JEGS Tech Specialist

Pete Mitchell

Optimizing every aspect of the dragster is the key to success in drag races. Although experienced drag racers will go into the tiniest details, it’s easy to misunderstand the importance of inner tubes in drag-slick tires. Proper drag slick tires are designed to provide maximum traction and minimum rolling resistance, and the inner tube primarily affects this, as it assists with maintaining integrity and pressure of the tire during quick launches, which cause extreme wear and tear of the tire. 

Whether you're a seasoned drag racer or a novice enthusiast, reading this guide will help you understand what the inner tubes are for and how to choose the right one for your vehicle.

Why It's Important to Have the Correct Size Tube for Your Drag Slicks

Before answering why the size of the inner tube matters, let’s first explain the inner tube's actual purpose. When racing a dragster, especially during launches, the tires are exposed to immense stress, and the inner tube helps the tire withstand it. This is achieved by the fact that inner tubes support the tire structure and prevent it from deforming, thus providing the drag slicks with optimal performance, even pressure distribution, better traction, and extended life, thanks to ensuring an even wear of the tire treads. Also, the tubes prevent tubed-design slicks from leaking. In short, inner tubes not only enhance performance but also increase the longevity of tires.

Besides this, the tubes also increase safety. If your tire gets punctured, the inner tube will prevent it from deflating rapidly, allowing you to control the vehicle. Last but not least, tubed slicks are generally the optimal solution for cost efficiency, as they are more affordable than their tubeless counterpart.

Now, why is it essential to have the correct inner tube size? Simply put, a wrong tube size negates the advantages a tubed design should bring. You risk deformation of the tire, which not only causes the treads to wear faster, but you’ll also experience slower starts because of the suboptimal balance of the slicks.

How to Determine the Correct Size Inner Tube

The market for inner tubes is relatively small because drag races are, in reality, quite a niche automotive sport. Choosing the right inner tube will be simple, as only a few options would be available. While this is partially true, understanding the sizing of different manufacturers may still take time and effort. The most commonly used inner tubes come from M&H, Mickey Thompson, and Hoosier. Generally, these and other producers offer the inner tubes in three sizes - small, medium, and large.

Dragsters commonly have much smaller wheels than conventional cars. For example, a Ford Mustang usually comes out of the factory on 19” wheels, while a drag racer will replace them with 15” or 16” wheels. The reasons for this are the reduced weight and lower rolling resistance of smaller rims and appropriate drag tires. This explains why the inner tubes are only available for smaller-diameter tires, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are no low-profile drag slicks. 

Below is the inner tube size chart for each producer mentioned above. For a more detailed description of each inner tube, head to JEGS online or ask one of our experts.

JEGS Newsletter Signup

Sign up now to join the JEGS email newsletter and be the first to learn about new products, special deals and e-mail only offers!

E-mail*

Please enter a valid email

Sign up today

Thank you for signing up!

Hoosier Inner Tube Size Chart

M&H Inner Tube Size Chart

Mickey Thompson Inner Tube Size Chart

Can You Go Tubeless With Drag Slicks?

We’ve already described why running your setup with inner tubes is a good idea, but you might still be asking yourself whether it is indeed a necessity or perhaps if there is an alternative. In short, yes, you can go tubeless with drag slicks.

To give a more thorough answer, two types of drag slicks exist - tube-type and tubeless. While the tube-type tires need to always be run with inner tubes, the second variant allows you to use and not use inner tubes. However, there is no substantial benefit of running tubeless slicks with tubes. 

You would choose to run a setup without tubes for various reasons. The first one is that tubeless slicks have lower mass than tubed ones, so there is less inertia to overcome during launches, and thus, acceleration is faster. This is especially important with less powerful vehicles, such as ones equipped with naturally aspirated engines. You may recall the equation that one pound of unsprung weight equals eight pounds of sprung weight. This makes the weight of the wheels and tires a significant concern. 

Besides this, inner tubes can potentially leak or rupture, leading to issues with the balance of the tire. On the other hand, the tubeless designs are more difficult to manufacture, which, in the end, means a higher purchase price for you and is another factor that makes drag racing so expensive.

All setups have pros and cons, so you must carefully evaluate which option to choose. In most cases, the tubed vs. tubeless debate may be summarized as follows: A tubeless design gives you potentially better performance and acceleration but increases the risks of leaks, ruptures, and imbalanced tires, which means you need to monitor their pressure constantly. Furthermore, going tubeless also means spending more.

Whatever your decision, head to JEGS, where you can find an extensive range of performance parts for your dragster, including tubed and tubeless drag tires and inner tubes.