Drag Radial handling, is this normal?

[phiebert]

Last week I put on a set of BFG Drag Radials. They don't make the 335's so I got 315's, a lot of people on this board apparently use them and say they are fine.

So over the past few days I have been practising launching which is much better than the stock tires. The problem is that at 100 mph+ it is like driving on water balloons. Now I know that the sidewalls are very soft which allows you to get the traction, but the car's back end is all over the place when it is at higher speeds. I'm actually nervous about doing a real quarter mile because if I make it into the 130 mph range I'll be in a lethal weapon! They are this bad even with 30 psi, nevermind dropping them to 20 or less for the drag.

My question is, Is this normal? Or are they maybe so badly balanced (side to side) that they start wallowing around at higher speeds. I always felt in perfect control with any other tires. It's not because they are slightly thinner than the wheels is it? Anyone have similar experience and can tell me I'm just being a rookie!

 

[Tom Welch]

Patrick,

I have ran 10's at over 135 mph on drag radials and LOVE EM!!!!

Email me or call me for the proper set up for those tires. There is a break-in procedure for them and 30 psi is way, way to high for drag strip use.

They will ride as if you have a vibration if they are broke in correctly because the tread will have a "fish scale" look from the soft compound contact patch trying to do its job. This is normal, just an inconvience when highway driving.

tom

 

[Doug Supercharged Vipers]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by phiebert:
Last week I put on a set of BFG Drag Radials. They don't make the 335's so I got 315's, a lot of people on this board apparently use them and say they are fine.

So over the past few days I have been practising launching which is much better than the stock tires. The problem is that at 100 mph+ it is like driving on water balloons. Now I know that the sidewalls are very soft which allows you to get the traction, but the car's back end is all over the place when it is at higher speeds. I'm actually nervous about doing a real quarter mile because if I make it into the 130 mph range I'll be in a lethal weapon! They are this bad even with 30 psi, nevermind dropping them to 20 or less for the drag.

My question is, Is this normal? Or are they maybe so badly balanced (side to side) that they start wallowing around at higher speeds. I always felt in perfect control with any other tires. It's not because they are slightly thinner than the wheels is it? Anyone have similar experience and can tell me I'm just being a rookie!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Patrick -
I hope you didn't mount the 315's on the factory rear wheels did you?

Waiting for your reply,
Doug Levin

 

[phiebert]

Actually I did mount them on the factory wheels. I asked around here in a post a number of months back and it seemed like a lot of people were using these tires on the factory wheels for the occasional dragger like me.

Admittedly, they are noticeably smaller track, and actually dive in a bit from the wheel. But even the tire guy said there wouldn't be any problem because they were close enough.

Tom, I wasn't planning on keeping them at 30 psi for the drag, just had them there for street driving. I thought the higher the pressure the less squirrely they would be. Can you email me the setup, email address is in my profile. Thanks.

 

[Doug Supercharged Vipers]

&lt;&lt;Actually I did mount them on the factory wheels. I asked around here in a post a number of months back and it seemed like a lot of people were using these tires on the factory wheels for the occasional dragger like me.&gt;&gt;

Patrick -
I see now the problem you are having.
We use front wheels and mount them on the rear.

By mounting the tires on a rim too wide defeats the purpose you are intending to do. A wheel too wide (wider than the tire) stretches the side wall of the tire too much. The narrow tread makes for a very stiff side wall and makes the suspension work extra hard, instead of allowing the tire to plant firm to the ground. A tire with the tread wider than the rim allows the tire side wall to flex and plant the tread surface hard to the ground.

The BFG's are great tires for play and track use, but not as good handling at high speed as your stock street tires you are used too. You do need to get used to them.

A wing on the rear will help you from skating around at speed. Although, this may cause some drag on the car and affect the MPH.

Regards,
Doug

 

[phiebert]

Thanks for the correction Doug. I'm not a very serious dragster, I just have fun at it in the summer. Can I get away with just dropping the pressure enough and leaving them on the stock rear wheels to get a "good enough" affect? I'm thinking with 15 to 20 psi the sidewalls will start to bulge out and I'll get at least a bit of planting and more rubber down. I'm just trying to accomplish a little more traction than I had last year with stock tires, which was frustrating.

 

[Trbulnc]

Just wondering...How do drag radials hold up for driving around town. Are they reliable?

 

[phiebert]

They won't last very long. The guy I bought them from said if you expect your regular street tires to last 25,000 miles with your driving style, then expect the drag radials to last between 5,000 and 10,000 miles.