455man

Sounds like a dumb question but... I'm getting ready to take my car to the track. Track rules are that I need a drive shaft loop if using slicks. I have some old dirt track tires. I think they are Hoosiers. They are not DOT. They are very soft compound tires but have a tread. Do these qualify as a slick?

Allan R

I always thought slicks were flat rubber with no tread at all. Sort of like this


Someone who races will chime in I'm sure. I don't think what you have in the pic are slicks though.

chadman

Slicks have no tread, hence the term "slick".

coppercutlass

I would run a driveshaft loop anyway. Cheap insurance . Some tracks also require them with drag radials which I would also reccomend lol. The nitto 555 are great in the rain and are super sticky once warmed up my buddy runs them in his for lightning . Just throwing this out there they also require steel valve stems when running no tubes which I have been yelled at for.

455man

Cool. So I can get away with these tires. Thanks.

I plan on getting driveshaft loop soon but was not sure if I'd have it installed in time for next weekend. Our local track is having the Pontiac uprising. My cousin will bring out 3-4 Pontiacs for this event and my girlfriend will show her Olds powered Trans Am. I wanted to run time only and hang out with the group. I'll have to look into the steel valve stems.

CutlassDad

455man, not slicks

Allan R-slicks.

When slicks are hooked up, the torque on the driveshaft is much greater, making it more likely to twist (and break) the axle-end u-joint.

Gerry

Professur

Just don't get caught speeding. A friend of mine regularly gets invited to go park when he breaks the bracket rules. Without a helmet, XX mph .. no roll bar, XXXmph and so on.

455man

Gerry the extra torque on the driveshaft is what made me think the dirt track tires would qualify as slicks. They are a soft compound and very sticky.

455man

Professur. My car is not actually ready but it's getting late in the season. I'm expecting 12.8 or so in the 1/4. I'm going to buy or borrow a helmet so I should be covered. Dont need a rollcage til 11.5.

Professur

GoPro ... we wanna share the experience.

455man

That costs money and I'm driving my street car. Maybe I can get it down to low 12's someday... If I keep trying to go fast I'll never get it painted

coppercutlass

12.8's you will need drag radials atleast . Back when my cutlass was a 13 sec car I thought the street tires would be good. I couldn't hook if my life depended on it. I'm sure if I had tried I could have gone faster than a 17 sec 1/4 mile pass but I swapped the tires out before I even tried lol.

Dave Siltman

I have a driveshaft loop that I bought and haven't installed yet that is right up your alley. It mounts to the crossmember and trans. mount bolts and doesn't require any welding or cutting. I forgot the name, but it actually looks pretty good. The older I get, the more I consider safety equipment. The rules are there for everyone's protection.

z11375ss

You need a stripe down the side of your car. That's slick. Right Dave?

BlackGold

You're asking the wrong people. Ask the track personnel. A phone call should do it.

At the tracks I frequent, they want a driveshaft loop for any tire other than normal street tires or if you're going quicker than 14.0. Think about it: there are cars running 8s on "street legal" drag radials. Even if the track personnel don't care about your safety or car, they do care about stopping the action for a half hour while they clean up your mess.

455man

Good point.

The bolt on drive shaft loop was the one I was looking at. Caruso has them.

These are not street tires. Not DOT approved. But I guess they are not a slick either.

jaunty75

There was a guy named for them!

Redog

Rules may be different from state to state. I race in New Jersey and tires that are not DOT approved are considered slicks. Yes, Drag radals are also not considered slicks in NJ even thou they say "not approved for highway use"

And did I read something about helmets? LOL! In New Jersey and Pennsylvania if your car is on a track, you need a helmet. I've heard in some states you don't need a helmet unless you are going 14.0 or quicker. 14.0 is the fastest you can go with a DOT helmet, faster, and you need a SNELL 2005 helmet or newer, but again, that is in NJ.

It's been said, but I second calling the track first. New Jersey is super strict, but I have no idea what the laws are on a track in Kansas

GEARMAN69

Those treaded dirt tires should pass tech ok but like mentioned above a drive shaft loop is not a difficult or expensive addition so why not ? Regular radial tires that are worn down mostly can yield 1.90 60' pretty easily so its possible to get in the 12's on them too but depends on your trap speed. I was able to manage 13.1@105 in a 2.93 geared 68 GTO on 225/70R14's with the original 400 (ported heads and decent size cam with 2500 converter) but it was soft on low end pretty easy to stick down. It didnt run any quicker on slicks with that combo. A torquey 455 is harder to do with street tires obviously though.

455man

Yeah we dont need a helmet til we go under 14.00. I'll give em a call. I plan on getting a drive shaft loop but the timing didnt work out. If my tires dont pass then I will just wait til spring to run. I'll be more prepared by then.

74sprint

Hoosier tires that don't have a DOT label are slicks with treads molded in. Some tires even use the same compound codes as slicks and should be treated as slicks. By this I mean that when used on the highway the sidewalls will get hot quick and eventually the sidewall will blow out. Yours look like the "LATE MODEL / E-MOD / STREET STOCK DIRT". I'm also pretty sure that my slicks start to grow at about 60mph. Hoosier does make an excellent street tire, they last about a summer and hook like slicks.

This is from Hoosiers website:

"WARNING: D.O.T. labeled Hoosier Racing Tires meet Department of Transportation requirements for marking and performance only and are NOT INTENDED FOR HIGHWAY USE. It is unsafe to operate any Hoosier Racing Tire including DOT tires on public roads. The prohibited use of Hoosier Racing Tires on public roadways may result in loss of traction, unexpected loss of vehicle control, or sudden loss of tire pressure, resulting in a vehicle crash and possible injury or death."

The ones with DOT labels are only good for street use and not highway. Some giys here will buy Hoosier slicks and cut their own grooves.

https://www.hoosiertire.com/otdtire.htm


IHRA track rules - see bracket or general rules, NHRA is almost the same rules.
http://www.ihra.com/competition/rules

As for a safety loop, use one, I use the Lakewood bolt-on.

Ray