Racing tires don't hold air long!

Guys, anyone know of anything that can be brushed or sprayed inside a racing tire so it'll hold air for more than a week? (other than $70 tubes?) Thanks.

 

There just aren't enough layers of rubber in the carc*** to keep the air in...

You could try coating them with Slime, or some other "permanent" tire sealer. I think that stuff only works if there is an actual puncture, though...

Best idea is to put the car on jackstands and keep the weight off the tires. Then when they DO go flat, the sidewalls don't take a set.

 

Tubes are the answer.

 

Buy a jar of pure Latex. We use it in tubeless MTB tires.

 

They are actually tubeless tires? Also is it the tire that is letting air leak out or the rim?

I'd air them up and give them a dunking and see where the leaks are. If you haven't already done that.

 

Folks around here use dishwashing soap. Give 'em a couple of coats on the inside, let them dry and see what happens.
Larry T

 

I think that if you have access to Nitrogen it will help. I understand that it does not permeate through the the rubber like compressed air. I guess that is why all the NASCAR teams use it. My 2 cents.

 

All of the drag racers I know who are running their slicks without tubes coat the insides liberally with Dawn dishwashing liquid.

It works.

 

+1 for dish washing soap or car washing soap - it does help

 

I heard the same about nitrogen. I also vaguely remember something about dishsoap mixed with baby powder and brushed on the insides of the sidewalls. Wasn't perfect but it lasted weeks longer. This was for running 14" drag slicks w/out tubes.

 

The nitrogen usually works, also put plenty of bead sealer on the bead before you set it.

 

Yea the front tires of my opel drag car dont hold air for nothing, all the soap does is give it another two weeks,was told by everyone get used to it.

 

Nitrogen is used in racing for only one reason over air.Nitrogen will keep the same air pressure better then air,therefore the diameter tire size will say the same. There is nothing worse then setting up a car before a race and have the handling go away and when you come in and measure the tires the stagger is off by a mile from what you started with.

 

Thanks for all the replys, you'd think there would be a demand for a product to seal them up, guess the guys who race heavily use up their rubber so fast it's not an issue. Never heard of the soap trick before, or latex...will try both.

 

Have used Dawn dish washing liquid in slicks for years with good results. I always use the bolt-on valve stems, too. Be sure the tire beads are clean & well lubricated with the soap when you air them up.

 

I have never had problems with losing air except out the bleeders as it is supposed to.
I run Hoosier tires on Weld beadlock spline drive wheels.
When you mount them you MUST be sure there is no debris stuck to the bead area.
The seal must be perfect.
I have a couple of wheels that I use for spares that are slightly bent in the bead area and I use tubes in them. Works fine. Race tubes are not cheap though.

 

There is, it is called LIQUID LATEX like I said.

http://www.notubes.com/product_info.php/products_id/44?osCsid=91ba8d03751b1125f04d2d80408ef6d3

You can also find many recipes for home made sealer online.

 

dish soap always worked for me as well.

 

Very good response!! Actually, back in the days when I was racing Trans-Am (not Pontiacs) and IMSA Camel Series, we used nitrogen for tires and more. First of all, in tires the heat coefficient, air common air, caused the pressures to increase during a race. So, nitrogen, an inert gas, was used.
Another benefit.....all our air tools were run off the nitrogen bottles. Pure inert gas...no issues with moisture and so on.
Oh, yeah, electric genereators were not allowed in the pits. Electrity and fuel don't mix well.
One more thing.....the road race tires had pliable sidewalls and they ALL leaked, but not a problem because all tire pressures were set before hitting the track. Every time. The very slow leakage was never a problem.

 

We have the same problem with the Goodyears on the front of the Strange Days Belly tank. they go flat in a day and it is out the sidewall,(we had em dunked to make sure), The tires on the rear hold air great

 

HUGH...It seams like there was an invention a while back that i believe was called...t-u-b-e-s...POP.

 

Remove tires and brush in double coat of Weldwood water based contact glue, let dry and remount tires. Make sure you coat the side walls.
Gary

 

X2 and don't be shy .lay it in there-it works.

 

Nitrogen is a "non-Newtonian" fluid, temperature has no effect on it, as in expanding or contracting and altering pressure.

Bob

 

I used to run Hoosiers on pavement and they would bleed down during the week as the car sat. They bled air out of the sidewalls. I had laid a suspect tire down and soaped up the bead and sidewall looking for a mystery leak. I came back a few minutes later and the bubbles were on the sidewall, not the bead.

I'd run a tube in my LR only, as I ran the pressure down to 8 lbs. It kept the tire on the rim too. That tire never bled down.

Bob

 

Just make sure it isn't the wheel itself. I have seen more then one of the skinny front weld wheel/centerlines leak where the two halves of the wheel join together. The wheels (as I recall) are siliconed at the joining seam from the factory.

 

THAT"S what I'm looking for. Thanks for the link. Knew there had to be something, and there is a bike store a quarter mile away that carries it.

 

At the real races you only drive for about 1320 ft. Check pressures between rounds.

Well that and 70 dollar tubes are not an issue.