tire question

just seeing what kind,and what size tires you guys get when you hit the strip? do you leave those tires on all the time or do you switch them for the track?thanks.....KP.....

I use a shinko 003 ultra soft its good on the strip and street. If you plan to be more on the street used a shiko 005 it works pretty good on the strip but still works great on rainy conditions.

stay stock up front,size wise right?doesnt matter what brand right

My drag bikes have been pretty much track only, but I have ran the 003 shinko (regular) with zero problems and great wear. If you are hooking with the regular 003, why waste $$ with the ultra-soft? I have seen a ton of people go to the ultra-soft when they could easily get away with the cheaper 003. You can run just about any good sport tire as well...a properly prepped track should hook with any good tire. It's just that the sport tires are a lot more and if you are just dragging...shinko rocks!

stay stock up front,size wise right?doesnt matter what brand right depends on what you want to accomplish. If you do more track time, go with the lower profile 60 (helps getting your bike a little bit lower), but if you tend to only hit the track on occasion, then go with stock size. I would recommend at least a sport tire compound up front. .02

[quote=knedgra If you are hooking with the regular 003, why waste $$ with the ultra-soft? I pay only 100 bucks for the ultra soft shiko and 94 for the regular one. Si i figure 6 bucks is not realy much of a diffrent, but for me i can run more air pressure with the ultra soft.

You can run just about any good sport tire as well...a properly prepped track should hook with any good tire. It's just that the sport tires are a lot more and if you are just dragging...shinko rocks![/quote] What kind of sport tire do you or have you run on you zrx that hooks? i've never had a regular sport tire hook for me. i've always thought it was because a shinko had a larger contact patch and a softer compound than a sport tires. the only time a sport tire has hooked for me was when my bike was at stock length. and even then that wasnt everytime. so i would like to know what sport tire hooks for you so i can give it a try. thanx

the sporty rubber out there is softer than the shinko. The only reason I run a shinko, is they are cheap and last a long time. I've run M1's before with no issues. Tire pressures are all different for each tire and what works for your bike, might not work for mine. You could have a great tire, but your set up could be bad...without seeing your bike and how you have it set up, it's too hard to tell. You just have to experiment to see what works for you. Lots of guys run pirelli's, check out RichiesTires over at Psychobike.com There are lots of great info about draggin there.:rock

the sporty rubber out there is softer than the shinko. The only reason I run a shinko, is they are cheap and last a long time. I've run M1's before with no issues. Tire pressures are all different for each tire and what works for your bike, might not work for mine. You could have a great tire, but your set up could be bad...without seeing your bike and how you have it set up, it's too hard to tell. You just have to experiment to see what works for you. Lots of guys run pirelli's, check out RichiesTires over at Psychobike.com There are lots of great info about draggin there.:rock I agree with you, there are some really soft sport tires out there. and i've never tried an M1 unless its anything like the new michelin pilot which is a really soft tire that i've tried and does hook. but its a hit and miss kinda thing. i use shinko for the same reasone you do but also because they hook alot better than the current sport tires that i have used. I've tried richies tires. paid $200 for a race grooved take of with a soft compound that he guaranteed would hook up. bike never hooked up unless you used a ton of VHT. tried to contact richie about it and he wouldnt return my emails or calls. and when i did get in contact with him he acted like he didnt remember me. F**K richie. and now that you mention setup, could you please explain what kind of set up one would need to get a tire to hook.

for money..shinko is best hands down. spencercycle sells them for like $118 shipped to your door. shinko is little heavier tire than some. but it hooks. i guess it depends on your HP and how track is prepped. hell i ran stock dunlop on my R1 for first year stretched. tire lasted full year. i ran it at like 12 psi. on shinko ultra you can run it at higher psi and get better traction than most tires. i still run mine at 12, tho some track i could run it at 28 if i wanted to. you should run as much air in rear as you can and still get traction. reminds me i have to order new Shinko in next week or so.

if your shock is set too stiff (or even compression damping set too hard)and not squatting it puts an additional load on the tire instead of absorbing some of the launch. If your bike is extended too far out it will have trouble hooking. If you are running the wrong tire pressure, it won't hook (even a Mickey will not hook if psi is wrong). How are you launching? Too many variables out there to pin-point it from behind the monitor. FWIW...a race take off is NOT a good option IMO. Those tires are only good for a few heat cycles. I would never run one on my bikes (street or track). JMHO

the bike is 8 over with the stock shock. the preload is cranked up to about 1 notch before full. i have left the damping adjustment at the stock setting so it will squat and i have the rebound adjustment set to hard so it will rise slowly so not to unload the tire. im 190 lbs in street clothes. what else could i do to improve the setup? and the race take off was richies choice. its what he recommended. never again.

what about compression? personally you may be too much on preload as well. What tire pressure are you running at now? Are you referring to Ritchie from Ritchies tires? Guy will do anything for someone not to run Shinko. im no tire expert by anymeans. but you have to find what works and go with it. my bike almost squats too much. i have stiffen up preload twice, and it still almost bottoms out on launch...but im light guy.

what about compression? personally you may be too much on preload as well. What tire pressure are you running at now? Are you referring to Ritchie from Ritchies tires? Guy will do anything for someone not to run Shinko. im no tire expert by anymeans. but you have to find what works and go with it. my bike almost squats too much. i have stiffen up preload twice, and it still almost bottoms out on launch...but im light guy. compression is the damping side, right? and im at 12 lbs with a shinko. and yes, im talking about ritchie from ritchies tires. sells bullsh*t tires. thats the one. and i have to have my preload set that high so it wont bottom out.

compression is the damping side, right? and im at 12 lbs with a shinko. and yes, im talking about ritchie from ritchies tires. sells bullsh*t tires. thats the one. and i have to have my preload set that high so it wont bottom out. You need a stiffer spring so it can work the way it was intended to. being that much extended, you are applying a LOT more force on that poor spring and asking it to do beyond what it's supposed to do. By adding preload, you are not making it stiffer, but just delaying when it compresses. The spring rate does not change with pre-load, only a change of spring will do that. You have rebound and compression damping....compression damping is when the shock is compressing (squatting) and rebound is when the shock is trying to return to normal. Compression damping set to hard will SLOW the rate of compression (stiffening), and soft will QUICKEN the rate of compression. Same goes for rebound settings. You want it to squat and stay there, so that means soft compression, and hard rebound. Also, too LOW of tire pressure will spin as well. You want to run as high a pressure that will allow you to without spinning. I typically ran 18-20psi in my zrx with 170hp, about the lowest I ran about 15-16psi. A good set up will allow you to do that. On a super tacky track like Houston Motorsport 1/8th mile, I can run 25-26 psi. I normally ran 5.90's or 6 flats in the 1/8th.

so who do i need to talk to about another spring or shock all together?

so who do i need to talk to about another spring or shock all together? Aftershocks out in L.A. should be able to get you hooked up. The can rebuild your stocker, respring it to what you will need and also revalve it for drag duty. They are very reasonable and do good work (they also stand behind what they do). Your other option is to pony up and order a custom shock from Works. Here's the website for aftershocks: http://www.aftershocks-suspension.com/pages/home.htm

yea i would suggest getting spring for your weight and length. you shouldnt be that high on preload to keep from bottoming out. with arm extended you turned at 170 lb springs into about a 120 pound spring with extra lever action of arm. not sure who is good to contact. I cant remember at this time.. ill look around and see if i can find some more.

Aftershocks out in L.A. should be able to get you hooked up. The can rebuild your stocker, respring it to what you will need and also revalve it for drag duty. They are very reasonable and do good work (they also stand behind what they do). Your other option is to pony up and order a custom shock from Works. Here's the website for aftershocks: http://www.aftershocks-suspension.com/pages/home.htm thanx for the info. sending my shock out next week.

You might even drop a bit of time off your 60' with it set up properly. Nothing like getting it right and being able to hammer it on the third yellow.:rock Make sure you post up any time differences when you get it back and get a few passes on it. Might take a few to get used to it though.