Race tire experts please chime in

[NAES]

Hey all. I'm helping pops-in-law on his streamliner prepping it for Bonneville. He has a new Goodyear race tire that's rated for ludicrous speed. We had a MFing bitch of a time getting it mounted to the rim but we got it on. The tire will probably never come off without cutting. Problem is the fucker leaks all over the place! Not only at the bead but the tire itself allows air to leak out. I don't know we need to season the tire or put it in the sun or what to do. I have no experience in the tire world and pops is so old school that he still uses paper catalogs and telephones.

So far his buddies have suggested squirting a bunch of dawn or tire slime in there to do the trick but at 400mph I cringe at the idea of the tire letting go.

A quick answer before I run up there today may help get this little hurdle handled.


Thanks, NAES

[RichFox]

A front runner? Should it have a tube? Check with Rodger Krause or Nate Jones. I will not allow anyone but Rodger Krause employees to mount my tires.

[exwestracer]

I was thinking tube type as well...

Funny you should mention Krause, Rich. We had new tires put on the Can-Am car every time we went to Sears Point, and had problems with mounting and balancing every time. Guess it's all in who you know...

[NAES]

I checked the Goodyear website and it's a motorcycle tire with similar characteristics of the Frontrunner. The actual code on the tire is D2613 which doesn't come up. From what I gather it was a special batch intended for some English landspeed team that never went through with the order so they are one offs.

Thanks for the quick replies guys, keep 'em coming.

NAES

[Kenneth S]

An old trick is to coat the inside of the tire with liquid dish washing soap, apply a few thin coats by hand letting the soap dry in-between coats. I've done this on tubeless racing slicks that leak through the sidewalls, and it does work.

This stuff works pretty good to http://www.notubes.com/Sealant-C14.aspx

[Blind Elwood]

Got any pics of that 400 MPH liner?

[Rex Schimmer]

Most race tires will leak slowly through the side wall. Raced sports cars and Indy cars back in the 70/80s and some of them would be flat within a day. The rubber on the side walls is really just painted on and doesn't do much to hold the air in. You will need to check them and set the air pressure before each run. Hey it's a race car not your street rod.


Rex

[Tman]

Originally Posted by Kenneth S

An old trick is to coat the inside of the tire with liquid dish washing soap, apply a few thin coats by hand letting the soap dry in-between coats. I've done this on tubeless racing slicks that leak through the sidewalls, and it does work.

This stuff works pretty good to http://www.notubes.com/Sealant-C14.aspx

Yup, Stans is good stuff. We use it on our tubeless mountainbikes. But, it is only liquid latex, available at any good hobby store.

[NAES]

Thanks guys for the additional info. The tire definitely holds air but leaks down within a day. If this is the norm then maybe we can work around it.

There is absolutely no way that we are ever getting that tire off the rim so the sealant idea might have been good prior to installation. Lesson learned. We'll just have to worry about it once the rest of the bike is together.

Here's the man and machine. Most likely a new paint scheme this year though.


And this is what it looks like about 99% of the time! Check the wasted tire stack. One of 'em let go at around 350! What an effing nightmare!






Doing some carbon fiber body repairs. Note the plug in the background. He never throws anything away!!!

[porknbeaner]

Nice bike.

Ok I got a question, maybe it shouldn't be asked but I got a question anyway. Is the tire the right size for the rim and if it was so hard ro get on did the bead get damaged in the mounting process?

[NAES]

The tire is the correct diameter but a little wider than you would normally expect but being a motorcycle streamliner the tire needs to be squished in order to get it to bow out making the contact patch more like a traditional motorcycle tire. Apparently Goodyear said it would be alright so that's what we are going off of.

I wasn't there for the tire installation but given the meticulous nature of Sam, I can't imagine any damage occuring to the sidewall without his knowing.

NAES

[Tman]

Holey crap! You will be with Sam!?!?!?!?!? VERY COOL. Many folks are excited to see the EZ Hook back this year!

[bobwop]

I hate to admit it, but I use Fix-a-flat on my leaking race tires. As long as I recognize it is similar to this situation...seeping, I will use it. Seals them up just fine.

[oj]

I've never done the Bonneville thing, so what is the cause of tire failure. heat? material expansion at ultra high rpm? imbalance/out of round?
You say that Goodyear sold you these tires because they were layin around and unclaimed? That seems odd, i know how serious the Goodyear engineers are when it comes to race tires - i can only imagine the attention that they would give to somebody at your level of effort.
Interesting, tell us more about the tires - in general terms.

[Tman]

Originally Posted by oj

I've never done the Bonneville thing, so what is the cause of tire failure. heat? material expansion at ultra high rpm? imbalance/out of round?
You say that Goodyear sold you these tires because they were layin around and unclaimed? That seems odd, i know how serious the Goodyear engineers are when it comes to race tires - i can only imagine the attention that they would give to somebody at your level of effort.
Interesting, tell us more about the tires - in general terms.

oj, all of the above. The bike guys are having a hell of a time with the speeds and power they put out. It is really an interesting topic to me.

[RichFox]

I am pretty sure Sam has talked to the Burklands about tires if he has questions. This is not his first rodeo by a long shot

[firingorder1]

I would have thought leaking tires would be the least of Sam's problems. Exploding tires, on the other hand, is something he might be more concerned with.

Delighted to see he some new tires and will be out!!

[Tman]

Originally Posted by RichFox

I am pretty sure Sam has talked to the Burklands about tires if he has questions. This is not his first rodeo by a long shot

Originally Posted by firingorder1

I would have thought leaking tires would be the least of Sam's problems. Exploding tires, on the other hand, is something he might be more concerned with.

Delighted to see he some new tires and will be out!!

True, sam is at the top of the pecking order and knows his shit. The more I am involved with this crazy LSR stuff the more I learn how many guys Tom Burkland has helped, myself included.

[NAES]

Awesome guys. We will put the leaking tires down a little lower on the order of importance.

Just to be clear, these tires are what Sam needed and aren't just some old, unclaimed units that were not intended for what Sam has in mind.

As for what he does to tires, well I've seen a few tires with just the sidewalls remaining as well as some that have permanently expanded from the speeds that he is running. Picture a top fuel tire that goes all tall on a burnout then returns to its original shape. There's on in the shop that is permanently "tall". SCARY!!! But that's the game.

Now back to getting the body in shape for paint and letting Sam dwell over all the details.

See you guys on the salt. NAES

[mustang6147]

Why dont you call GDYR? or who you bought it from ?? my slicks leak, so I tubed um. My ole man was attempting 400mph, I wouldnt be askin anyone on a message board for advice.... Unless you got a life ins policy.