Competition is fierce in any motorsport, but with drag racing it is so tight that the right tire choice on the right day under the right weather conditions might be the deciding factor for a group of closely-matched drivers. Understanding what your investment in drag tires can mean for your vehicle will help you choose wisely when you upgrade your racing tires.
The Drag Tire Difference
You won’t see a lot of tread on your drag slicks, and that’s why they work better for this event. Racing tires in general are made with a softer rubber formulation that develops increased friction with the road for better traction as it heats up from use.
That is also why racing tires typically have short lifespans. Drag tires are set up for the short bursts of acceleration that define the sport, so they use a different approach to that formulation than you would expect from a track tire that is supposed to stand up to a multi-lap distance race.
Street-Legal Racing Tire Options
You can find racing tire options that tread the line between track performance and DOT safety standards for road legal vehicles. They typically have some tread, but not as much as you would expect from a regular street tire. They also have a firmer structure than the average racing tire. If you are fully optimizing an event build, they do make some compromises, but they can be the best choice if you have to drive your competition car to an event.
Additional Performance Upgrades
If you are still running a carbureted setup, converting to a Holley Sniper EFI system might just be the change you need to pull ahead of your competition. Holley does more than just optimize your fuel/air mixture as you drive to meet the changing needs of your engine. It also allows you to set up several performance profiles optimized to your goals under different driving conditions. That gives you the best tools possible to ensure you’re getting the performance you need, whether you are on the road or at the track.
This is an exceptionally powerful tool for anyone who uses situational tire rotation to get street performance, distance racing, and drag performance out of the same vehicle. It’s also a great way to make sure you are able to feed the demands of an engine upgrade, which makes it a popular system with crate engine enthusiasts.
Reference Tools and Resources
To fully understand your options and the changes you need to make when fitting some aftermarket upgrades, you need the resources that professionals use when modifying vehicles. That means investing in a technician’s manual that details all the regular replacement operations, which allows you to understand when a part will fit and when it needs extra work to retrofit it into compatibility.
It’s also a good idea to invest in a wiring diagram that shows you how to track down electrical issues and where you can patch in new accessories without overloading your fuse box. Order yours today so you can plan additional upgrades confidently.
