Question about drag tubes??????
Question about drag tubes?????? What is the difference between a specific tube for a drag tire and a tube for a conventional every day street tire?? I can get a tube for my ET-Streets for $15.00 but it is not a drag specific tube and the drag tubes are 50 to 60 dollars. I am thinking about trying a regular tube if I don’t get any real reasons not to. I would run them with no tubes at all but I don’t want to be filling them back up all the time.
Also would I need to glue or screw the tire to the rim if I ran tubes?
Its mostly the material, pick up a 15.00 tube and then pick up a M/T tube and the difference is obvious. Especially the area around the valve stem.
Metal valve stem NHRA rule applies to tubeless tires, not tubes.
That being said I have run cheap tubes on 10-11 second cars with no problems, but depending on the wheel it may be a bitch to get the valve stem to sit right. Race tubes also require you to drill the valve stem hole to 5/8, that will make some rims unusable with tubeless valve stems.
With either tube the tires need to be screwed to the rim.
Metal valve stem NHRA rule applies to tubeless tires, not tubes.
That being said I have run cheap tubes on 10-11 second cars with no problems, but depending on the wheel it may be a bitch to get the valve stem to sit right. Race tubes also require you to drill the valve stem hole to 5/8, that will make some rims unusable with tubeless valve stems.
With either tube the tires need to be screwed to the rim.
If you dont use screws and have a fair amount of power you will rip the valve stem off the tube.
6 & 8 Second Club
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,284
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From: Illinois, RT 66 dragway area
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If you will NEVER run at a track, then running the screw in stem tubes are not an issue.
I didn't mean the separate metal stem. I meant the screw in stem with a metal nut, sorry.
As mentioned, screw anything that is sticky. Especially with a tube!!
I know a few guys come on here saying they never screw their bad *** cars & never have an issue.
I am not that lucky, so screw it, even if you only do 6 per side. If you're making big power, go more 10-12.
Good luck.
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Teching In
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Its mostly the material, pick up a 15.00 tube and then pick up a M/T tube and the difference is obvious. Especially the area around the valve stem.
Metal valve stem NHRA rule applies to tubeless tires, not tubes.
That being said I have run cheap tubes on 10-11 second cars with no problems, but depending on the wheel it may be a bitch to get the valve stem to sit right. Race tubes also require you to drill the valve stem hole to 5/8, that will make some rims unusable with tubeless valve stems.
With either tube the tires need to be screwed to the rim.
Metal valve stem NHRA rule applies to tubeless tires, not tubes.
That being said I have run cheap tubes on 10-11 second cars with no problems, but depending on the wheel it may be a bitch to get the valve stem to sit right. Race tubes also require you to drill the valve stem hole to 5/8, that will make some rims unusable with tubeless valve stems.
With either tube the tires need to be screwed to the rim.
I can't figure out the 5/8" thing, MT tubes seem to fit fine with a 1/2" hole?
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If you will NEVER run at a track, then running the screw in stem tubes are not an issue.
I didn't mean the separate metal stem. I meant the screw in stem with a metal nut, sorry.
As mentioned, screw anything that is sticky. Especially with a tube!!
I know a few guys come on here saying they never screw their bad *** cars & never have an issue.
I am not that lucky, so screw it, even if you only do 6 per side. If you're making big power, go more 10-12.
Good luck.
.
Page 270 in the '09 NHRA rulebook sums it up.
This is right from M/T, like I said hoosier tubes may be different but I'm pretty sure they are exactly the same as M/T tubes.
http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/faqpage.php?faq=21
Its hard to tell in the pic but the rubber that surrounds the stem is fairly snug in the 5/8 hole and it actually protrudes a little from the wheel, thats why the retaining nut is shaped like a 'U,' so it goes around that rubber section. As you can also tell in the pic a 5/8 tubeless stem will no longer work. Some wheels its not an issue at all using a 5/8 stem, depends where the hole is.
6 & 8 Second Club
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,284
Likes: 0
From: Illinois, RT 66 dragway area
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It's been many years, so the rule might be out dated. You had to use tubes with a nut.
That page only mentions the tubeless requirement, unless I missed it.
Didn't mean to pass out wrong info. I hope it's not changed, I had much better luck with the screw in tubes.
The cheap tubes we used before we had to go through tech, were way too fragile.
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I was told the baby powder would keep them from sticking to the tire if it sliped a tire store down here told me that but I would run the tubes they say to run for the tires. If the tire slips and breaks the valve steam and it starts to leak by the end of the track it will be flat at over 100mph. I wouldnt want to be in that situation!
6 & 8 Second Club
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,284
Likes: 0
From: Illinois, RT 66 dragway area
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With the low pressure we run, my tubes were moving around & tearing up the stems.
After getting thrown out of RT 66 for not having a screw in tube stem. I never had a issue again.
The tubes lasted for years & my buddy used them for many more years, after I went tubeless.
Like I said, if they changed the rule, I don't like it. If you run tubes, use the screw in stem.
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With the low pressure we run, my tubes were moving around & tearing up the stems.
After getting thrown out of RT 66 for not having a screw in tube stem. I never had a issue again.
The tubes lasted for years & my buddy used them for many more years, after I went tubeless.
Like I said, if they changed the rule, I don't like it. If you run tubes, use the screw in stem.
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I was told the baby powder would keep them from sticking to the tire if it sliped a tire store down here told me that but I would run the tubes they say to run for the tires. If the tire slips and breaks the valve steam and it starts to leak by the end of the track it will be flat at over 100mph. I wouldnt want to be in that situation!
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It's been many years, so the rule might be out dated. You had to use tubes with a nut.
That page only mentions the tubeless requirement, unless I missed it.
Didn't mean to pass out wrong info. I hope it's not changed, I had much better luck with the screw in tubes.
The cheap tubes we used before we had to go through tech, were way too fragile.
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The reason for screw on stems on drag tubes is so you dont push the valve stem into the wheel when adding air at 5psi, nothing more.
That is easily solved with a small hose clamp on a cheapo tube valve stem.
The NHRA rule states tubeless tires because tubes dont apply
I wouldnt use the cheap tubes myself, but 30 years ago when 10.00 vs 50.00 a tube was the difference between going racing or not damn straight I used the 10.00 tubes. As long as the tires are screwed you will be fine..
6 & 8 Second Club
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,284
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From: Illinois, RT 66 dragway area
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I was only going by being thrown out of the track. They said it's a nhra rule.
I had no reason to argue with them, but as I said. My stems did look much better when screwed.
Could have been better material than the farm & fleet cheapy tube??
The tech guy is coming to my shop this week, if I remember, I will ask him to look it up.
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I was only going by being thrown out of the track. They said it's a nhra rule.
I had no reason to argue with them, but as I said. My stems did look much better when screwed.
Could have been better material than the farm & fleet cheapy tube??
The tech guy is coming to my shop this week, if I remember, I will ask him to look it up.
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