Why Do Drag Cars Have Skinny Front Tires?

Have you ever wondered why do drag cars have skinny front tires? It seems like a strange choice, especially when you consider how much wider the back tires are. Well, there is a reason for this!

In this article, we will discuss the benefits of having skinny front tires and explain why they are so popular in the drag racing world.

Why Do Drag Cars Have Skinny Front Tires?

The primary reason for having skinny front tires is to reduce weight and friction to allow for maximum acceleration.

Every pound that you can remove from the car will make it faster and the smaller the contact patch of the tire with the road, the less resistance the tire will give. This is important for drag racers who are looking for every advantage to help the car accelerate and go as fast as physically possible.

Role of the front tires

Another important factor to consider when asking why do drag cars have skinny front tires is the role of the front tires. In a drag race, the driver is only concerned with going in a straight line as fast as possible. This means that the front tires don’t need to worry about cornering or braking.

The only job of the front tires is keep the car pointing straight and to help launch the car down the track with minimal resistance. This is why you often see drag cars with very little weight over the front wheels and why the front tires are so skinny.

Front vs Rear tires

Another key difference between the front and rear tires on a drag car is that the front tires are not driven. This means that they don’t need to be as strong or durable as the rear tires.

The rear tires are the ones that will be under constant stress from the engine power and will need to be able to grip the road surface to transfer that power into forward motion. The rear tires also have no tire tread to allow for the maximum amount of tire tread.

Because of the enormous power that drag cars produce, the rear tires have to be equally huge to allow the car to achieve the speeds that it is capable of. The front tires on the other hand, don’t need to be as big or strong and this is why they are often much skinnier.

Size of front and rear tires

The typical front tire size for a drag car is 26 inches tall and only six inches wide. The rear are usually much bigger, with a height of 29 inches and a width of 14-18 inches. This may seem like a big difference but it’s actually quite necessary to achieve the desired performance from a drag car.

Pressure of the front tires

The air pressure in the tires of a drag car are very important to calculate. This is because the air pressure will affect how much grip the tire has on the track as well as how tall the tire is. If the tire is under-inflated and flat, it will create excessive rolling resistance and slow the car down.

The ideal pressure for the front tire is to be as high as possible. This will minimize the contact patch with the ground and reduce rolling resistance helping the dragster to accelerate at the maximum possible speed

Conclusion

So, there you have it! The next time you see a drag car with skinny front tires, you’ll know why they have them and what benefits they provide. While they may not be the best choice for every type of racing, they are certainly the best choice for drag racing!

We hope you enjoyed this article and found it informative. If you have any questions then please leave a comment below or get in touch via email or through social media and we will read and respond to every comment, email or question. Thanks for reading!