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Drag Slicks...

95_Mystique

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Jul 19, 2007
Messages
3,970
Location
Middletown, Pa
So, as some may know, i love going to the drag strip and beating up on the car a little bit. Sure, i know, Contour's werent meant for 1/4 mile, they were built for turns. Well sure, but it doesnt change the way i choose to race.

Ever since I've heard that NO Contour has ever run in the 12's, i've been trying to find a way to gain an advantage. I've done tons of research as far as the best suspension setup, best way to launch, and the best tires to run. I've been looking back at all of the old times that previous people have run and i've noticed one main thing. They're all running drag radials.

Drag SLICKS

Drag slicks are racing tires which offer uncompromised traction. As the name implies, slicks have no tread so as to maximize the contact of the tire. Like the D.O.T.-legal slicks, drag slicks feature a soft compound and a soft, two-ply sidewall designed to wrinkle on launch. These tires should never be used on the street. If you were to get caught in the rain or drive through a puddle, they would instantly hydroplane. Also, due to their soft construction, slicks are prone to punctures, and handling is compromised.

Drag RADIALS

Drag Radials are a STREET TIRE that is made with a softer compound. It is intended for slightly better traction than a regular street tire. Drag Radials have street tire-like tread. They feature a soft compound and a slightly softer sidewall. These tires are designed to be used on the street or at the track. They are not intended for slick-like launches, but rather a street tire-like launch with the added grip to help out those 60-foots. The disadvantage to drag radials is the softer launch doesn't lead to 60-foots equivalent of the Drag Slicks and it has a stiff sidewall just like a street tire, so wheel hop may occur which can lead to brokend drivetrain components.

Could this be the difference between a Contour running 13.2's and a Contour running 12.9's or better? Possibly a different style of launching, and not eliminating our worrys of breaking axles, but possibly making us feel a little better about letting the clutch fly off the line.

Anyone with a Turbo car want to give this a shot? If i find a way to spend enough on my Hybrid, i may give in and do it, but with the ammount of power i'm making now, its pointless.

Opinions?
 
So if you had slicks, a torsen/quaife, and a good clutch, the next common failure would be the axles, presumably.

The question for those that have broken axles is: Was due to wheel hop, or are the axles just not capable of holding the torque?

If you could eliminate wheel hop with slicks, you might be able to get a better time, but it would still likely be on a soft launch, since, if the axles can't handle wheel hop, they probably aren't going to take the impact of a dumped clutch. This probably puts you right back in the performance of drag radials (grippy, but still needs soft launch).

But really, I dunno? Try it. This forum is big on theoretical assumptions, take the chance and put some more data toward the subject. (check the archives, I seem to remember someone using slicks with poor results.)
 
I'm not saying to totally drop the clutch, but to slip it harder. Due to the wrinke of the tire, it'll eliminate wheel hop, and it wont be sudden grip that'll break an axle.

I'd try it myself, but you'd be more likely to see a difference on a turbo car making over 350whp.

Thanks for your input :cool:
 
I guess they need to learn how to slip the clutch a little during that 1-2 shift. lol

The wrinkle of the slicks may help with that.
 
It seems like it would be more counter-productive to have to continually slip the clutch if you want to run slicks, not to mention the adverse effect it would have on your clutch life..

These cars are not drag cars
 
It seems like it would be more counter-productive to have to continually slip the clutch if you want to run slicks, not to mention the adverse effect it would have on your clutch life..

These cars are not drag cars

false. noones has build these car to drag. put ion a nice stage 3 clutch to prevent slippage, and throw on some slicks and youl be golden. an lsd could help also. and iv also noticed its hard to shift fast on our trannys. maybe its just mine tho:shrug:
 
false. noones has build these car to drag. put ion a nice stage 3 clutch to prevent slippage, and throw on some slicks and youl be golden. an lsd could help also. and iv also noticed its hard to shift fast on our trannys. maybe its just mine tho:shrug:

I had a spec stage 2 clutch, LSD and I still broke the axle at the knuckle. Also, the stock clutch will hold power of a 3.0L just fine...it won't slip.
 
You can also "pre-load" the axles before launching too. Hold on the e-brake and let the clutch part way out to put pressure on the front drivetrain. Should reduce the initial shock by quite a bit. Won't help if you're getting wheel hop or having issues on the 1-2 shift though. With my tubular lca's I have virtually no wheel hop anymore, I think that's gotta be one of THE best upgrades you can do for traction besides having a decent set of tires.
 
This is just me being a dinosaur thinking out loud... On drag radials vs. drag slicks, the difference is near academic. "Cheater slicks" were slicks with grooves that made them LOOK street legal, yet they were still slicks. The amount of groove on them was not so different from today's drag radials. If you wanted a certain amount of contact patch at the strip, you could do that by using a slightly wider cheater tire.

And on using higher duty clutches with drag tires, there used to research years ago suggesting that some clutch slippage was desired during launches, too much grip was possible and bad. When the Beach Boys sang the line in "Little Deuce Coupe" of having a "pink slip daddy" that referred to a race clutch which was SUPPOSED to slip by design.

Drag nerds used to seek various ratios of grip to spin for clutches AND tires back then, like for each tire ciircumference distance the vehicle moved forward, the tire would make two revolutions. It was just another form of "tuning."

If we went totally old school... AND had traction AND had drag worthy suspension/axles, there would be Contours using 4.33 or 4.5 and higher final drive ratios instead of stock 4.08 or zetec 3.8 final drives. And RWD too...
 
Honestly, a lot has changed since "cheater slicks". The current day drag radials were not designed to wringle the sidewalls like real drag slicks. Also, running a 4.33 or 4.5 final drive would be somewhat useless. Think about how much power some of the built up N/A cars or even some of the turbo cars make. First gear is over in a flash. By extending the gear ratios on these cars, you dont have to shift through all 5 gears just to make a 1/4 mile pass. Every time you shift you lose time. Now, if there was a way to build up a CD4E, that may be the way to go.
 
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