Radial Drag Slicks for a C3

[William V.]

Can someone advise me on the size and manufacturer of a quality drag slick for a stock body 75 C3? I intend to mount them on the stock steel rims and want them to fit without rubbing. I have a high performance stroker, close ratio Muncie, & 4.11 gears in a nice maroon 75 T-Top and fear the stock tires will not hook up. Thought it may be fun to bring the car to the track this summer.

BV

[William C.]

Re: Radial Drag Slicks for a C3

I'd look at M&H to see what's available, I crammed a pretty good sized tire under my '65 one year in my "Supercar showdown" days, I wouldn't get too hung up on radial vs non, as they are way to soft to be street driven for any distance more than 1/4 mile + the length of the sutdown area and return road. The Performance link in the C-4 forum has a lot of info on guys who are dragracing the C-4, tire info should be a good starting point.

[Gary R.]

Re: Radial Drag Slicks for a C3

If you're running a stock IRS and Diff with sticky tires the lifespan of the parts will go down with every pass. You need to beef those parts to handle the shock loads. I've replaced a few posi cracked in 1/2 with st tires, stickys will just cut them down more. If you're running more then 500 hp then you may want to think about a 12 bolt conversion to keep things in the car instead of on the track

[Mike M.]

Re: Radial Drag Slicks for a C3

If you're running a stock IRS and Diff with sticky tires the lifespan of the parts will go down with every pass. You need to beef those parts to handle the shock loads. I've replaced a few posi cracked in 1/2 with st tires, stickys will just cut them down more. If you're running more then 500 hp then you may want to think about a 12 bolt conversion to keep things in the car instead of on the track

gary is right on. the c-2 and c-3 IRS systems don't like the torque/stress that high hp and sticky tires transmit to them. i've twisted spindles, trashed u-joints(with resultant floorpan fiberglass damage) and cracked the posi case on stock engined(BBC) c-2s with moderatly sticky tires. i'd buy a cheap c-4 and put your stroker in it and save the 75 suspension. good luck whatever route you take.mike

[William V.]

Re: Radial Drag Slicks for a C3

Thanks for the help and advise.

I estimate the out put from the stroker is 450 to 500 hp. I intended to run three or for times over the summer just for fun and not to be a big competer. It sounds like there is a good chance I would brake IRS parts with the slicks so I will stick with the stock tires and be easy off the line. I know this will cost in ET but save on suspension parts.

BV

[Gary R.]

Re: Radial Drag Slicks for a C3

You should at least blueprint the 10 bolt to help. We've cracked stock posi's in 1/2 with 370hp cars. I just built a 12 bolt diff that's going into a friends 66- 650hp car,no way a 10 bolt will hold up to that level.
You can find my threads with a lot of pictures here:

http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111107

[James H.]

Re: Radial Drag Slicks for a C3

Radial slicks tend to not work on a stick shift car. I tried a set on my 4-speed, 4000# 65 Impala NHRA R/S wagon to prove or disprove the theory.
It would not hook at all in 1st gear(as I was told would happen). I would suggest a 28" or 29.5" Mickey Thompson bias ply slick depending on room.
I went a 1.79 60' in the wagon and a 1.56 60' in my J/S 65 Malibu with the M/T slicks.

Jim Henderson