Why not make the tires smaller? (1 Viewer)

[Brian]

I think the idea belongs to Steve Gibbs, former competition director at NHRA. Wouldn't the easiest way to slow the fuel cars down be have Goodyear make the tires say 14" wide. They're the only supplier so it would be easy to police. Use the same parts, just detune. Seems obvious to me. What am I missing?

 

[Nick Name]

If you want to see fuel cars with small tires, newstalgia TF is for you. They run little skinny 12" wide tires, and they have huge canard wings on them so they can get down the track without crashing.

 

[Mooseman]

They are shreading the tires now. I would hate to see what would happen to a smaller tire. Imagine the tire shake. This quote from wilkerson says alot

Quote: “When I’m using 13 pairs of tires in two races like I did in Gainesville and Charlotte, we have to do something about that,” Wilkerson said. “I know the small fuel pump will take care of that by reducing the power.”

Wilkerson is also prepared to face the reality if this rule change causes drastic carnage and increases the cost of doing business, he might just be done.

“When we ran these pumps, we were a lot poorer,” Wilkerson admitted. “Nobody had the kind of money which is out here now. If it takes a pair of cylinder heads to beat the competition, it wouldn’t hurt John Force or Don Schumacher … if that’s what it takes, that might be enough to run me out business. But, maybe we are overreacting. That’s why they call it testing; maybe we ought to just give it a try.”

 

[Dave]

13 sets of tires in two races!!! And people wonder why there are so few Fuel Cars running in the big show.

Dave

 

[Mooseman]

13 sets of tires in two races!!! And people wonder why there are so few Fuel Cars running in the big show.

Dave

Thats 13 grand for tires everybody at those things are about $500 a tire.

 

[Huge]

Maybe take some of the down force away and give it to the pro stock cars. That might take care of 2 problems with 1 fix.

 

[Mooseman]

I don't know enough to have any ideas not being a tuner or anything but it seems that plenty of pretty smart people like Steve Plueger and Garlits and Dale Armstrong and heaps of really smart guys have given out ideas and been ignored.

 

[suzukiray]

Yeah, that's the NHRA way! Ignore all the GOOD advice & go with some BS load from someone in MARKETING that couldn't change a spark plug in a lawn mower!!! Ray.

 

[Toejam]

Thats 13 grand for tires everybody at those things are about $500 a tire.

I know more than one team that says they can get 3 runs on slicks at most tracks. I have never met anybody that said they need to change slicks every pass!

 

[Mooseman]

I know more than one team that says they can get 3 runs on slicks at most tracks. I have never met anybody that said they need to change slicks every pass!

Im not doubting you but read it for yourself this is where I got the quote from.

PROPOSED FUEL PUMP CHANGE HAS THE NITRO PITS BUZZING

 

[Treeshaker]

Thats 13 grand for tires everybody at those things are about $500 a tire.

At Charlotte, we made a total of 6 runs and ruined 5 sets of tires. The only run we didn't ruin the tires was when we struck the tires at the hit Friday night. The tires cost $1,604.00 per set at Charlotte, for a total bill of $8,020.00 for the event for our team just for tires.

 

[Mooseman]

At Charlotte, we made a total of 6 runs and ruined 5 sets of tires. The only run we didn't ruin the tires was when we struck the tires at the hit Friday night. The tires cost $1,604.00 per set at Charlotte, for a total bill of $8,020.00 for the event for our team just for tires.

Thanks Virgil I am glad you posted that. I am just a fan my words mean nothing you on the other hand can say the facts with the credibility that I can't.

 

[Toejam]

Im not doubting you but read it for yourself this is where I got the quote from.

PROPOSED FUEL PUMP CHANGE HAS THE NITRO PITS BUZZING

Did you read about how many tuners think it will cause more explosions?

 

[Mooseman]

Did you read about how many tuners think it will cause more explosions?

Of course, I don't know what they should do as long as it doesn't make it more expensive for the guys racing.

 

[Bullet]

At Charlotte, we made a total of 6 runs and ruined 5 sets of tires. The only run we didn't ruin the tires was when we struck the tires at the hit Friday night. The tires cost $1,604.00 per set at Charlotte, for a total bill of $8,020.00 for the event for our team just for tires.

That is just plain ridiculous!

 

[Rajunz]

At Charlotte, we made a total of 6 runs and ruined 5 sets of tires. The only run we didn't ruin the tires was when we struck the tires at the hit Friday night. The tires cost $1,604.00 per set at Charlotte, for a total bill of $8,020.00 for the event for our team just for tires.

Thanks again Virgil for posting here, and for not letting the negativity run you off. Always great to hear opinions from actual team owners and members. Anyways, my thoughts on slowing the cars down would also be to take away some of the down force, what do you think about that?

 

[mick]

tire question regarding smaller pump being tested and extreme tire wear.

1) how much more severe is tire wear today than 5 years ago? 10 years ago?

and

2) is today's higher fuel/air volume a large culprit of this wear? i.e. the horsepower is so great at the hit it damages the tires
(does 'tire shake' affect the tire?)

and/or

3) is the tire damage happening after the 1/8 mile, and if so, does the
downforce of tf/fc wing play a factor? if it was reduced, would this have
a factor on tire wear, or would the 'unsafe' factor overide any issue of tire wear?

seems to me there would be physics on how hard you can 'hit' a tire at launch - at some point the tire will not hold unless the rubber compound is
altered which leads to safety discussion.......wondering if this is the reason
so many 'new' fuel spec. tires have come from goodyear in last few years.

 

[Bross Hawg]

I know more than one team that says they can get 3 runs on slicks at most tracks. I have never met anybody that said they need to change slicks every pass!

That may be true some of the time, but see what the tires do on a cold track with bite. Next time you are at a track like that, go around the pits and look at all the tires that are chunked or have the centers pitted out. Then report back...

 

[Bross Hawg]

Thanks again Virgil for posting here, and for not letting the negativity run you off. Always great to hear opinions from actual team owners and members. Anyways, my thoughts on slowing the cars down would also be to take away some of the down force, what do you think about that?

I personally don't think taking away downforce is a good idea...sure it would slow em down, hard to run big numbers when you're smokin the hoops thru the lights. But you're throwing safety out the window by taking the downforce away. You'll see WAY more pedal fests and cars smackin' the wall or crossing the center line...leave the downforce alone!

 

[none]

One of the tire problems results from de-acceleration at the 1000' mark due to traction compound applied to the 1/4 mile for pro-stock etc.....