Hot Rods Pie Crust Slicks

How do the Towel City slicks perform on the strip? I'm building a gasser and itwill be in the mid to low 9 sec range. I'm planning on a 10 in tire and was thinking a 10 in wheel, but I haven't never ran these so 10's may be to wide. I can go with a M/T, but I really like the look. Anyone have any experience with running any brand Pie Crust with good results? It'll weigh around 3000 lbs and will be a automatic. Would like 4 spd, but my legs and knees can't do that anymore.

 

Does your track allow recaps?

 

Show us some recaps?

 

does not improve traction for drag racing

 

You'll never see 9s on pie crusts..... And there's some video footage floating around where one of those shed it's tread and ripped a fender off while doing a burnout.

 

On those kinds of tires, unless you're racing 1/8th mile, 9's are not going to be anywhere in reach. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I agree with Crazy Steve, wrong tires for those kinds of times. I ran a set of Firestone slicks on the back of my 27 for the Billet Proof Drags, and they were pretty much useless. Had to feather it in first and didn't start getting traction until half way through 2nd gear.

I know the pie crusts look traditional, but modern slicks are so much better in all respects.

Don

 

i have run in the eights on a set of radir pie crusts and have the video to prove it. the car in my avatar did it. i would never use a recap. you will not do it yourself without the proper tire prep. radirs are all new tires. the 10 inch tires are 28 inches tall. they also make a 12x32. i did it on the 10x28s. running the tire without tubes makes the sidewall softer so it can wrinkle. i used about 14 pounds of air. the rim was 10 inches wide. the tires need to be flat. most tire cutting machines can't do a 10 inch wide tire. i used a tow strap on the rear end hooked to a pole and spun them until i wore them flat. the tires need to be softened. i use my own blend of ingredients that works great. having a tire durometer helps keep track of how soft they are getting and makes repeating the process a easy thing to do. there is way too much misinformation out there saying they won't work. they work so well i was bending 1/2 inch wheel studs after a few passes. i needed to upgrade to 5/8 studs.

 

I just happen to have a pic of those no good non biting pie crust tires in my phone to post. Notice the sidewall wrinkling. i have run these tires for years and have figured out how to make them work. a new tire will work better but if you want the look it can be done. this street car went 10.0 with a set of 12x32s and the tires were four years old and worn out. the first sets of radirs made years ago were hard. the newer ones offered are much softer. make sure you get the new ones. regardless of whatever kind of tire you use if the chassis and suspension are not set up correctly no tire will work miracles to get you down the track. i would look at a speed calculator to see what kind of rpm you would need to turn. to achieve the times you want it will take a lot. a gear change may be in order with 10x28s. i ran it using a 3:73 gear. i also had the power to pull that gear.

 

Racer-x : Great info! I agree Rich Conklin makes good products.

 

i did alot of tire testing for rob and rich. they were always kept up to date on all the latest developments to make the tires work. the pie crusts were never designed to do what we do with them. they were designed for old dragsters to spin and smoke down the track like the old days. thats why they are not made flat. if anyone needs the receipe for my tire brew i will gladly share it.

 

The Towel City piecrusts I had were rock hard. Good for burnouts, but nothing else.

 

I have used racer-x formula on my Radirs, and it works, works real good. Car launched very hard. I also run a set of M/Ts, But the pie crusts are fun sometimes !

 

have you ran the cars on modern slicks? what was the time difference?

I was with everyone else and thought they were just to look cool.

 

I have run the smoothies on a street strip car. They are a racing tire that you can drive on the street as opposed to a street tire that you can run on the track. They hooked good and no trouble getting past the tech guy. I have not tried the pie crust tires but if they are the same quality tire I can't see a problem with them.

 

They are softer than those Firestone slicks I had and I believe you can get them in different compounds. Not only were the Firestones hard but I couldn't even get the out side of the tread to contact the road no matter what size rim and tire pressure I put in them. I use the Towel Cities on the street though so I do not know how they are at the track.

 

I have new 9" Towel City pie curst re-capped radials on my 62/409 car. Traction is the same as my BGF drag radials and smooth as glass on the road. Balanced up real nice cuz' the tire is pre-balanced when you get them. Same as any rubber, they get harder as they grow old. Towel City has been building drag and circle tires for many many years. I would bet they won't separate at speed or temp. Give them a call and ask. When I ordered mine over the phone, they seemed quite knowledgable. They are priced pretty cheap.

 

here is a pic

 

not too much differance in et. mainly a smoother launch due to the softer side wall. i forgot to mention the tires need to be hot. real hot. get a line lock and show john force how its done hot.

 

I did not race on my Towel City and yes they were pretty old.