Tire Changing on a Dirt Late Model

You would think these guys would practice some tire changing. A driver comes in with a flat and most of these crews go full retard changing a tire...
It's like they forgot how and try to go six directions at once!! It's kind of comical, actually!!

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Originally Posted by 427c.i.

You would think these guys would practice some tire changing. A driver comes in with a flat and most of these crews go full retard changing a tire...
It's like they forgot how and try to go six directions at once!! It's kind of comical, actually!!

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The last thing we need is high dollar crew guys just to change tires. It's bad enough that a guy needs a 'car owner' in grass roots racing. Most every track/series allows 2 laps to change a tire, even a "full retard" (as you say) should be able to get it done in that amount of time.

Any time you don't have a plan and then you're rushed to do something, things are gonna go wrong. Everybody in the pits knows how to change a tire by themselves but get 5 guys and they collectively need to do it in a rush and it looks like a 3 Stooges skit.

The bodies are almost built too wide and long to change a tire without the car being on jack stands or a pit lift

The LR isn't the easiest to get off when you're not in a hurry. You take adrenaline and the rush to get that car back out, I can see why it turns into a soup sandwich for most.

I’ve seen the same thing, and it’s because they do not designate people a job. One guy jack, one guy impact, and the last one to get tire off and on rim. And try to be calm and just do your assignment.

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Originally Posted by getinit

The last thing we need is high dollar crew guys just to change tires. It's bad enough that a guy needs a 'car owner' in grass roots racing. Most every track/series allows 2 laps to change a tire, even a "full retard" (as you say) should be able to get it done in that amount of time.

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I never said anything about high dollar crew guys. No, we don't need NASCAR style pit stops.
However, these crew guys should have a plan when they have to change tires. As another poster stated, designate jobs. I've seen cars come in and the crew is still scrambling to get a tire off of the bottom of a stack on their 4 wheeler.

A lot of times, as has been hinted at, the lr is forward and behind the body. Makes it difficult to get on or off. I almost joined a Francis pitstop at Mansfield last year to pull the rear bumper down while it set on the jack. They were killing me.

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Originally Posted by MasterSbilt_Racer

A lot of times, as has been hinted at, the lr is forward and behind the body. Makes it difficult to get on or off. I almost joined a Francis pitstop at Mansfield last year to pull the rear bumper down while it set on the jack. They were killing me.

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Im surprised someone hasn't tried to mount that section of the body on a hinge, with a couple of czus buttons to hold it down. Im sure it could be made to work.

Man that's a great idea about the body lr is extremely hard to change.

Was it the World last year where Sheppard came in and they did a 4 tire stop using a pit stand? I know it was one of the big races. That is a great example of having a plan and executing it.

This is another area where having a crew comes into play. Most the big guys have real crews, but many local or even regional guys it’s whomever they can talk into coming tonight. Something to keep in mind on the smaller teams when they change tires.

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Originally Posted by MGib24b

Was it the World last year where Sheppard came in and they did a 4 tire stop using a pit stand? I know it was one of the big races. That is a great example of having a plan and executing it.

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You can do that if you have resources that allow you have those jacks in your hot pit area, not all tracks are like that of course.

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Originally Posted by 427c.i.

You would think these guys would practice some tire changing. A driver comes in with a flat and most of these crews go full retard changing a tire...
It's like they forgot how and try to go six directions at once!! It's kind of comical, actually!!

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I agree with everything you said and yes it is quite comical at times.

Anyone remember what happened to Bloomquist I think it was last year at Bubba Raceway Park when he had a RR tire go down? The tire wrapped itself around the entire beadlock cover? I had never seen that before. The crew had knives out trying to cut enough away to just get to the dzus fasteners.

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Originally Posted by PushinTheLimit

Anyone remember what happened to Bloomquist I think it was last year at Bubba Raceway Park when he had a RR tire go down? The tire wrapped itself around the entire beadlock cover? I had never seen that before. The crew had knives out trying to cut enough away to just get to the dzus fasteners.

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yep, I was there watching that fiasco from the pit stands.....there was more knives flying around than at a Japanese hibachi grill! :)

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Originally Posted by MasterSbilt_Racer

A lot of times, as has been hinted at, the lr is forward and behind the body. Makes it difficult to get on or off. I almost joined a Francis pitstop at Mansfield last year to pull the rear bumper down while it set on the jack. They were killing me.

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That's why you jack it up under the rearend and not the frame.

Changing tires on the fly is a rare occurrence in a late model. The time used to practice pit stops that aren’t going to be used too often would be better used doing maintnence or getting new stuff together for your next set of races.

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Originally Posted by cjsracing

That's why you jack it up under the rearend and not the frame.

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Exactly. That is what they were doing. Only reason adding weight to the rear bumper would have helped them. It still doesn't get you to ride height, usually.