I'm just had some 26X11.50X15 ET Streets mounted with no tubes on some 15X8 Weld Pro Stars.The tire shop guys said I didn't need tubes. My experience with other tube type tires is that they leak if no tubes are used but this time I went tubeless. Anybody have any thoughts on this? The strange thing is the tires say tube type but the Weld wheel instructions state they are for tubeless use only.Weird.
i always used tubes in my m/t et streets. others have said if your not going to run tubes to brush the inside with dish washin soap.
I fought leaky slicks (I know, not the same) for about a year. Finally fixed 'em. I tried the Dawn soap thing--just brushing Dawn on the inside of the tire, and no workey. Got a tip from a racer up north, said to put 2 full bottles of Dawn inside the tire and work it around, sidewalls and all. Get 'em soaked. AFter working it around for about 15-20 minutes (I just rolled the tires around and the soap drenched the entire inside of the tire) dump out the excess and wipe out the biggest part of what's left inside to prevent balancing problems. I did let 'em hang around the shop overnight, and so far (almost a month and a half later) they're still holding air just fine. Oh, if makes any difference, they were GoodYear 14x32's--which I hear GY is notorious for leaky tires.
I'm going to give them a few days or so and see if they leak. If so then I'll put some tubes in.My Morris has 10X26x15 Hoosier drag slicks with no tubes which don't leak at all.I didn't use dishwashing soap but bet it keeps things clean inside the tires.
My experience is that some leak and some don't. I do understand that using the tubes will buy you a few seconds of time if you ever have a blow-out going down the track at WOT. That information (from an experienced racer) was enough to convince me to use them.
The air came out of my Goodyears so fast you could almost hear it! On the other hand I have some Hoosiers that I put 20lbs in about five months ago and it's all still there.
never had a problem with them.. i run ET Streets with Cragar Drag Stars (same as Weld Pro Star) i dont know what you consider leaking but in a month i never seen my tire lose pressure.. i check them every time i take the car out. but it does loss air the most the tire has lost was 8 lbs but that was over 3 months. i dont really consider that leaking cuz if i did i'd say regular tires leak too. i asked mickey thompson about this.. he sent me tubes when they sponsored my car but he said i probably didn't need them. he was right. also remember tube will effect the way the tire reacts. i think on their site it explains something about that. i use to run tubes in my M&H's i don't miss using a tube.
This is an ongoing discussion around our track. My take on it is, that the sidewalls are made to "wrinkle" and plant the footprint of the tire evenly and improve traction. The leakdown is usually caused by this very thin sidewall and the rubber seperating from the chord in very small ways. New one's will stay up for awhile until you have done some heat building burnouts which in turn will cause that seperation of rubber on the sidewall. Kind of like stretching a piece of tightly woven cloth. Use of regular tubes can affect the way the tire reacts to flexing etc, the softer "race only tubes", will let the tire flex almost as well as without them, but they are pricey. Depending on your HP and torque, screw the tires to the rims to protect from spinning the valve stem off the tubes. Leakage on my race car(no tubes) is a bit frustrating but on the other hand, makes it mandatory to check for correct pressure before each run. JMO
I tested my tires....when I had the old rims on the car. I had one that always went flat after a couple days...the other would hold air for a week. When I bought the new rims and put the old tires on them....I marked the tire....same tire leaked flat after 2 days....the other held air for a week.....weird maybe All I can add is my cousin swithed to tubes in his 5.40 chassis car and the only thing he noticed different was the amount of air pressure he had to run....other than that, he seen no change in performance.
If I didn't need tubes I sure wouldn't use them just for the fact that it adds unsprung weight and from what I understand tube tires run hotter (more friction) than tubless tires. JMO.
Here you go this came right from the guy at know at Mickey Thompson basicly i think he just pulled it off his website. but here it is anyways. 8. Q: Do I have to run tubes in my slicks? A: You should run tubes in any tube type tire, some M/T race tires are tubeless. Tube type tires will leak air through the sidewalls. As pressure drops, heat increases and the chance of tire damage or failure is increased. Tubes will also aid in absorbing some of this heat. 9. Q: What size tube should I run in my drag tire? A: Consult the Mickey Thompson race tire spec sheet. 10. Q: What size hole do I need in my wheel to accommodate Mickey Thompson racing tubes? A: Most racing wheels come with the proper hole size. If your wheel won't accept the valve stem, you must drill the wheel to 5/8". Be sure to debur the hole and clean the wheel before mounting the tire and tube. 11. Q: If I have a wide race wheel with the valve stem hole close to the outside flange will my Mickey Thompson racing tube still work? A: All Mickey Thompson racing tubes have a center valve stem. Some wide wheels have a valve stem hole that is nowhere near the center of the wheel. This can make it difficult to mount your tube, if your tube is new here are some things you can try: First inflate the tube with a small amount of air to make sure the valve stem is pointing up. Secondly: Over inflate the tube (within reason) to stretch it out some. This will enable the tube to stretch and should allow the tube to fill all voids of the tire. If you should still have problems after attempting these two steps, than Mickey Thompson suggests the following: Drill another hole in the racing rim 5/8" in diameter near the center of the rim. Mickey Thompson strongly suggests you consult the rim manufacturer before doing this. Remember to clean the rim and debur the hole, we also suggest that you place duct tape over the original hole inside the rim, should you choose to do this. There is more great info on our website at www.mickeythompsontires.com click on FAQ's then select drag tires. The link with out the frame is http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/faq_drag.html Feel free to post or link to this info on your site. Don btw i'm not Don he is
oh yeah someone did say... ".... some racers do run them tubeless in order to decrease the amt of rolling weight, especially in bracket racing (tubes add about 3-4. The tires will leak air and need to be checked before every pass, some racers use dish soap inside the tire to slow the leaking. We do not recommend either of these methods." you can figure out who said that... i neither deny or admit who qouted that make sence? why people run them and why people don't. i check my air every pass anyways.
Well, it's been over a week now since I had the tires mounted with no tubes and so far no loss of pressure. This isn't really a fair test to check for leaks as I haven't driven or raced the car with the new tires as I'm still finishing the minitub job so I can run the wider tires.The info I got from Mickey Thompson is it's OK to run the tires tubeless at the track but tubes should be used for street usage.Hoosier says basically the same thing:6. Should I use "tubes" in slicks and DOT drag tires? ANSWER: The decision to run tubes is ultimately up to the racer. Hoosier drag tires are capable of safely running without tubes. The Quick Time DOT tires should be run with a tube when the tire is run on the street, but they can be run without tubes at the track. Race tires are inherently susceptible to air leakage due to being built of very light gauge material needed to perform in various racing applications. A decision to use a tube should be based on your application and needs. (Top) I'm going tubeless for now but if after putting some miles and a few passes on them they leak too much then in go the tubes.
