[torqjunki]

What does the tread measure with proper air pressure and on car?

[Ron]

According to Goodyear and Mickey Thompson, running tubes in a slick will make the sidewalls stiffer. Straight from the manufacturers.

The "W" tire is not stiffer, only wider. Again, straight from Mickey Thompson Tires.

Ron

[Scott65]

Dave, have you considered a 29x10 Goodyear on a 10" rim? I know these can fit in your wheelwell, with proper backspacing. Also, have you talked to any of the manufacturers you're considering about the tire growth at your intended mph?

[SCOTT ESTERLE]

I ran the Goodyear 29x10's on my bird & didn't like them. You also have to watch Goodyears the Grow. I had to move my rear back a couple of inches to clear them when they grew. The new Mickey's i just purchased appear to be ok for clearance just barely. 29.5 x9 with a 92 1/8 circumference. Also remember that the book sizes will most likely not be what the actual tire size will be. You could be bigger or smaller depending on the mold when they were made.

[Scott65]

I've had the opposite experience in the Goodyear vs. MT comparisons, on cars from Stock Eliminator type times all the way into the Super Comp area (8.50's). Goodyears seem in all cases to wrinkle less(stiffer sidewall). Not trying to start a debate, in fact I've been satisfied with traction of both in all cases. The area where I would not accept the Mickeys was pro tree racing, for reaction time reasons. This was before the newest stiff sidewall Mickeys.

[Steve C.]

FWIW, we recently switched to the new M/T stiff sidewall 28 x 10.5 slick and it had enough tire growth on the big end to rub the front wheel opening. Wore a groove into the tire.
To use them I have to remove the front fiberglass flaires (or whatever they are called on the Trans Am).
Never had the problem before when using either the M/T 28 x 10.5 "W" slick (cat # 3055W) or the M/T 28 x 12.50 ET Street tire (cat #3755).

'Don't worry about the port alignment... just slap it on and go'

[Old Man Taylor]

I used to run the M/T 28x10.5 slicks. M/T said to run them with tubes, and later I understood why. The sidewall is not stiff enough. I replaced them with Goodyear 29x11 slicks without tubes. I got more consistent 60' times, my "bunny hop" disappeared and they last longer. I currently have 157 runs on them, with a lot of rubber left. I will probably have to replace them due to age before the wear indicators say they should be replaced.

As to the impact of tubes – I agree that you don’t ever want to run a tube unless there is a good reason. I had to add tubes to my Goodyear tires due to getting my rim screws too deep. They went a little too far into the bead, causing a slow leak. Over time the leak got so bad that I could not keep the pressure stable in the staging lanes. Rather than buying new tires, I added tubes. I keep detailed logs of every single run my car has ever made. I made a comparison of my runs before and after tubes and I was not able to see any measurable difference. Again, this is not to advocate the use of tubes, but if you have to it is no big thin, at least in this size range. With the slicks that M/T was making up until the end of 2002, you were supposed to run tubes in them. I think this is because the design was old, and the tubes are a way to effectively stiffen the sidewall. In my case, it did not stiffen them enough.

As was stated previously, if you need to stiffen the sidewall a little more, consider upping the rim width by 1-2”.

http://www.jimspontiac.homestead.com/Index.html

[SCOTT ESTERLE]

I run Mickey's with no tubes. The thing with slicks is everyone has there opinion on what is good & what isn't. I think they all are good in certain chassis & appl.

[Torment]

I've run Hoosiers, Mickeys, and now the Phoenix tires. The Hoosiers I found to be too soft, I chunked them up and they lasted a very short time. The Mickeys I liked and ran for the whole year, although on video they did tend to squash a bit. Found that they liked only a small burnout. Sold them to my brother and he ran them all last year still 60 footing in the low 1.4's. I bought the Phoenix tires because I was looking for something a little taller than the Mickeys. They seem to be a pretty tough tire. I ran them last year and intend to run them again this year. They like alot more of a burnout than the Mickeys but it doesn't seem to adversely effect the tire. They look like they were made in someones backyard and leak air out the sidewalls but I have had my best 60fts with them - go figure.

The secret to happiness is not getting what you want but rather, wanting what you have.

[torqjunki]

Scott...I originally planned to run the 29x10 Goodyear, but was not sure how the D3 (harder) compound would work. Have made several attempts to reach a Goodyear rep and they will not return my calls. After starting this thread, I think the general consensus is that a taller tire would be better. I have run a 29.9 tall MT that rubbed the front fenderwell sometime during the run due to growth. I have moved the rear-end back slightly and feel sure I can run this size again with no problems. I do not want to purchase new rims, so I am leaning toward something close to 30" tall and 9" wide. I can fit a 10" tire, but it is snug. Narrowed it down to MT or Goodyear radials. I like the MT measurements at 29.6x 9.0 THey should be stiff and not require tubes. If I feel the need to stiffen more, I can always add tubes later and test. If I don't go with radial slicks, I think I will be forced to run tubes. As far as price is concerned, the radials are more, but the price of tubes for the non-=radials would more than offset the difference.Like the idea of getting 150+ runs out of the Goodyears. I wonder if the MT's don't last longer because no one has followed the recommendation of MT to do only light burn-outs?

[Skip Fix]

Still welcome to try my Hoosier radials 29.5x9 on an 8" rim.

[torqjunki]

Whatta you guys think about the 3066ST Mickey Thompson. It is 30" tall, 8.8" wide and desighned for manual trans cars. I assume this means the sidewalls are stiff and they may have a slightly harder compound. Anyone using this tire?