i think my question will come down to opinion but can slicks go bad? i have these slicks that im currently running. i got them a couple years ago (new) and used them very little. then i swapped back to a smaller size for the rest of that year.
fast forward to last year i ran these slicks again but was only able to make it 9 passes due to unforseen circumstances.
the best i was able to pull on these was high 1.6s. now this year im stuck in the same boat. IMO the car should pull mid 1.6s and lower (which it has in the past). i have yet to hit that mark for the last 2 years. the track im running at is where i usually run the best 60s. the track was prepped friday, saturday and today. i dropped launch RPM, i dropped psi in the slicks. burnouts should be good etc.
im just stumped at this point. everything points to the slicks but they have very little time on them. nothing has changed in the car. with a good 60 time its got soo much more potential than what im getting out of it now.
looking for informed opinions.

 

so, have you EVER cut that 60' with these tires? from what i read i get a no. so what would make you say the car should cut that if it never has on THOSE tires? but to answer the question, yes, slicks can "go bad" over time tires dry out and become harder. but it could also be set-up, and or driver

 

to answer your question graig the best 60' ive pulled on these was 1.66 twice. other than that its been upper 1.6s and lower 1.7s............garbage.

 

i understand, thats all i cut without the wheelie bars ever hitting. what size/power level?

 

24s, 250/150
the thing that gets me is some of these other cars pulling mid to upper 1.5s on setups almost identical to mine. i must just suck at driving. my MPH is good but 60s are holding me back badly.

 

whats the car weigh?

 

weighed her a couple weeks ago. 1640 w/o me. im 190 or so.

 

what width, and what size wheel?

 

24.5X8X13 rims are lensos, i think they are 7.5" wide.

 

what are you running for psi in the slicks?

 

in all my previous slicks i was usually ran 8psi cold. i ran these ones 7.5 cold on down to 6.5 cold still no good. MPH stayed consistent at different psi 94mph+

 

hmm, im kinda stumped. it may be in how you get off the clutch and into the throttle. idk. i run mine at 6.5 psi and re-adjust before every run.

do yous 60's change at the different pressures?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Garage 808 Hatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hmm, im kinda stumped. </TD></TR></TABLE>

you and me both.

as far as getting off the clutch its an all motor car. i dump that bitch, she spins a bit and grabs.

at 7.5psi i was running about the same 60s as at 6.5psi. i mean my 60s can vary a little by .02-.03 which is pretty normal. the end result at the track is still usually really consistent ETs assuming i dont misshift.

 

try riding the clutch out a bit. i dropped over a tenth on an all motor open diff car doing that

 

nothing in the setup changed right???

 

i guess the only major change was the swap of the wheels.

 

we picked up over a tenth on the 60' using the m/t 24.5x9x13 as opposed to the m&h 24.5x8.5x13. its an all motor eg.
went from mid to high 1.7s to low 1.6s
I guess the larger contact/different compound works out better.

 

i notice on these slicks when coming back to hte pits the rocks stick to them like normal but i dont have that "wadded up *****" of rubber on the slick. they are just smooth. on all my old slicks they get kinda like "wadded rubber *****" on them. something just doesnt seem right.

 

It might just be me. Based on how I did my burnouts, but remeber last year on your last pass. We told you to really warm your slicks up (smoke show style). If I remeber rite, it ended up being one of the better 60' or passes.

Diffrent compounds, might take a little more to get sticky.
found a quick vid (real crappy footage sorry) But this is what I'm talking about. Are you still doing a quick spin, then staging?

 

line lock took care of that problem.

 

yes slicks do go bad in my opinion.

They get hard and less gummy.

I have heard you can use a solution on them, use a torch to soak it in and they become sticky again for a few passes.

If they have been sitting around for a few years - i would definitely get new slicks, regardless of tread depth indicators.

FWIW- dont want to start a MT vs MH debate but a friend switched to 24.5 MTs from MHs this weekend and went from mid 1.6s to mid 1.5s . . .

 

sure would be nice to salvage these.
ive had good luck with both M&H and MT. ive pulled my best 60s on MH slicks but they were also 23". when i was on 22s i used MT. now my 24.5s are MT also.

 

I think any slicks that are 1+ year old should be replaced for optimal performance.

I know we are all on a budget but for 175 a piece, a new set could make or break your weekend at the track

Doing a big, smokey burnout does not always mean you will have the best traction. Some tires start to glaze at higher temps and will cause you to 60ft worse.

When i do big burnouts my 23 inch MHs 60ft around 1.8s, high 1.7s. When I just do a few second long spin to heat them up- I went 1.5s low 1.6s this weekend.
I know that wasnt the point of your post, just putting up my $.02 about what was also said earlier

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 2fastGSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think any slicks that are 1+ year old should be replaced for optimal performance.

I know we are all on a budget but for 175 a piece, a new set could make or break your weekend at the track

Doing a big, smokey burnout does not always mean you will have the best traction. Some tires start to glaze at higher temps and will cause you to 60ft worse.

When i do big burnouts my 23 inch MHs 60ft around 1.8s, high 1.7s. When I just do a few second long spin to heat them up- I went 1.5s low 1.6s this weekend.
I know that wasnt the point of your post, just putting up my $.02 about what was also said earlier</TD></TR></TABLE>


and a

John
M&H

 

good to see your still around john. i was wondering if you still lurked here.

as far as my procedure doing my burnout that video was last year and yes im sure i wasnt doing an adequate burnout. i couldnt get my handbrake to hold the car so i linelocked the rear.
this year no problem, linelocked the rear, started doing burnouts in 2nd gear again instead of 3rd. 3rd gear burnouts on friday night kinda bogged once the tires started to pull me forward from getting sticky. so sunday i dropped to a 2nd gear burnout and its not bogging when they start to stick.