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Old 09-26-2022, 10:01 PM
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Vroom_vroom Vroom_vroom is offline
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Default talk to me on drag radials

so i have yet to get much insight but have been asking the question for a while, i know you cant eat your cake and have it to but i want a 15 inch drag radial that will semi handle and not be total slop.

i keep coming back to the et streets and the nitto 555rII. i would bet my life savings the mickey is a better hook up but the reality is my car is a street car. i need to be able to put it on the freeway. guys with bigger wheels seem to complain about if feeling unsettled at freeway speeds so that seems to be my biggest concern.

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  #2  
Old 09-27-2022, 08:36 AM
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Well, Your gonna need a DOT approved tire for the street. I used the Mickey Thompson ET Street SS and they feel really good on the street. Lot of traction. I'm not sure what they would be like on wet roads, but dry was very good. I'm thinking if you posted in the street section, you might get more response. I would think alot of folks run these tires or versions of M.T.
https://www.mickeythompsontires.com/.../et-street-s-s

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Old 09-27-2022, 10:38 AM
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keep in mind a drag radial will wear out quickly - it will have a miserably low UTQG tread rating - this number (if there is one) is used to indicate about how much tread life you should get out of a tire;
I might suggest that it speaks to the rubbers softness;
The higher the number the harder the rubber, and the more mileage you should get out of them... at least that's the way it makes sense to me.

My Cobalt's original Continenal Sport Contact 2 tires have a treat rating of 240 - I don't know anyone who was able to get a more that year (or season) worth of driving on them;
I am seeing "competition" tires on Tire rack with ratings as low as 40;
The last set of "summer" tires I put on my Cobalt's wheels for summer use have a rating of something north of 600.

The drag radials I have for my Cobalt and Grand Am are both BFG G-Force T/A's, and I don't know that they even have a numeric tread rating.

I say all this to try to punctuate that if you take a drag radial on he highway, you should expect to only be able to get a handful of hours out of them tops;
I find it best to use the drag radials almost like a set of slicks - put them on in the pits, and bring them to the track in the trunk.
When I would go to the track (street car classes), It wasn't unusual for me to see people having their street tires chained up in the pits.

The merits of a drag radial are two fold;
1) you can take them around the block, or to the local S&S (ect)
2) you don't have to worry about how to mount them to the rim, unlike some slicks.

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Old 09-27-2022, 12:03 PM
JLMounce JLMounce is offline
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Are you against a 17" wheel? The problem is the 15" wheel and drag radial combo. These won't really accomplish what you are after. Unless you go about actually heating them up first, you're still not going to really be able to hammer them from a stop at a light and expect them to dead hook.

Then, you also get to deal with a sloppy tire. The nitto tire is going to feel much better than the Mickey, but it's not going to perform like the Mickey will and neither are anything I'd want to be on in the wet. You have to remember that drag tires are designed for one purpose. To be good from a dig requires a construction that necessarily makes lateral handling terrible.

Back to the 17" wheel. If you make a change up to a larger wheel, you open up some tire possibilities that will provide improved traction while also providing improved cornering and stopping abilities as well. I am currently running Falken Azenis 615K's on all 4 corners of my '69 firebird. 245/45/17 on the front, 275/40/17 on the rear. As long as I give the car a couple feet of rollout before hammering the accelerator, they do a pretty good job of hooking up. While they don't last like a traditional tire, they should last a good bit longer than a drag radial would. Based on my observed treadware from this summer, I anticipate getting 4 seasons out of the set before I'll need to buy new.

I have driven them in dry and full wet conditions at highway speeds without issues. Auto-x doesn't stop because of rain, so these tires have to have that capability as well.

I have a fairly standard engine build in this. 462, 232/238 roller cam, KRE heads, torker II. Should be somewhat similar to your combination.

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  #5  
Old 09-27-2022, 12:52 PM
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Keith Seymore Keith Seymore is offline
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Hoosier DR2s.

Mine hook as good at the track as a M/T Slick.

In any case, you will not be able to hammer it from a stop light, because they will not hook on an untreated surface street.

K
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Old 09-27-2022, 01:05 PM
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Nitto is a sponsor of the NMCA True Street category, and offers a $1000 bonus to winners:

https://www.nmcadigital.com/blog/nit...s-in-2022/1733

Some of the guys are running low 8's on them.

K

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Old 09-27-2022, 01:50 PM
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Default talk to me on drag radials

I have managed to put 3k miles on this car in the last 10 years so I’m not concerned with the lifespan aspect, I don’t expect them dead hook on the street but more so not completely blowing the tires off the car as my current ones. A softer compound that still has a bit of sidewall stiffness is what I’m really needing but a 275 60 15.


My apprehension for a bigger wheel is due to my love for the snowflakes. (Nothing else looks correct to me)
The 17 inch snowflakes have horrible tire options and the bigger ones just cost too much. The nitto has a ware rating so I get the feeling it might be a better fit for what I am wanting but my last nitto experience was less than stellar. My ctsv came with the regular 555s and they where total garbage. (Loved the bfg sport comps however)


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Old 09-27-2022, 02:02 PM
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There are a bunch of tires available in 26" overall height for 17" wheels. anywhere from 245 to 315 in some cases. A 275/40/17 should fit square on a 2nd gen.

I had the BFG Sport Comp II until this year and they were a decent tire. Not nearly as much grip as the Azenis. The main difference is that from a couple foot rollout I can hammer the throttle and the tires stick completely with the Azenis tires. With the BFG's it would haze them slightly all through 1st gear and grip in second.

I totally get liking the looks of the 15" on those cars. It would be nice if somebody made a modern compound tire in those fitments. Right now though you kind of have to pick between the look you want and street performance. There's not really any way to get both right now unless you're willing to go to a larger wheel.

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Old 09-28-2022, 10:18 AM
78w72 78w72 is offline
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275/60 is 28" tall, a 26" tire, especially on the rear, wont look right on most cars unless they are lowered quite a bit. nothing will dead hook on the street with the TQ of a bigger pontiac.

the newer M/T SS drag radials have added grooves in the tread that are supposed to make for a decent wet road tire. being they are radials they handle pretty good too, i have the older 255/60 M/T drag radials i use mostly for track use but have also used them on the street quite a bit, i dont notice any slop or balloony handling from them for normal driving or even some spirited corners or curvy roads, granted they wont be the best for auto-cross racing but they handle pretty good for any average street driving.

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Old 09-28-2022, 11:37 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 78w72 View Post
275/60 is 28" tall, a 26" tire, especially on the rear, wont look right on most cars unless they are lowered quite a bit. nothing will dead hook on the street with the TQ of a bigger pontiac.

the newer M/T SS drag radials have added grooves in the tread that are supposed to make for a decent wet road tire. being they are radials they handle pretty good too, i have the older 255/60 M/T drag radials i use mostly for track use but have also used them on the street quite a bit, i dont notice any slop or balloony handling from them for normal driving or even some spirited corners or curvy roads, granted they wont be the best for auto-cross racing but they handle pretty good for any average street driving.

Thank you! No auto cross or rain in my future but this is encouraging for what I’m looking for!


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  #11  
Old 09-29-2022, 10:31 AM
Singleton Singleton is offline
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I've used Hoosier, M/T, Goodyear(discontinued), and M&H drag radials on the street. Prefer the M&H. Lasts longer, has more tread, and traction on street is as good as the others. When my last pair of M&H radials wore out I switched to their Bias Ply street tire. Mistake. Hooks great but ride rough and twitchy. I'm going back to the M&H radial after these wear out

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