Here are some additional tips we've learned about slicks. Once we get ours home, we clean the inside of the aluminum wheel with carb cleaner and then tape over the stick-on wheels weights with duct tape. The adhesive on both the weights and the tape should last a year or more.

Notice that this 11.5x29.5x15-inch Mickey Thompson tire has been measured at the factory for rollout. The matching slick to this one measured only a quarter inch difference. All Mickey Thompson slicks have their rollout marked on the face of the slick.

We learned this one the hard way. When screwing in wheel screws to the bead side of the rim, we always hand-tighten each, instead of using an air wrench. The reason? We have more control over a ratchet or nut driver than an air wrench, and are less likely to break the heads off our screws.

Here is a Mickey Thompson bulletin called "Tubes and Tube Type Tires."

When buying tube-type tires, it is important to understand the reasons behind making a tire a tube-type and when it is appropriate to run the tire with or without a tube. The following information will help in the decision making process.

AIR RETENTION

Tube-type tires are not guaranteed to hold air without a tube. If a tube-type tire leaks, it is not defective. There is a liner molded into the carcass of a regular tire that seals it and makes it tubeless. This liner is intentionally omitted from racing tires. This is done primary for weight purposes. More on that later.