice but even with 555 R's you need to heat the living chit out of them to get any traction out of them (with big power).
I drove a 9 Sec 780 RWHP truck on the street for many years and I could smoke the tires at parkway speed like I was power braking it from the line. At the time I was running standard 555's, I switched to MT Et Street DR's and the difference was night & day. After that I could go almost 3/4 throttle from a stop and keep it under control. You might get some spin but nothing like before
Just remember once you stop spinning when you unleash all that power you put a lot of other stuff under severe load. Drive Shaft Loop & Bars are a must, Adj Shocks would also be a smart move.
PS
BF Goodrich T\A's are a joke for traction so they need to go no matter what
More then likely just the tire swap will be a night and day difference for you. I had an old set of Mickey sportsmans 31x15" wide and it felt like I had 800hp. Every blip of the throttle would roast them. I finally put some good new rubber on the car and it hooks hard.
Edit: Although they aren't ideal the old style slapper traction bars do work and they can be bought for $165 or so.
Last edited by LLLosingit; Sep 28, 2017 at 05:06 PM.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 134
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From: New Taxes York
Slappers! NOOooooooo!
I'll ask Santa for Cal-Tracs... and maybe I'll just hook up the traction fluid system to the rear wheels like came from the factory. I wish it was that easy...
The reason I'm still doing donuts on these Flintstone BFG's is the cost to replace all 4 wheels and tires. I'll do Cal-Tracs first...
Anybody wanna buy a boat?
I'll ask Santa for Cal-Tracs... and maybe I'll just hook up the traction fluid system to the rear wheels like came from the factory. I wish it was that easy...
The reason I'm still doing donuts on these Flintstone BFG's is the cost to replace all 4 wheels and tires. I'll do Cal-Tracs first...
Anybody wanna buy a boat?
Try a bigger cam.
Not kidding.
Move the power curve up in RPM. Your car can't hold all that low end torque, might as well move the power to point where it can. The 302 they put in the 69's had the right idea.
Have the same problem on the Datsun, but with IRS it probably does a better job putting the power to the ground. Assume you have some sort of posi as well.
BF Goodrich makes some G Force tires in 15 inch. They do well in the wet. They don't seem to have as many sizes as they used to but tire rack does have a 225-45-15
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...omCompare1=yes
I don't worry so much about wear rating. Like you they seem to get old before they wear out.
Not kidding.
Move the power curve up in RPM. Your car can't hold all that low end torque, might as well move the power to point where it can. The 302 they put in the 69's had the right idea.
Have the same problem on the Datsun, but with IRS it probably does a better job putting the power to the ground. Assume you have some sort of posi as well.
BF Goodrich makes some G Force tires in 15 inch. They do well in the wet. They don't seem to have as many sizes as they used to but tire rack does have a 225-45-15
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...omCompare1=yes
I don't worry so much about wear rating. Like you they seem to get old before they wear out.