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First time on slicks last night...

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Old Mar 19, 2005 | 03:14 AM
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Default First time on slicks last night...

Hated it... I couldn't get them to hook up off the line and the last pass I did the car just kept drifting to the right. I slaped my Nittos on and cut .2 off my 60 foot compared to the slicks. I'm using Hoosier full sicks. What am I doing wrong? PSI, big/small burnouts.
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Old Mar 19, 2005 | 04:28 AM
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Depending on track conditions also. These are the rules of traction I tend to find useful:
1) Keep tire pressure in drags low, around 13.5lbs and go down depending on how they look after the first run, you want a nice even across the section pattern. Use a high quality low pressure gauge. I use one made for $10, a low pressure gauge from a welding gas supplier and a piece of hose with a fill/check fitting.
2) Read the tire, not only to make sure the section of the tire is getting traction across it, but look at the beading from the burnout. If its all bubbled up on the outer edge you went a lil long, if there is no rubber around the edge not long enough. Ideally you want the tires slightly warmer than the track surface, so not to much in the colder weather or your over-doing it which will reduce traction. There should be a slight amount of debris stuck to the tires after a run, unless your return rd is as clean as your track (havent seen this yet!).
3) Rim width. I prefer to run a 10"wide section on a 9" wide rim, giving a little crown but not much to the tire. With Hoosiers, my buddy runs his same width rim as tire section due to design.
4) Compound. Hoosiers have mainly two diff compounds, D05 and C07, or switch the numbers, either way the C compound nets better traction and less sway on the top end than the D. I didnt know, bought my Hoosiers and got the D compound, hated them. I cut better 60' on DR also. If you have D, sell them and get C comp.
5) Suspension, if you dont have the suspension the car wont bite to its potential no matter shoes its wearing.
6) Launch technique also plays some. If your an A4 and launching from idle, dont, load the rear by foot braking a little, find the sweet spot for those tires, its there but you have to find it. If your an M6, good luck.
Hope this helps some.

Charlie
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Old Mar 19, 2005 | 11:54 AM
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Cool. I'll check the tire number. I was foot braking it up, but just couldn't get them to hook. I'll try a much bigger burn out next time. The guys running MT ET Streets were only hooking as good as my Nittos. Also, how wobbly is it suppose to feel on the top end?
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Old Mar 19, 2005 | 10:13 PM
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Depending on the alignment of your car, the grooves in the track, air pressure, weight, and rim width vs. section width as well as tires themselves, some have a stiffer sidewall.
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Old Mar 20, 2005 | 01:29 AM
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hoosiers don't need a huge burnout to make em tacky. just go till you see a decent amoutn of smoke. try 16psi and keep dropping 1psi untill it starts slowing back down, then go back to the PSI you were at on your quickest run

also, you get the best out of the setup if you have the same size rim as you do tire
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Old Mar 20, 2005 | 06:14 PM
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My alignment is off a little when I put my track set up on. I guess it's because the front drops a bit, I don't know. But my last run with slicks was 14psi, I burned out until I saw smoke then rolled up. It was kinda slick off the line but felt ok, but as I hit the 100' mark or so the car just started to drift to the right. I shut it down and that's when I pulled the slicks off. I've got LCA's with relocation brackets, bilstein shocks with DMS springs and front sway bar removed. Might just work on suspension now instead of adding power, and go with BFG drag radials instead of slicks.
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Old Mar 20, 2005 | 06:42 PM
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I love the Hoosier QTP 26x11.5x15
Had them to the track twice now and each pass my 60's have been faster then the prior run.
DR on my m6 never worked, best was in the 1.9's
On slicks I start at 20psi with a 1.8 60's and now down to 12psi with 1.64. Next I will start to tweak the shock.
1.5 are not to far away for my!
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Old Mar 23, 2005 | 10:43 AM
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i run m&h racemaster 26x11.5x16 cheeter slicks www.intercotire.com i used some old iroc rims from the junk yard and net 1.57 60's at 12.5psi.car is a m6.
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Old Mar 23, 2005 | 11:19 AM
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Originally Posted by TNorman
Hated it... I couldn't get them to hook up off the line and the last pass I did the car just kept drifting to the right. I slaped my Nittos on and cut .2 off my 60 foot compared to the slicks. I'm using Hoosier full sicks. What am I doing wrong? PSI, big/small burnouts.
What track are you racing at? What size of hoosiers do you run? Your slicks should out hook your Nittos by far. Something is wrong.

Coach
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Old Mar 23, 2005 | 11:53 AM
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Hey it isnt your alignment that is causing the "Swaying" at the big end. The problem is you are mixing Bias Ply (Slicks) tires with radial tires. VERY big no no. They have very different characteristics. If you are going to run slicks a lot it is best to get a bias ply front tire to run with it.

Nitto and Drag radials are radial (Obviously) tires so you dont get the "wobble"
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Old Mar 23, 2005 | 09:12 PM
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i have no sway on the topend and i use stovk ws6 tires,no front runners here.
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