i will be getting some 15x8 and i was just thinking about this.. i know a lot of you run slicks, et streets, nitto drag radials and anyhting and everyhting similar.. i know that drag slicks are the BEST for traction hands down... but i would like , from personal experience, everyone to list the DOT tires, slick sizes, etc that you have all used in drag racing, and the success and/or failures of said tires such as Nitto Drag Radials.. worked good, lasted 8,000 miles, i managed to get 2 seasons out of them at the track with plenty of burnouts and they had great traction.. etc.. i might as well start doing my homework now, since i will be trying real hard to get my new gears and rims and tires set up within the next 2 months.. thanks
Nitto's for a while. I didn't drive my car on the street that often so I never maxed out the wear. I had to go to M/T E.T. (streets) when I upped the NOS but I only drove on the street with those to and from the track once. They are NOT a safe "street tire".
so plenty of traction.. just lots and lots of wobble.. so it feels like the back end is fishtailing...? what is the sidewall like on those... do you like them for track use? i can always get extra rims and swap at the track if needed... what are you running for street driving?
I'd recommend the Mickey Thompsons ONLY be driven once you get to the track. They are labeled "DOT" to be legal in Street Stock, Super Street, etc., classes. The main fear of driving them on the street was not so much the wobble, but if it rained (just a tiny bit), the tires are of little use as far as traction goes. There's only two small grooves in the tires for 'tread'. Also, the tires are expensive. If you have a long way to drive to the track, that's more rubber your losing and they won't last as long. It is not uncommon to see people drive to the track on one set of tires then swap them out once they get there.
Use the new M/T Drag Radials. Great tire!!!! Better traction than the ET Streets without the wobble. http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/strip.html Click on the ET Street Radial Tire icon on the left. Brings up the different sizes available.
bfg dot drag radials. 8x26x15 on 7x15 rims. 2 seasons and are about done doing moderate burnouts ( getting smokw, but not boiling them). maybe 120-150 runs. almost never run on the street; track only. 4.10 gears, spool, 3300 stall converter, 1.91 60' times. they need a good burnout or my son gets a touch of wheel spin. i will probably try to fit the 10" version for next year. this tire at 96 mph puts him thru the traps about 5400 rpm. dot slicks dont seem to allow the same latitude as slicks do with air pressure. we found our car wanted 18-20 lbs. less and the car danced & vibrated at the top end, and more made no difference. with real slicks you can use the pressure to change how the car acts off the starting line. the DOTs are ok. i use them because my son runs street class which requires a dot tire. otherwise i would have him run slicks and i would put in the required from universal loop. actually i'm going to put it in anyway, just for safety's sake. bracket racing conventional wisdom says to put the biggest & best tire on that you can fit under the car & then set up the rest of your combo. best way to control spin. if the tire is a little bigger than ideal and slows you a few hundredths, thats what shoe polish is for.
15x9 Centerlines, 4" backspace IIRC, 28x10.5-15 ET Drags. Went 1.41 best 60' a few years ago before I backhalfed it. Ball bat to the outer fender lips and I removed the bump stops from the frame for tire clearance. Worked well. I suspect that if someone did their homework and moved the inner fenderwell, a 11.5" wide tire MIGHT fit in there.
275/60r15 BFG drag radials. 8" wheel 3 3/4 BS. Hook great at the track and leave straight like slicks instead of the street tire guessing game about where the backend is going to go. My best pass was on these right at the end of their service life. Not a very long wearing tire for street use if you have a spool or probably a very firm locker either. Also have some 275/50r15's on the same wheels. I haven't tried them on the track, but Comet155 borrowed them for a pass and seemed pretty impressed. Maybe he can pipe in? If you're making lots of power, have a heavy foot and a harsh locker or spool, don't expect more than about six or seven thousand miles out of them. That's with a few obligatory burnouts for friends and family and a few trips to the track.
i have a heavy foot.. lol... i love seing the looks on my kids faces when i light em up... they love it.. but yeah.. i want a set of road use tires and a set of track tires.. that way both sets last longer... i think the majority of people in here have 255 60 15 tires... on a 15x8 rim... what brand for tires is a good one for every day street use that is decent at the track? thanks for all the input
I ran a 12.16 on Hankook H101's Great road tires. http://www.hankooktireusa.com/products_view_info.asp?Item_ID=17&CatID=5
I am old school and still run 14's on mine. I have had good luck with M&H 235-60-14 bias ply on 14x6 and later with 14x7 rims. They have pretty good tread on them when they are new until they get worn half way down, then the tread is blocked from encircling the tire and you have to be careful in the rain. They would typically last three years on my car driven 40 miles round trip to the track and raced on from Feb. through Oct. or Nov. most every weekend. I have gone as quick as 1.72 sixty foot, 12.06 quarter mile on them. They also have them in 15 inch sizes.
Those gumballs stuck like old gum on hot tar paper. The sixty foot was 1.9 something. I tried to do a half a$$ burn out and nothing happened. It just launched me out of the hole and the track attendant had to guide me back to the line. There may have been some fresh VHT on there too, compounding the "problem". I'm running the lock right locker and only 3.5 in the pumpkin. I'd definitely recommend the drag radials. Stick well and the footprint isn't as variable to pressure changes as the bias softies can be.
Mickey E/T drags 28x9. Went a best of 1.39, consistant 1.40. Will last a full season on a foot brake car with normal burnouts.
The only tire i have not used is the M&H racemaster. I have used nitto, BFG, All brands of M/T, I have used wrinkle walls, I have used all the radials, The BEST tire i found for my combo is the M/T drag radial,275/60/15, I picked up 1 tenth on the 60 foot (1.50) . I have a 9 inch with a true detroit locker 3.50 gears. I also have several friends that run them on their mustangs with a stick, These tires work great bar none. I believe its the best tire made. I have run the tires 2 summers, They probaly have 200 plus passes on them and we drive 200 miles to and from the track every weekend. this is a good tire, STREET & STRIP
