Bias Plys and Radial Mixing

[Batwood]

What is your opinion on running a street tire radial up front with a bias ply in the rear?
I've seen quite a few people do it, but it just feels horrible!

Granted I couldn't figure out how to launch today to save my ass, but in the 3 or 4 passes I actually made, I was definitely scared every time.

I have 17" Yokohama street tires up front and 26x10.5x16 ET Street Bias Plys in back. Even at the 1320 mark, I was sliding around.
Next purchase will be some 17x4.5s and some skinnies.

[sparkles]

I've had the same setup on mine on Friday, except mine were 27" tall. It sucks, but what can you do.

[FiFdYnUtZ]

I run 4.5 sportsman s/r's up front and eta drag/eta streets in the rear, its noticeable but not hoooorrrible...your setup was fishy today no doubt

[BGjohnson]

So, do you have to run Bias up front? I guess I don't get why, is it so the car sways the same way front and back?!

[slow ride]

Sure sort of. You want the front end providing slower response to steering inputs. Having one end of the car respond quick and other end slow makes it easy to overcorrect I feel. I think people get by a lot of the time, but as speeds go up so does the issues. I think big fat low profile tires make it even worse since they respond so well. I run 285/35/18s up front on my street setup and that would a much worse than a little 205 radial up front, etc. I'd bet you would be just fine using a skinny radial up front also.

[AutoMods]

you might always have some sketchyness although you should probably convert to all bias to be safer. i have et street bias and mt bias skinnies and sometimes it really pulls left and right on deceleration. one time it was so bad i thought a tire had popped. sometimes its very stable. I might be the most stable under hard braking instead of just letting it slow down, i'll have to play around more.

sounds dumb but i've played with hard and soft tires front and back on my rc car and its quite amazing the loss of stability when you mismatch tires

[90 notch]

Tire pressure?

[90 notch]

How old are those tires?

[Batwood]

Had rears at 17psi cold to start. Lowered bsck to 17 when they got hot. Never got a chance to make apass when i raised them up.
I bought them late last year from ebay almost new. No idea on actual age.
Bought some 17x4.5 race stars with m&h front runners today.

[Sunny Z]

Yup! Hang on for the ride on the big end. 275 40 17's up front, 26 x 8.50 x 15 et drags on the rear. she gets a little silly!

[Sleepy]

Not to sound like an idiot, however not ever having a fast car or a rwd car. Is it really that bad? Is it just something you guys get use to?

[Domestic Disturbance]

I noticed it even in my car running high 12s. So skinnies might not be as bad? I know I had 275s up front and 11.5x26's in the back and she wobbled a bit, and the abs also lost its mind. At over 100mph it wasn't the most comforting feeling.

[Deimos]

It has to do with rolling resistance of the tire front bias ply and rear radial works but the other way can sometimes go in a bad way.

[Sleepy]

The quick steering response makes sense with a fatter tire. However with a larger front tire you think the car would feel more stable not the other way around.

[Scott]

Slicks always sway on the big end like that, but you could have other issues making it worse. I know the IRS on my cobra can feel weird at times might want to check bumpsteer/alignment in the rear. If it ever toes out or steers slightly during the run in the rear that would make it feel squirly.

Id hate to say your issue is normal since I havent driven it, but first time I let my brother drive mine running mid 10's at 126ish mph he said it was defiently un-settling experience on the top end but I am so used to it I guess I never gave it a second thought

[Batwood]

Slicks always sway on the big end like that, but you could have other issues making it worse. I know the IRS on my cobra can feel weird at times might want to check bumpsteer/alignment in the rear. If it ever toes out or steers slightly during the run in the rear that would make it feel squirly.

Id hate to say your issue is normal since I havent driven it, but first time I let my brother drive mine running mid 10's at 126ish mph he said it was defiently un-settling experience on the top end but I am so used to it I guess I never gave it a second thought

I might get it back on the alignment machine and double check, but I set it up last year.
I know its from the tires because I had Hoosier DRs on the rear and it was fine... then swapped the ET Streets and it was all over.

[Scott]

I might get it back on the alignment machine and double check, but I set it up last year.
I know its from the tires because I had Hoosier DRs on the rear and it was fine... then swapped the ET Streets and it was all over.

If you want to borrow my front wheels and tires and try them out for a weekend let me know, you will probably loose a ton a weight off the front end too.. Im not totally sure if they will fit. 5 on 4.5 BC on a 15x3.5 wheel, I was thinking they might need a spacer to clear those big factory brakes

[Batwood]

If you want to borrow my front wheels and tires and try them out for a weekend let me know, you will probably loose a ton a weight off the front end too.. Im not totally sure if they will fit. 5 on 4.5 BC on a 15x3.5 wheel, I was thinking they might need a spacer to clear those big factory brakes

Yeah they won't clear. Thanks though. Mine should be here today!

[Batwood]

We ended up "racing" at Cordova last night.
Let me first say, I'll never go there again for a midnight mania event. Way too many people.
Rain on Sunday got me convinced that I could just go Friday night to Cordova and be happy... ended up only making one pass.

Anyways, the car went dead straight. All the wiggling around and pulling disappeared with the new front runners. Too bad they aren't more streetable! I'm gonna need a trailer now. Swapping 4 tires is a PITA at the track.

[AutoMods]

good to hear, any luck on that pass?

[Batwood]

good to hear, any luck on that pass?

They actually closed the track 3 cars after me. Had been sprinkling for 5 minutes prior.
11.6@126 with a 1.95 60' ... 4k rpms through first gear at half throttle. Finally got to nail it in 2nd and it hooked.

I found out my intercooler pump was air locked before we left. I'm not sure if it was like that at the Tri-State last Sunday... but I ran 11.20@128 on a 1.7 60'.
I'm hoping it'll be faster next time.

[FiFdYnUtZ]

Rinse out the vagina and just drive on those wheels, I drive to cordova and back on slicks, 4.11 spool, and 4.5 front runners no problem

[OldSkoolRCR]

Rinse out the vagina and just drive on those wheels, I drive to cordova and back on slicks, 4.11 spool, and 4.5 front runners no problem


Heck Fiddy you have a real street car though...a fast LS one ...

[AutoMods]

you can especially drive with the front skinnies, i don't think they wear out that fast unlike the rears.

[Clinical]

Bunch of us were at Cordova last night too, usually it's never that bad - the first one is usually packed as hell though.

[LT1Dan]

Heck Fiddy you have a real street car though...a fast LS one ...

No it's not.

[snickerlicker]

No it's not.

Ha!

[derek072887]

Rinse out the vagina and just drive on those wheels, I drive to cordova and back on slicks, 4.11 spool, and 4.5 front runners no problem
Logan drove back on his ET street and front runners in the rain... granted he was only going 35 the whole way

[Batwood]

Rinse out the vagina and just drive on those wheels, I drive to cordova and back on slicks, 4.11 spool, and 4.5 front runners no problem

My only worries was the rain and the fact that they are brand new.
Last thing i need is bald front runners. They have two grooves and no side tread.I've seen some fronts that look like snow tires or normal radial tread. Not sure why the differences.
Cordova seemed a little too far for that.

[sharpie]

im running a mt radial skinny and et drags and have to fight it the entire way down the track but i have never gotten out of it from to much movement