JH
I have some knowledge of Goodyear 500 X 5 tires and offer this:
They were engineered by Les Garbicz at Goodyear, specifically for Don Garlits as stated. Les is now retired.
My engineering source at GY will NOT recommend those tires for anything over 200 MPH.
Almost everyone who has run them has had failures. Mostly chunking and/or tread separation.
I got caught up with them when I was doing my chassis with Mel Swain. Our thought was to use two in tandem on each side, therby getting the benefit of small frontal area, less turbulence, etc etc. AND not have issues with SCTA tech relative to failures since the load would be significantly less. This was in 2000, after I had retired the Merkur.
I had several sets of the tires, but decided after first running them on the salt in 2004 with the unsuspended front that a change was necessary, especially if I wanted to go really fast. 300+ Now being the target.
I have gone thru several iterations of front end design, and finally arrived at a very conventional single axle with 21 inch tires.
It just doesn't make sense to make compromises when I am in this for the long run. I considered solid or hollow aluminum, and Kevlar belt tires, but still keep going back to the size I am at now.
I had inhereted the Kevlar tires that Joe Law had originated. We figured out how to make them a tad better, but then the manufacturing source went away. (unfortunate because they were truly revolutionary and only 14 inches in dia)
Again I am led back to convention.
For me the only good for the Garlits tire is on my war wagon........
Now, about my friend LEE, well, its been said.
I have bumped heads with Lee and Miler Mike, but in every case they were perfect with the rule book and the protection of we, the drivers.
Your car has the capability of going much faster than just 200 MPH, and some really crazy things happen in the area of 200 to 225 MPH.
I'm sorry to preach and lecture, but this is an area I feel really strongly about. We cannot compromise our safety with innovation or what we may call out of the box thinking.
The gene pool suggests I can live to a pretty old age, and I intend on taking every advantage of that while still pursuing my passion of Land Speed Racing.
OK
back to lurk mode