Goodyear 22X4.0-17 #2904 Front Runners

[SPARKY]

I am CONFUSED    -- nothing new but this time I am getting conflicting information: 

When I contacted Goodyear I was verbally told that the tire was to be mounted on an Automotive J rim.  When we went into the field and check with drag racers what we have found are apparently mounted on motorcycle wheels. 

Terry Mouer has both specs---there is little difference in specs that we can find by careful comparison that he has found.

We would like to have Goodyear's written requirements for mounting this tire---when we called --- we were told "I am a tire guy, not a wheel guy!!   Does any one know of the "wheel guy" or how to find him!!  Thanks

[maj]

Watching these closely too Sparky
rim width of 2.5" , i dont think it would realy matter where that rim originated

How would you know if you had the new 2904 or are all these 300mph rated ? and the previously used tires a different number ?

[SPARKY]

Goodyear lists 2 17" Front Runners  on their web site  under drag tires

[maj]

Thanks yes i saw that but wanted to be sure.... i dont want to get old stock thats not suitable

[SPARKY]

Goodyear #2904 22x4-17

Jason the "Tire Guy" came through:

2904 were designed to be mounted on Automotive, 5 deg. Drop Center Rims    17" diam. wheels     J(ISO) Contour 

Rim Width 2.5" to 3.5"

The specs are available at:  The Tire and Rim Association Inc.

[SPARKY]

I feel sure that the 2904 is the only 17" tire Goodyear has released for LSR use.

[Liberty Garage]

Sparky
That's a relief that you now have a definite answer on the type of rim to use.
steve

[SPARKY]

Steve,  I feel that LSR  now knows what wheel the tire was designed to be run on. We have not been able to find car 17" wheels
or rim blanks for automotive 17" wheels.

I feel most of the drag teams are most likely running on motorcycle wheels.

[maj]

Summit list a range of frontrunner rims, but all spindle mount in the 2.125 and 2.5 rim widths
next closest is a 17 x 4.0 centreline rim

Do you realy need the J section rim which i take to be the safety bead rim, correct me if i am mistaken
As i remember a conversation on here previously where it was seen that at the very high pressures these tires run its not necessary ?

My application will be slightly different as a bike will see no sideload that a potentially weaving or spinning car could get

[SPARKY]

you are correct there are several bead seat combos on the page --the major reason we chose the 2.75" rim width was to miminize the need for the beads  one of the combos offered is inboard none and out board flat that is our choice.

[SPARKY]

   Great News LSR racers!  Hooray for Jason & Goodyear.  Jason came through with the promised information and copied SCTA!

MORE great news-- they are making a single run in June of (if my Sr. memory serves me)
21" 23" 25" and 28" 15 LSR tires--- so get your orders in.. Mark at Carter-Maxwell Goodyear Race tire distributor in OKC was most helpful in trying to help get the information needed.

[Duramax]

If you can't find 17" wheels to your spec, you might try MRW http://www.mrt-wheels.com/

Not everything they make are on their site.

They made some inexpensive narrow heavy duty 18's for us.  Built like manhole covers, very strong.  AND they put a non-racing lug pattern on them for us.

However, don't mention land speed racing.  Come up with a different application.  Seems somebody in the LSR community might have pissed the owner off, and they might refuse to make them.

I called, was refused.  Then called by 2 months later and said they were sled-pulling fronts, and they made them.

[Duramax]

A little bedtime story about drag tires:

Once upon a time a guy was returning from Bandimere (Denver) to California.

Due to a lack of planning, the spare for the tow vehicle was left behind.

So of course, a truck that had brand new tires on it, and had not had a flat in over 100,000 miles, got a flat.

Luckily, the racecar used the same rims as tow truck.  And the race car was VERY heavy at 6700lb.

So it was assumed that the DOT rated drag tire that was rated at over 200mph for dragracing, and easily went 130mph many times at heavy loads would be OK for 20 miles to the next town.

But, the heat generated by sustained 55mph operation was not something the tire enjoyed.  After 10 miles, it began to develop delamination on the sidewalls.  Another 2 miles later it exploded.  The tire was 3 months old (by date code) with only 1 event on it.

While this tale does not necessarily apply to Goodyear (these were M&H's that I and hundreds of others continue to use today), speed ratings for drag tires are not tested for sustained operation, not even DOT models.

By comparison, DOT street tires with only a 149 mph rating easily endure huge loads at high speeds for years and tens of thousands of miles.  In fact, one model required 35? miles at 2200lb loading spinning 215mph before a piece of tread came off.  The tire did not fail, it only went out of balance.  The reason the tire was not tested at higher speeds or loads was simply because the testing lab could not go higher.

Sadly DOT street tires are frowned upon for high speed use by the SCTA.  Tires that don't even get warm at 175mph for 50 miles straight aren't good for 175mph operation.

Cars and tires have changed dramatically in the last 80 years.  There are over 50 models of new cars that are capable of speeds over 200mph today.  Tires today ran out of speed ratings.  (Y) is the highest rating possible (more than 186mph) and doesn't have a top speed rating.  They had never expected cars to go over 150mph until relatively recently, hence the Z rating ratings the SCTA uses.  Z was the highest letter.  But as time went on, they had to scramble to find tire designations.  W rating came out to remove the Z rating, but cars went faster still.  So they added a Y rating.  Surely no OEM car will exceed 186mph.  Right?  DOH!!!  They were now out of letters and gave up.  Today's supercars that run their tanks dry at 250mph use a (Y) rated tire, which means (Why didn't we see this coming?).  They shortened it to simply (Y).

And then they lived happily ever after (until the 300 mph street cars come out that is).

The End.

[Duramax]

OPPS!

The moral of the story is:  If the speed you want to drive at is 175-250 mph, the safest tire you can run is a (Y) ZP design.  These are the high performance "run flats" that 200+ mph street cars come with.  They will not come apart, delaminate, chunk, and they will even take a nail or two safely.

200mph production cars are so common now, that even the stock Ford Mustangs (GT500) go 200+ now. 
The only reason there is not an American station wagon that goes 200mph is that it's speed limiter is set at 179.

Who would have imagined that 30 years ago?

[Sumner]

....However, don't mention land speed racing.  Come up with a different application.  Seems somebody in the LSR community might have pissed the owner off, and they might refuse to make them.

I called, was refused.  Then called by 2 months later and said they were sled-pulling fronts, and they made them..

Are you sure they weren't refusing for a different reason, like they felt they weren't appropriate for the application?

I ordered wheels a couple months ago and again last week and had long talks with the owner both times and he was making the wheels specifically for an LSR car.  All of the wheels for Hooley's Stude have come from them,

Sum