I have a 99 Bolt with an AIR RAID / K&N air filer, a SuperChip flip chip for Drag / Street. FlowMaster mufflers.

My best time with that set up was 13.3 on stock F1 tires.

Our bracker for "Sportsman is 13.00 to 19.99 which is about my speed.

I want to add better tires to gain consistant time slips.

What kind of tires/slick on 16" wheels. ???

I really don't mind if I don't get into the 12s because that bracket
would be much more competitive and I'm happy with low 13s.
The Bolt is my daily driver and hauls drywall when I need to.

I am also thinking of a Dynatech Header system and now the question

What tires would be my best option for drag only low 13s
Too much tire will bog and too little will product various time slips.

Please advise and wish I had a bigger budget but have a drag strip 20 minutes away that I want to take advantage of this year.

 

If you still have the original gears (3.55), Then you will want a 26" tall tire.
There really isn't a full slick in a 16" in the 8-10" wide range, so you will want to go with a DOT cheater type slick.
I recommend a M/T ET Street in either 26x10.5x16 (8.3" tread width) on an 8" rim, or a 26x11.5x16 (9.8" tread width) on a 10" rim.

If you prefer Hoosier, they also make a Quick time Pro Dot tire in 26x9.50x16 (8.0" tread width).

 

I second that motion..

The shorter tire will make you a little quicker. Which in your situation is a good thing. You'll be able to make up for a starting line mistake and be one of the quickest in your class.

You'll be able to come off the line at idle w/a moderate roll of the throttle. That would make for a very consistant non-tire spinning launch. Easier on the truck as well as being more consistant.

Also worth noting is that a set of ET streets will allow you to enter any street tire classes.

(I have a 16x8 bogart w/26"x11.5 ET streets)

Rich

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by wydopnthrtl
[B]I second that motion..

The shorter tire will make you a little quicker. Which in your situation is a good thing. You'll be able to make up for a starting line mistake and be one of the quickest in your class.


In ET racing, It doesn't matter how fast you are. You have to run on your dial and cut a good light. Whoever makes a bigger mistake looses. Being faster or slower gives you no mathmatical advantage. They're is no making up for a mistake unless you are sandbagging on your dial,but that again has nothing to do with how fast your truck is or what tires you are running.

 

I was going to say, consistancy wins in bracket racing, doesnt it? Everyone kept telling me to run my v6 automatic camaro (85 shot of nitrous). I had 315's on the rear and never spun on the line and always had great reaction time...........I seemed to run around 15.00 ALL day long.

I entered 1 bracket competition, won my first 2 races, but got overanxious when an old caddy dialed in 17.?? and I redlighted b/c I couldnt stand waiting.

 

That's right! It's the closest combination of reaction time and closest to their dial-in..whatever it is!

 

I bet I could win in my mom's minivan........ I still don't get the point, but it seems popular enough for tracks to do them most weekends durring the season.

 

Yes...You'd be surprised how many "mini-vans" win races!

Slower stock cars tend to be be consistent as a rule.

most tracks seperate the really slow cars into a street class and the faster cars in their own classes.

 

>>> I still don't get the point, but it seems popular enough for tracks to do them most weekends durring the season.

Lets face it $$$ talks and losers walk...I don't have a bundle to spend on race cars..damn Harleys are too expensive to have the best of both :^)

ET brackets are for guys that have a great reaction time and a
vehicle that they know intimately and want to have some fun with.

.5 is a perfect reaction time
There is exactly .5 seconds after the last yellow light goes out..the green comes on and then the clock starts ticking when your front wheel rolls out of the beam.

Even with heads up racing ...fall asleep you can have a quicker et and still lose the race.

also you can run a perfect 13.00 on a 13.00 dial-in and lose if your reaction time is slower than your competition and he nails his dial-in as well. Driving skill is Paramont in ET racing not how much $$$ you spend. Ofcourse I wish I had more to spend :^).

Most say the faster car has the advantage of seeing what the competition is doing as he chases em down..easier to avoid a break out. Also the faster guys are usually more serious and committed to getting good at it.

Its kind of FUN and the cost is less that a movie and a dinner with the battle ax.

Thanks for the tips guys !

 

Have you bracket raced much? You are correct in your understanding... but when you have a faster car it's much easier to overcome a goof off the line & in nudging out a slower car. You & I enter the 13.0-19.99 class... you drive a 1990 mustang GT 5speed... I'll be besides you with my Lightning. Lets see who wins.

Also, when your up against a faster car or a deadly accurate mini van type.. you gotta have a cadence that you know like the back of your hand.


LockportDon,
If your wanting to compete in this type of racing? Then get a tire that will not spin. Forget about it bogging. What your after is consistancy on varying track conditions. The bigger and fatter the tire the better for what your trying to achieve.

Rich

 

Sounds like you get it just fine!