Questions about radial slicks

[68Coupe]

I am a bracket race, but huge fan of stock & super stock. My car runs 10.70's in the summer and i was thinking about going to a 30x9 radial, currently run a 28x10.5 bias.
I was wonder how much ET do you think i will pick up.

I have heard that some stockers run their radials all the time but some only run them for heads up runs, was just wondering if i could get some feedback about who runs them all the time.

For the ones that run them all the time wondering how often you have problems with your car not hooking

[countrypuppy4865]

The vast majority of stockers run radials all the time (except stick cars). Switching to radials (with the same roll out) should be .10-.12

[Jeff Teuton]

We have tried since the new cars to run bias, and the go to radials, but have just not been able to make the switch, so we just run radials all the time. We probably just are not smart enough.

[Gary Wiegand]

67 Camaro, 385 cu.in. Runs 10.20's to 10.50's depending on which tires I use, the track and the air. I run the Hoosier 28 x 10.5 stiff sidewall tires on 10" wheels, or the Hoosier 30 x 10.5 radials on 10" wheels. The difference in et is 0.10 and the rpm increases about 300 rpm thru the lights. Your reaction times will be quicker with the radials especially when compare to standard sidewall bias ply tires. This is my on my car, your results may of course vary. (You may want to try the 10.5" radials as opposed to the 9". On my car 29 x 10" bias ply, and the 28.5 x 10.5" stiff wall bias ply and the 10.5" radials all fit essentially the same.)

[Myron Piatek]

If your track(s) maintain the surface very well, radials offer the advantages already outlined. However, if they don't, or they simply can't keep up due to conditions beyond their control (high humidity, high heat, very cold temps, etc.) and traction tends to be marginal, you may be better off with bias ply slicks. Radials are more sensitive to track conditions, so you may lose some consistency. Consistency wins more races than ET.

I'm one of those who run radials all the time - Hoosier 9" lightweight. But the IHRA tracks I run at, and finally some of the local tracks, tend to be maintained at an above average level. Besides, swapping tires and adjusting for the resulting variables is a pain.

[1320racer]

Jerry, you know this but I'll state it for those that don't that like you are wanting to try radial slicks.

I'm a bracket racer and I've been running Hoosier radial slicks season long since 2000. 30 x 10.5 through the 2008 season



and since then 32 x 13.5.



I was going through 3 sets of the 30/10.5 a season, typically swapping them out at 75 passes and now go through 2 sets of the 32/13.5 typically swapping them out every 125 passes. Weight of the vehicle, power and burnout will influence how many passes you get with this or any slick.

That said, if your car/suspension doesn't work, your track's starting line junk or you're the guy looking to put hundreds of passes on a set of slicks, don't make the changed.

Unlike bias slicks that will lose a few hundreds in 60 foot when they spin, radial slicks spin tenths as if you're on ice. There's no dialing for the spin with these tires.

As to the tenth improvement in ET that most talk about always seems to be on small block cars. My cars are big block and maybe I saw half a tenth at best.

Lastly, you will also gain 200-300 RPM at the stripe due to the fact that radial slicks don't grow significantly.