front tire question

i have a gas-burning fed, 9.0 et approx. I recently bent my front weld wheels upon return to earth from a great height. I had the wheels straightened by an outfit here in houston, and since remounting the front tires - they appear undamaged - these tires don't hold air like they used to. the rim profile seems good as new, runout is minimal. from new, it sure seemed to me that the beads sure were on the loose side, kinda like a motorcycle tire..., i did not run tubes.
these are the goodyear 2-1/4 -17 tires like you guys run on your dragsters. do you run them tubeless??? do they/should they hold air like a regular pass. car tire??? any bead sealants used?
if so, what???

thx for any assistance
john williams
janjon@ev1.net

 

I recently had a similar problem of my fronts deflating, a friend who used to own a tyre company suggested to break the bead seal and smear a light coat of rubber grease around the beaded area, low and behold it worked... and that was a year ago and the tyres are still up.

Nice cheap fix I thought and it hasnt shown any mess or problems at all.