How to Select Drag-Racing Tires

Having the right tires on your car during a drag race can easily make the difference between winning and losing. Knowing how to select the proper drag racing tires will depend upon many variables, such as the type of car you drive, the type of drag racing in which you want to compete and your personal driving style.

Things You'll Need

  • Drag racing vehicle
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Instructions

  1. Select Your Drag-Racing Tires

    • 1

      Decide whether or not you want to purchase racing slicks for your car in order to compete in drag races. Racing slicks are thick, tread-less tires that are softer and grip the track better than treaded street tires, resulting in much quicker race times. If you plan on racing at a track, as opposed to on the street, you will need to consider racing slicks in order to be taken seriously as a drag racer.

    • 2

      Select the right size of tire or racing slick for your specific vehicle. You will need to familiarize yourself with how tires are sized and measured, from the width of the tread and diameter of the tire to the actual speed rating, which will determine how fast you can drive during a drag race.

    • 3

      Budget accordingly when you purchase your tires, keeping in mind that an average set of racing slicks will usually last around 100 miles. While this may sound like a very short distance in terms of normal driving, remember that this will last you around 400 quarter mile races, which can be a year or more to the average drag-racing enthusiast.

    • 4

      Get advice about how to select the best drag-racing tires for your car by visiting drag-racing forums and other types of online discussion groups. You will be able to receive specific advice tailored to your type of car and the type of drag-racing conditions you will be experiencing.

    • 5

      Get advice about drag-racing tires and the type of racing slicks that will help your car to perform its best on the track by asking drag racing experts, crew members and race track officials about their preferences. Drag racing enthusiasts love to discuss the sport and are usually more than willing to offer advice to novices.