Drag radials, do they really help reduce “shock” on hard launches?
11-04-2006, 11:41 PM
#1
Melting Slicks
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St. Jude Donor '08
Drag radials, do they really help reduce “shock” on hard launches?
Like the title says, do drag radials help reduce shock that much. I look at it this way; drag-racing slicks not only give great traction, but they reduce shock on the drive train under hard launches while drag racing. What I am wondering is how much do drag radials help. Drag radials have softer sidewalls, but is this softness going with the rotation of the tire or from the outside of the tire to the center? I hope I am making my question clearly. If drag radials sidewall softness only affects side-to-side motion as in sharp turns, but not in a rotational way, then road racing type tires will be actually a better tire for street/strip purposes then drag radials. What are your opinions on this? Hopefully some people with more engineering knowledge then myself will help out.
Thanks,
Clayton from Las Vegas
Thanks,
Clayton from Las Vegas
11-05-2006, 06:27 AM
#3
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I think that the "shock" on the drive train from drag radials wouldn't be as much as slicks. I had drag radials on my car and it hooked up well on the street, but not to the point where they wouldn't spin. I'm not an engineer, but my guess is that's where the "shock" is created on the drive drain and other parts. I would also think that the less the tires spin, the more force is applied to the drive train. If you're twisting something in your hands and they don't slip, all of the "shock" is being transferred into the object. If your hands are slippery and you're twisting, you're not applying the same amount of pressure. Just my .02 cents worth.
11-05-2006, 08:54 AM
#4
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St. Jude Donor '03
Drag radials are the WORST tire for transmitting shock load to the drivetrain.
Most street tires will just spin when attempting to launch hard. Minimal shock load to the drivetrain.
Slicks are very soft, and the tall sidewall wrinkles when launched, so although the car hooks well, the tires absorb a lot of the shock effect to the drivetrain.
Drag radials combine both aspects. They are hard enough to be a good street tire, but sticky enough to hook up on the strip, but even when aired down they still don't flex nearly as much as slicks do...so when the car hooks, that shock load is being absorbed by the drivetrain (and suspension). Suspension is another matter, but drag radials can also tend to make a car wheelhop off the line...a spin/hook/spin/hook scenario, which is also very harsh on the drivetrain.
I would say there's probably more cases of drivetrain breakage out there on drag radial cars than on any other tire type.
Most street tires will just spin when attempting to launch hard. Minimal shock load to the drivetrain.
Slicks are very soft, and the tall sidewall wrinkles when launched, so although the car hooks well, the tires absorb a lot of the shock effect to the drivetrain.
Drag radials combine both aspects. They are hard enough to be a good street tire, but sticky enough to hook up on the strip, but even when aired down they still don't flex nearly as much as slicks do...so when the car hooks, that shock load is being absorbed by the drivetrain (and suspension). Suspension is another matter, but drag radials can also tend to make a car wheelhop off the line...a spin/hook/spin/hook scenario, which is also very harsh on the drivetrain.
I would say there's probably more cases of drivetrain breakage out there on drag radial cars than on any other tire type.
11-05-2006, 11:10 AM
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Melting Slicks
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Originally Posted by Y2Kvert4me
Drag radials are the WORST tire for transmitting shock load to the drivetrain.
Most street tires will just spin when attempting to launch hard. Minimal shock load to the drivetrain.
Slicks are very soft, and the tall sidewall wrinkles when launched, so although the car hooks well, the tires absorb a lot of the shock effect to the drivetrain.
Drag radials combine both aspects. They are hard enough to be a good street tire, but sticky enough to hook up on the strip, but even when aired down they still don't flex nearly as much as slicks do...so when the car hooks, that shock load is being absorbed by the drivetrain (and suspension). Suspension is another matter, but drag radials can also tend to make a car wheelhop off the line...a spin/hook/spin/hook scenario, which is also very harsh on the drivetrain.
I would say there's probably more cases of drivetrain breakage out there on drag radial cars than on any other tire type.
Most street tires will just spin when attempting to launch hard. Minimal shock load to the drivetrain.
Slicks are very soft, and the tall sidewall wrinkles when launched, so although the car hooks well, the tires absorb a lot of the shock effect to the drivetrain.
Drag radials combine both aspects. They are hard enough to be a good street tire, but sticky enough to hook up on the strip, but even when aired down they still don't flex nearly as much as slicks do...so when the car hooks, that shock load is being absorbed by the drivetrain (and suspension). Suspension is another matter, but drag radials can also tend to make a car wheelhop off the line...a spin/hook/spin/hook scenario, which is also very harsh on the drivetrain.
I would say there's probably more cases of drivetrain breakage out there on drag radial cars than on any other tire type.
11-05-2006, 01:06 PM
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Drifting
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A drag radial might absorb some shock when the pressure is lowered at the track, depends also on sidewall height.
An 18" drag radial obviously has a smaller sidewall compared to a 15" drag radial of the same diameter.
Saying a slick absorbs shock better because it has a wrinkle sidewall is not always the case...depends on what sidewall stiffness you have ordered...there are choices. Typically you want a stiffer sidewall on a car with a street suspension.
There are many styles of drag radials available right now, would you of guessed that this tire in this picture is a drag radial? It is...and it is street legal made by Hoosier.
An 18" drag radial obviously has a smaller sidewall compared to a 15" drag radial of the same diameter.
Saying a slick absorbs shock better because it has a wrinkle sidewall is not always the case...depends on what sidewall stiffness you have ordered...there are choices. Typically you want a stiffer sidewall on a car with a street suspension.
There are many styles of drag radials available right now, would you of guessed that this tire in this picture is a drag radial? It is...and it is street legal made by Hoosier.
11-05-2006, 04:23 PM
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Burning Brakes
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Why would you think getting better traction with drag radials reduces shock to the drivetrain? I would tend to think that the shock to the drivetrain increases with stickier tires.
