I got those 28X11.5inch hoosiers to fit......next question, one of them has a slight leak, loses all air in about 40 minutes, so I want to put tubes in them. Somebody told me I have to screw the rim to the bead with tubes. Wouldnt' that puncture the tubes??? Please tell me if I need to do this.

first off, thats a pretty big leak, i wouldn't wanna leave the pits with 24psi in both tires and get to the line with 24 in one and 18 in the other. i may be wrong, but my impression is that you only need to screw the bead/use bead locks if your rim is spinning inside your tire, and no, it won't puncture te tube because you use pretty short screws to do it.

if your using a bias ply tire, which it sounds like you are, and you want to run low pressure (like below 20psi) for maximum traction then you definitely need a tube anyways.

the screws arent long enough to go all the way through the bead. so it wont puncture anything.....but like was already said you only need rim screws if your rim spins inside the tire.....to tell, make a mark on the tire, and on the rim in the same spot....after a few passes, if the mark is moving, then you probably need rim screws

(Emphasis added) Why do you say that? I'm running Hoosier DOTs at 13 psi with no tubes. Know plenty of guys who run ET Drags, ET Streets, & Hoosiers w/o tubes.

FWIW, also know a very successful good-ol'-boy racer who uses silicone RTV on the beads instead of screws.

Last year was the first time I went with tubes. Using a tube adds support to the sidewalls. If the sidewall wrinkles too much you can get inconsistant 60' times. By using a tube, 60' times can be more consistant. There are a lot of racers who don't run tubes just to cut down on rotating weight. A tube is heavy especially when the tire is spinning at over 100 mph. Any car running slower than 12 seconds doesn't really need a tube.

Since you're trying to fix a tire leak problem, using a tube is a cheaper method than buying new tires. It sounds like those used tires you bought are worn out though.

If you don't use rim screws and the tire spins on the rim, you risk tearing the valve stem out of the tube. Since you have a tire with a leak, there's no real way to tell if the tire will spin or not since you can't run it without the tube to keep the air in.

Installing rim screws isn't hard but you have to take the tires off the rims first. Holes are drilled evenly around the bead lip. The burr on the backside from the drilling needs to be cleaned off then the tires are remounted. Usually the minimum number of screws used are 4 on each side of the rim. Moroso sells the proper screw. They look just like a regular hex head 1/4" screw but the Moroso ones are grade 8. The screws are only 3/4" long. The distance between the tire bead and the rim thickness is around 1".

Once the tire/tube is mounted, the tire is inflated to 30-40 psi. The screws are then screwed into the holes previously drill in the rim and go into the tire bead. If the bead starts to get pushed off the rim, inflate the tire more. Once all the screws are in adjust the tire pressure to racing pressures.

Once everything is mounted, inflated and secured, have it all rebalanced.

I run around 12 psi in my tires. Before I installed tubes I marked the tire at the valve stem with some shoe polish. After about 12 passes, the mark had moved 1" away from the valve stem. I was also doing 1.6x 60' times.

hmmm, how bout fix-a-flat? I know this sounds ghetto guys, but really, I'm an extremely broke-*** fool. I have like the exact amount in change it costs' to run my car at the track, and I havea pretty badass motor setup, and all my friends have been giving me **** for months because my new motor is "unproven" despite beating so many low 12 second cars on the street.....everyone demands timeslips!! Grrrrr. I need to win the lotto damnit.

Don't use Fix-a-flat. This can cause a severe imbalance problem, especially with slicks. Determine first where the leak is coming from. If it's leaking as much as you claim it is, this should be easy to do. I've seen small puncture holes in the tread of slicks successfully repaired with plugs, on several occassions.

http://drr.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&...4302#208604302

A breif message about plugging a slick.

Ok guys,I know I"m going to get a lot of flak for this...but here's what i did. Bought a cheap $10 autozone inner tube, and siliconed the slick to the rim at the bead so it won't have the chance to spin. Now before you say the silicone wont' hold the slick in place....the guy who recommended this extreme-******* racing method, runs 10.20's @132 We'll see what happens. I cant' wait to run my car.

You must know someone else who uses the method, because neither I nor my good-ol'-boy run that quick.

I had the same prblem and unlike many people here I work in a damn tire shop. I don't use tubes or anything. I cleaned the rim's bead and use bead sealer. On the stock rims I balanced the alloy 2 but on the weld I didn't even bother balancing them because it changes to much with burnouts and such so yeah. But bead sealer is meant for getting rid of bead leaks.