Installing an inner tube is never the easiest task, and it’s even more tricky in a drag race tire. Of course, it’s easier, safer, and recommended that a professional take care of this task rather than you trying it yourself at home. If you’ve ever wondered how this process is done, find out below.
Coker Tire has been in business since 1958 supplying automotive enthusiasts with the right tires and wheels for both their collector vehicles and their everyday drivers, as well as racing tires. The company has grown exponentially since its early beginnings as a B.F. Goodrich tire dealership and they are now the world’s largest manufacturer of specialty tires and wheels for collector vehicles.
In this video, Mike Crutchfield of Coker Tire demonstrates how to install an inner tube in a drag race tire, among some other things that will get the tire all ready. He stresses the importance of having this done by a professional and not doing this at home.
First, he starts by taking the tube out of the box and making sure that it’s the correct size for the tire and wheel that you’ll be using. He starts out by putting just a little bit of air in the tube. Discover which way it’s offset and match that offset with the wheel, then let some of that air out of the tube.
Next, put the tire up on top of the wheel and add a little lubrication on the inside of the tire (just a little bit of soapy water normally does the trick). Once the (deflated) tube is inside of the tire and the whole thing is partially on the wheel, make sure once again that you stem location and the hole in the wheel match up and insert the stem inside, securing it with your lock ring. Then secure the tire onto the wheel and add your air through the stem.
Bring the air pressure up to 20 lbs., and then let it back down to whatever your particular race pressure is. Then you’ll want to run a tape measure around the center of the tire (a cloth tape or a narrow steel tape) and make sure that the width of your tires in the final assembly is the same measurement, give or take 1/4-inch.
If you run a tube as shown in this video, you’ll need to install rim screws. That should be done per the wheel manufacturers recommendation on the drilling for the rim screws. If you don’t run rim screws with a tube, it will turn on the wheel and the tube will be damaged and it could potentially cause an accident.
Although they are tube-type tires, some people do opt to run them tubeless and it works out sometimes, but not others.
Once that’s all set and you’ve bolted them onto the car, you’re ready to race!
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