[78w72]

will be buying some new rear m/t drag radial tires soon & curious what others have used & their opinions on the different versions offered today. i have been using the classic 255/60 drag radials which worked pretty good the 1st 2 seasons but they are no longer available. they offer a radial pro (which is not street legal even though its called et street) & the s/s style which is like the older ones but with more lines & i think a new rubber compound.

ive read about & seen a few guys running the radial pros & they all seem to like them, but not many using the new s/s ones. which ones are the "better" tire for drag strip traction? not too concerned about street traction or handling etc, but i do some street driving with them so leaning towards the legal s/s tires.

my car is a 72 firebird, 500+hp pump gas 467 stroker with a th400 trans & 3.23 gear. best time so far is a 11.2 @ 121+mph, been 123mph. the car has a pretty stiff suspension & doesnt get the best weight transfer & no traction aids... so, i have to launch off idle & roll into the throttle otherwise the tires break free & do not recover. i'd like to get a better tire to help with the launch.

any opinions between the 2 & what are the main differences?

[steve25]

Whatever brand you buy be sure to check the date on them as to when they where made as some times they can be sitting around for 8 months and be that much time closer to being dry rotted!

[Formulajones]

My father and I both use the M/T ET Street S/S in a 275/60.

They work exceptionally well. His car with 764 ft lbs and very simple suspension tricks just plants and goes out on the street.

[78w72]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

My father and I both use the M/T ET Street S/S in a 275/60.

They work exceptionally well. His car with 764 ft lbs and very simple suspension tricks just plants and goes out on the street.

thanks for the info... ive seen guys making big power & fast times useing the s/s so they must be pretty good, just curious if & why the radial pros would be any better.

my cars suspension limitations are hurting the launch for sure, the car is more of a multi purpose car at the moment, street/strip/autox so the suspension has stiff springs all around. i'm hoping for a band-aid improvement with better tires to improve my 60ft & be able to do a harder launch. i know the car has more in it if it could hook a little better....

[ponjohn]

My MT drag raidals ( original) worked well at the strip. Were completely useless on the street.

Street being defined as stop light to stop light. Not a pimp juice prepped back country road.

[JSPONT]

The pro's are stickier than the s/s. I go thru a set a season with my street car. I also do not do burnouts for fun. Just to heat the tires.

[HO 67 BIRD]

I just replaced my old set of M/T's with ET street R radials.

http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/strip/et-street-r/

[NO67GTO]

My 60' is a couple hundredths better with the pro radial vs the old style et streets. I like the looks of the new R style in the link. Like that there DOT approved.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[cnc]

Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S Radial Tires....I run these I'm not making huge power but I like em....fwiw......

[78w72]

thanks for the link & info. the new R style dot look nice as well & same tread compound as the radial pros...

[Formulajones]

The S/S, the R, and the Pro are all listed as having the same R2 compound according to Mickey Thompsons website.

So anyone seeing better 60 foot times when switching between the 3 may be due to other factors of the tire, maybe sidewall construction etc...but more likely what I've found is the fact that as they age, a new set will always pick up the 60 foot time a smidge over the old set, until the new set gets some age on it.

They are all listed as being radials so not sure sidewall construction can be changed a great deal to get DOT approval.

Of course we are speaking of street legal tires. The only other Pro listed that has stickier compound is not a DOT approved tire, and has no tread at all. It's track use only.

[grandville455]

Using the M/T 275/60 ET SS Here, Love them!

[78w72]

Originally Posted by grandville455

Using the M/T 275/60 ET SS Here, Love them!

if the s/s can do a wheelie like that, they must be good!

do they require a long burnout to hook up good?

[grandville455]

Originally Posted by 78w72

if the s/s can do a wheelie like that, they must be good!

do they require a long burnout to hook up good?

Nope, I haze them good that's it! This was a little too much even!,

[Formulajones]

That's more suspension setup than tire. I'd assume Caltracs on a leaf spring car (would be my choice for serious use) they work excellent along with a good spring choice/shocks and and setting pinion angle. Not to take anything away from the Mickey Thompsons, but to take full advantage of them you need a suspension that works at planting the tires.

When my A-body had it's stock suspension, it would haze any tire I put on the back, including 28x9 Goodyear slicks. With suspension dialed in it would wheelie with an old set of BFG drag radials back when they first came out, (mid 1990's if I remember) and they aren't the stickiest thing out there.

The fact that dads car with 760 ft lbs. holds very well on a dirty street isn't all tire, his suspension works very well, better than mine even.

A perfect example with both of us running the same tire on our A-bodies. He was actually complaining the other day when we had both cars out. I'm only making 600hp/tq and when I rolled into it I lightly hazed the MT S/S tires for a good 40 feet before it hooked up and went (cold tire and dusty road) But dad under the same conditions just flat hooked and took off. I thought he was going to run me over We stopped at the gas station and he asked if I was having fun, lol. Then complained his car wouldn't spin the tires and just hooked (which is really the goal)

[grandville455]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

That's more suspension setup than tire. I'd assume Caltracs on a leaf spring car (would be my choice for serious use) they work excellent along with a good spring choice/shocks and and setting pinion angle. Not to take anything away from the Mickey Thompsons, but to take full advantage of them you need a suspension that works at planting the tires.

When my A-body had it's stock suspension, it would haze any tire I put on the back, including 28x9 Goodyear slicks. With suspension dialed in it would wheelie with an old set of BFG drag radials back when they first came out, (mid 1990's if I remember) and they aren't the stickiest thing out there.

The fact that dads car with 760 ft lbs. holds very well on a dirty street isn't all tire, his suspension works very well, better than mine even.

A perfect example with both of us running the same tire on our A-bodies. He was actually complaining the other day when we had both cars out. I'm only making 600hp/tq and when I rolled into it I lightly hazed the MT S/S tires for a good 40 feet before it hooked up and went (cold tire and dusty road) But dad under the same conditions just flat hooked and took off. I thought he was going to run me over We stopped at the gas station and he asked if I was having fun, lol. Then complained his car wouldn't spin the tires and just hooked (which is really the goal)

Exactly, I'm just showing what's possible, this car has a t-400/4.10 gears and it still sticks, going a best of 1.33 60 fts. The tire works, but at my power level and beyond u need a good setup.

[Formulajones]

Nothing I like to see more than a no back half leaf spring car doing that. Old school and very cool. Reminds me of the Jenkins/Strickler days running the F-bodies with not much more than a slapper bar.

[ponjohn]

Loose front end for drag radials.

[Race City Pony]

The MT website is the best place for no BS. Plus they have the latest info on new developments, air pressures, and burnout / cleaning tech.

[TCSGTO]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

That's more suspension setup than tire. I'd assume Caltracs on a leaf spring car (would be my choice for serious use) they work excellent along with a good spring choice/shocks and and setting pinion angle. Not to take anything away from the Mickey Thompsons, but to take full advantage of them you need a suspension that works at planting the tires.

When my A-body had it's stock suspension, it would haze any tire I put on the back, including 28x9 Goodyear slicks. With suspension dialed in it would wheelie with an old set of BFG drag radials back when they first came out, (mid 1990's if I remember) and they aren't the stickiest thing out there.

The fact that dads car with 760 ft lbs. holds very well on a dirty street isn't all tire, his suspension works very well, better than mine even.

A perfect example with both of us running the same tire on our A-bodies. He was actually complaining the other day when we had both cars out. I'm only making 600hp/tq and when I rolled into it I lightly hazed the MT S/S tires for a good 40 feet before it hooked up and went (cold tire and dusty road) But dad under the same conditions just flat hooked and took off. I thought he was going to run me over We stopped at the gas station and he asked if I was having fun, lol. Then complained his car wouldn't spin the tires and just hooked (which is really the goal)

Care to share any tips? Been running Hoosier QTP's exclusively for around a decade and they work really well even on the street but was thinking of taking the plunge into the MT DR's.