just like the title says, when are tubes necessary? i know i could mount the hoosier slicks up and check if they're spinning on the rim, but then it'll cost me double the amount in mounting and balancing and i like to do things right the first time. Is there a general 60 foot time or ET rule?

 

most people i know run without them and just screw the slicks to the rims so they don't move.

 

I've run with and without tubes. Last year when I had them in the tires the pressures stayed constant with very little need to adjust the tire pressures. Having tubes is supposed to keep more consistent 60' times but I didn't see much difference. I did have one tube pinch and leak on a Saturday night. Nothing went through the tire to make it go flat. It's not easy getting a tube fixed late at night so you can go racing the next day. Luckly I was able to get the bead busted and I had a spare tube at home.

This year I have a set of new MT ET drags on the car and I didn't install tubes. Both tires go flat in about 2 weeks but I think that's mostly from the MT compounds. The sidewalls are so thin that air leaks right through them. Hoosier and Goodyear slicks hold air better.

I still run rim screws even when tubeless.

If you do plan on having tubes, don't cheap out with normal automotive tubes. Race tubes are made with real rubber and are lighter. The cheap tubes are made from synthetic rubber. The drawback is that race tubes are a lot more money. If you run tubes, the rims will need to be drilled for rim screws or you risk tearing off a valve stem if the tire slips on the rim. I run 8 rim screws on each side of the rim. The Moroso rim screw kit works fine.

 

Last year was my first year with tubes, I tried the M/T slicks and have heard numeriouos people talk about air bleed through the sidewall like Stephen described, so I spent the coin and bought the M/T tubes as well.

Tire psi was very consistant throughout the day, it stayed very close to where you set it before your first pass. With all my other slicks I always had to give them a blast of air before heading to staging so I could bleed some back out to where I needed to be. With the slicks, after a pass theywere upto temp and seemed to hold the little big higher pressure, so all I had to do was drive back upto staging, eliminating one process in the pits.

I always ran my Hoosiers tubeless and down to 10psi with no problem. I did install rim screws because the rims would spin-even when I was only running 13.00's they'd spin a good 1" per pass. I started having the tire shops slather some bead glue around teh bead before seating the slick to the rim and this stopped the rim spinning, but figured when I got my Tbrake I better have them drilled. just becasue.

I had myh 1.480 60' with tubeless Hoosier at 10psi and will be going back to tubeless when I go back to Hoosiers. I cannot believe how much more these M/T slicks with tubes weigh over my tubless Hoosiers, which is more than likely ANOTHER factor which led to the huge ET drop and mph loss. These tubes were not light!! If you use tubes you will have to drill out your valve stem hole to 5/8" in order for the tubes filler neck to fit through.

When going back to tubeless I have to install implement type valve stems so they seal that humongus hole I had to drill.

I'll know better about mid season when it's time for the new slicks weather the tubes helped repeatablilty in the 60' or not. I never had problems with 60's in the past without tubes, but was alot slower back then too.

If I were you, just screw the tires and call it a day. Drill the rims before you mount the tires if possible, if not use a cordless drill so you can feel when you break the backside of the rim-you dont want to drill through the tires bead. I just dabbed a little clear silicone on the ends of the screws before i threaded them down. I've got thousands of street miles of both DOT slicks and full slicks on the road with no problems. Just gets expensive since I wear them out so fast.

 

I experimented last year with running tubeless Hoosier QTP tires (31x18.5-15). I didn't screw or glue them to the rims. I marked the tire in relation to the wheel, and made numerous mid 9 second passes, keeping track of tire movement (about 9-10 lbs. of air pressure). After a few runs, the one side began to "lock in", but the other side kept moving so much, I really couldn't determine how much it was spinning on the wheel. I don't want to drill holes in my new Convo-pro's just yet, so I'm going to try gluing the beads in place with some Camel tire bead sealer, after sand blasting the wheel bead area, which is really smooth. Even though these are a tube type wrinkle wall tire, they hold air for weeks without any problem.

A few years ago I mounted a set of big tractor tires on some new steel wheels, and the inside of the bead on the rims had a knurled pattern on them (where the tire seats). Since tractors have such high traction and torque conditions, combined with low air pressures, I thought this would be a great idea to apply to drag car drive wheels also. I'm surprised that no drag wheel manufacturers have implemented this idea yet. I really hate to use rim screws.

Tubes are quite heavy - they will slow your car down. Not only do you have to carry this weight, but more importantly you have to rotate it under acceleration. They do help to stiffen the sidewall of wrinkle wall drag slicks though, and help make the tire live longer, especially on heavy, hard launching vehicles. They also help quicken your reaction times (which isn't necessarily a good thing). They are also safer (especially when using low air pressure), in case your tire happens to pop off the rim bead. I currently have tubes in my old 32x14 slicks, but will try running tubeless when I get a new set this spring.

 

I have ran bead selaer. I work at a tires store the thing works wonders. Just take it in to your local sears. Have the clean the bead of the rim and tire and seal it.

 

I ran tubes in my "first" slicks, M/T ET Drags - bought the whole setup used, rims, tires & tubes. When the M/T's wore out, I replaced them with Hoosier QTP DOTs, and one of the tubes gave out while they were mounting them (the other had already been mounted), so it was done tubeless. The one with the tube gave out at the track after I had lost for the day, while sitting in the trunk for the ride home - it's been tubeless ever since.

I don't run the most power or quickest times, but most of the guys with whom I race run theirs tubeless as well. One good ol' boy uses RTV on his beads.

The Hoosiers lose air during the week, but they're in the trunk then - I just air them up before heading for the track. I have an air tank at the track with me, give them a shot before leaving the pits for a run, and check (lower) the pressure in the staging lanes just before heading for the burnout box. So, the small leak (and I did take them in for the bead cleaning/bead sealer routine) doesn't affect anything at the track.

They're removed and street radials put on before heading home. I don't particular miss tubes.

 

Well it worked for me at the lines and driving on the streets plus. They have been setting for the whole winter and hardly lost any air which is darn good for winter when you can lose three pounds a month.

 

Jake, alot of times slicks bleed air through the actual sidewall, M/T slicks are notorious for this. If your did'nt bleed down, your one of the lucky ones. I know my Hoosiers would lose a pound or two if I let it sit between race weekends.