Drag slicks are not cheap. In addition, they are the tool that allows you to go from zero to 300 plus miles per hour in just a few seconds. These underrated components of your vehicle are important for your car’s performance and your safety on the track. Therefore, these are some tips and tricks that will help you keep your drag tires in good condition.
Avoid Sunlight
Keep your drag tires out of the sunlight unless you are on the track. In addition, avoid storing them in fluorescent light. When you aren’t on the track, consider covering your tires to prevent them from drying out due to light exposure. These tires do not have the same UV protection that street radials have, so they can become damaged by UV light easily.
Remove Your Tires From the Car
When you don’t have your car out on the track, consider removing your tires. Drag tires are much softer than traditional radials you drive on the road, so having the weight of your vehicle on them all the time can cause damage. Therefore, you should consider either removing them or jacking up your vehicle and placing it on jack stands so the tires don’t touch the ground when you are off the track.
If you remove them, store your drag tires in opaque plastic bags. Removing the weight from your tires prevents them from distortions that could affect their performance and safety.
Avoid High and Low Temperatures
Just like you would protect your Sniper 2, you need to protect your tires. One of the best ways to do this is to keep them out of extreme hot and cold. Avoid driving or storing them in extreme temperatures. In addition, never store them outdoors. When they sit outside, they dry out and experience dry rot. This rot can lead to cracks and other damage that make these tires unsafe.
Mind Your Burnouts
You want your drag racing tires to be soft when you hit the track, but you don’t want them to be too soft. Therefore, complete a hard burnout at the start of the race day. However, further burnouts should be soft. In addition, some tire manufacturers offer products that don’t require hard burnouts. Therefore, find out the requirements of your specific tires.
Avoid Cleaning Your Tread Area
You should clean your sidewalls with a mild detergent and water, but avoid cleaning your tread. Also, avoid using chemicals to clean your tires. Some may suggest an application of a UV protectant, but this can make the tires dangerous to drive on. If you apply these products to the tread, your rubber may seal and get extremely slick.
Keep Your Tires in Areas Without Electric motors
Electric motors, such as those on air compressors, furnaces and other tools, emit OZONE. This emission damages drag racing tires. Therefore, do not store your tires in areas where you will enclose them with these machines. However, do not store them outside either.
Now that you know how to take care of your drag tires, learn about how you can take care of the rest of your vehicle, such as your SBC fuel injection intake, so your vehicle performs well and keeps you safe.
