89BlueTA

hey guys,

I am having a serious traction problem right now and was wondering what kind of drag radial everyone is running? I do not want to run slicks and I never drive in the rain or snow. I was thinking of some BFG comp drag radials, I was hopin gto fit a 265 of some sort on the factory 16X8 wheel, I have the 245/50/16, right now. I was thinking 265/45/16, if they make such a size.

thanks for your input guys
nick

NJ SPEEDER

bfg makes a 255/50 16, which is like a 26x9.5 tread face. if you drive aroudn and maek your races you can keep them warm from teh friction of the road, other wise they may require at least a little burn out to hook. they do liek some temperature.

later
tim

Alan84TA

I've heard from MANY people that Nittos are a lot better than BFG Drags... on both street and strip.. you can get them from onlinetires.com I just got some ET streets myself..... I wouldn't drive them but to the track though. (5 miles from me)

89BlueTA

I want something I can drive all the time, atleast when it is sunny. I do want something very soft, that would appreciate a small burnout to encourage hook. It just has to be able to take the rigors of cruising at the same time.

thanks tim and alan

nick

AlkyIROC

You can't have the best of both worlds. You either want a high milage all weather tire or a soft traction grabbing tire. Any of the soft tires, Nittos, BFG drag radials of MT ET Street tires will hook up on the street but will wear out very quickly.

The only purpose they make these DOT tires are for DOT tire class racing. They were never designed to be actually driven on the street. Street driving is very hard on these tires. It heats them up and dries out the oils in the rubber. By the time you get to the track, they won't work as good as a real set of race only slicks that are only used at the track.

Buy 2 sets of tires. One set for your daily driving and a sticky set for cruising.

89BlueTA

I only drive it around 5000 miles a year, so I am not worried about longevity. I was just wondering if someone had experience with a specific brand and size.

nick

ZL1day

I run BFG drag radials and wouldnt reccomend them....Im pretty much in your boat (just a faster car). Id get et streets or do what stephen says. The drag radial is a comprimise and isnt really good at racing or daily driving. just my .02

89BlueTA

thanks ZL1, what kind of short time did you pull with BFG's?

nick

Nic

I've seen guys run 8's on BFG drag radials and also seen guys hook so hard they've lifted all 4 wheels off the ground on them. No reason a street car shouldn't be able to hook on them given the proper suspension setup.

IMO, if you're not concerned about longevity, go with the BFG but they won't last much more than 5,000 miles. They hook a lot better than the Nitto's.

If longevity and wet weather traction is a concern, go with the Nitto. I had a set that lasted over 12,000 miles with probably 70 runs on them and they still had some tread life left on them before I sold the wheels they were on.

If you never plan to drive on the street, but need a DOT tire for the class you run, then go with the ET streets.

85transamtpi

Agreed,

For MOSTLY stip with occational street driving BFG D/R's are the way to go. With MOSTLY street and a little strip driving Nittos are a better choice. ET Streets...track, only if you cant run a real slick because of class.

-peace

vortecfcar

Nic you have to understand that these 8 second cars you see are set up to hook on DOT legal tires. That costs more money than just buying the buying slicks and hooking on stock suspension. I Know it seems cheesey but the trick is to go fast cheap and for that BFGs just arent gonna work like slicks.

89BlueTA

I just wanted to let every one know that I ordered a set of BFG comp T/A drag radials 255/50/16 today. I should have them on in time for the track opening day. I will post my results if any one else is interested in how these tires perform.

Thanks everyone for your input, it is all appreciated!

nick

Teal Shark

Hey. I am new at drag racing. Last year we dragged Aperion's car at Race city in Calgary and this year I am gonna give mine a try. I currently have Dunlop GT Qualifiers on 15 X 9 Prostars (235 60 R15) and I can only wonder what they are gonna perform like. All other things considered, (suspention etc) has anyone ever heard how the GT qualifiers perform? I am using it on the street mostly and maybe 5-10 runs friday nights at the strip. Can anyone tell me what the following information means:
Treadwear 400
Traction A
Temperature B

Any input is greatly appreciated! -TS

89BlueTA

The treadwear number is high indicating a hard, long wearing tire, generally if you can get a lower number the tire will be softer, for better traction. It just will normally not last as long, but since you will not be able to burn as much rubber, it might end up lasting longer than the harder tire.

The scale for treadwear is around 250-450, or somewhere close to that.

The temp. and traction are rated on an A,B,C scale with A being the best.

hope this helps

nick

My firestone firehawk tires have a treadwear of 180, so I was a little off on my numbers.

Teal Shark

Ok I get the "hardness" rating and the traction rating, can you clarify the scale of temp as in A= best best being hot or cold? Thanks alot for your help! -TS

AlkyIROC

Teal Shark

Don't be too impressed with your times when the track opens on April 19. It will be a very cold track and track times will always suck for the first few weeks.

Teal Shark

I am ready for how cold it will be, and the high altitude with quickly changing barometer makes everyone who's trying to race nuts up here. Alot of trial and error occurs no matter what in the first few weeks and I am ready for that. I am wanting to get some times so as I change things a few at a time (like cam, t. converter etc) it's nice to see the improvements it will make. In the future when I want to race a bit more I would like to buy stickier tires for the track and want to be informed what choices I have. I guess that applies to getting whatever kind of rubber you need to suit the purpose. Thanks again! -TS

BuddyLeeX

umm, i got some yokahoma steel radials today...are those good? They look kinda nice, the bfg radial t/as were too much, otherwise i woudl of gotten those

89BlueTA

hey guys just got back from the track, and I have to say I was pretty happy with the BFG's. I pulled a 1.995 60', which for the cold weather and green track and new tires I was pretty happy with. With some more track time I think I can get that down a little, but I am very happy with them so far. They do not seem to heat up driving on the freeway either.

nick