skinny z

What's the latest in tires that will provide enough grip for drag racing and be street legal?
This would along the lines of Hoosier or Mickey Thompson drag radial, BFG G-Force TA or Nitto NT 555r's. Or whatever else someone cares to mention.
For my application, it's the ability to launch my 3700lb IROC. 700R4/3500 stall, 3.70 gears. Current 60' times are 1.70. This year I anticipate being a little quicker with a somewhat lighter car and a fresh engine. My treaded McCreary bias ply slicks have been getting the job done, but they not well suited for the street.
I'm leaning towards a radial mostly because I may end up driving a few hundred miles, (on the highway to and from the track) , and I like the stability they offer as opposed to the bial ply.
I realize the compromise, but it would be nice to be able to get a little mileage out of them too if I should decide to keep them on the car for all my summer cruising (if you know what I mean).

84 z28

Mickey Thompson all the way.

Et street radial / Et street radial II or
Sportsman pros bias ply

skinny z

If I'm not mistaken, MT has about the best selection of 16" tires too.

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

I ran 16" ET streets on my irocz rims for awhile. Great street combo but sucks in the rain Ran the 15" versions on my prostar wheels with skinnies up front for a few months...ran just fine too just dont try to corner like an Irocz is capable of

I run same 15" et streets out back with bias ply 17" front runners on my turbo car and it feels very stable at 140+ mph. I love driving to the track on that setup.

Just that driving on ET streets really wears them out fast and hardens the rubber. I found some small stones buried in the soft rubber tread before so I no longer wish to drive on them that much. They chew up pretty quickly. The drag radials should be abit better but still have a soft compound.

Cant go wrong with a good ET radial. Proper suspension setup they will hook and go just as good as the bias ply street tires.

skinny z

Is that to say all drag radials are created equal?
The Nitto NT555R has some appeal. I've heard nothing of their drag strip performance but I've seen them on the street.

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

No, some are softer than others. Old nitto 555Rs are the hardest and hook the least out of the major brands. Mickey/hoosier/bfg are way ahead of the old nittos but nitto has a newer radial out that may compete better. Not sure havent seen them tested

84 z28

Found these reveiws. Might be helpful too you

http://www.superchevy.com/technical/...est/index.html

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/wheels...5-40-17-a.html

Camaro305SB

The Nittos are good if you want a longer lasting tire and you do a lotta street racing, but the MTs if you really want traction at the track.

skinny z

That'll be a good read. Thanks

Hmmm. What if I want both? (Not that I'm admitting to street racing but somethings got to help the spirited romp through the gears and not be afraid of swapping ends on the car!)

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

A buddy of my pulled a wheel on the street with his 425RWHP Firehawk with a full suspension and Mickey Thompson drag radials. He's says when it comes to traction its all about good shocks and A LOT of sidewall.

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

I have Nitto 555Rs on mine but havent got to run em on the car with the new engine yet. All they have is a few good burnouts left in em. I will most likely get another set because of longjevity. If I was to get a different kind I would go with Mickey Thompsons for best grip

skinny z

I hear a lot a good things about the MT drag radials. The newer Nitto NT555R is also interesting.
Drag racing aside, what about minimum/maximum treadwear rating requirements to enter certain events? It would be cool to have a tire that lets you hook up at the dragstrip, provide needed traction and mileage for cruising and work for Auto X or road racing. Sounds like a lot to ask for any one spec tire.

skinny z

Yanking a tire on the street has always been cool.
I have a shot of Grumpy Jenkins pulling the front wheels of his 70's Pro Stock Camaro on a side street in front of his shop.
That certainly attracted some attention.

skinny z

It looks like MT Street radials it'll be.
Unless a smokin' deal comes along on a comparable tire. Maybe M&H or Hoosier?

68 RS/SS Ragtop

iTrader: (2)

I only get to the track a few times a year. My 92 is my daily driver and don't want it to be too radical. I had Kumos on my car when I bought it. The new tires were Eagle F1 DSC-3's. They cut 1/2 second off my 1/4 time. Went from 13.5 to 13.0. The only change was the tires. The Eagles are also a peformance wet tire, so I don't worry about rain. Great tire for road courses too. I'm sure you'll do better with the tires mentioned above, but for all around driving, I'm loving my F1's.

Camaro305SB

Well said!!

lb9 GTA

Proof of that is the F.A.S.T. class. They're in the 9s now on 6" wide pollyglass tires. Those things are hockey pucks compaired to modern tires.

skinny z

But what about something that can be used for the weekend cruises and yet still deliver at the track on a mild chassis?

radical82

Compare the tires based on compound, too... The softer the tire the better the hook, but they will also wear a lot quicker. The Hoosier street radial is a good tire, but doesn't really hook that hard, might be better on a heavy car like your Camaro, though...

Personally, I use the Hoosier Street Radials on the street, and a Goodyear slick on race day. Don't believe there is such a thing as a tire that is "right" for both purposes, just depends on how much comprimise you want to make....

lb9 GTA

My point is that with the right set up almost any tire can hook. Those F.A.S.T. guys have stock suspension and even stock ride hight, they only change the shocks and spring rates (for the most part) and still get horrible tires to hook. How often do you go to the strip vs cruising? Because from what I hear about DR they don't last long with street use. It might be worth your while to mount them on cheap wheels and have other wheels/tires for cruising (assuming you have the room for the extra set). Just a thought.

skinny z

I suppose the point here then is what's going to work for MY chassis?
I don't have nearly the adjustability to make a weak tire work. When I qualified what I said by mild chassis, we're talking about the usual upgrades and nothing at all drag dedicated. It's a 12 second/cross country driving street car and benefits from all the tire it can get at the strip. The TA drag radials kept me mostly in the 1.8/1.9 60'. My current ancient McCreary's have yielded a best 1.7 60'. By comparison the only tire that compared to that on another car was the ET Street.
From other experiences, anything short of ET streets (or the like) isn't likely to provide the tire I need at this point.
Like you mentioned, it's going to be a case of having a decent cruising tire and carry the slicks to the track like I do now.

skinny z

.

It's looking that way.

68 RS/SS Ragtop

iTrader: (2)

I know this is a 3rd Gen forum, and folks seem to be leaning toward the Drag radial, but with the best 60' time seeming to be the 1st goal and drivability the second. I can say my 4100 pound 4thGen convertible has launched a 1.65 on BFG G-Forces and Goodyear Eagle F-1's. Zero drivability was sacraficed and you can get 25000 miles out of them with moderate track time.

skinny z

[QUOTE=68 RS/SS Ragtop;4794380]... launched a 1.65 on BFG G-Forces and Goodyear Eagle F-1's. QUOTE]

I can't see that ever happening with my current set up. With nothing being done towards being a drag racing setup other than LCA relocation brackets and (new this season) an adjustable torque arm, I don't believe ANY street tire will cut it.
I'm finding that with limited chassis consideration towards weight transfer and such, that nothing short of a slick compound is going to provide traction.
That leaves something along the lines of a drag radial or DOT approved slick, NONE of which has reported any durability if used regularly on the street.

68 RS/SS Ragtop

iTrader: (2)

[QUOTE=skinny z;4795938]I understand what you're saying. I've never run on slicks, so I can't offer a comparison. For me, I want my car to peform in it's max street legal trim.( in case some pesky Neon SRT-4 comes along- I love to ruin their day when they think there going to pick on an old slow 3rdgen

My 4thgen Chasis is stock other than sitting on the Eiback springs that it rolled off the showroom floor with.

I've just installed Eibachs in my 3rdgen and Tokico Adjustibles. Also putting in poly bushings today. I'm heading to the 1/4 track this Sunday to see how my new set up works out, including my Eagle F-1s.

skinny z

I had the opportunity to borrow a pair of ET Streets (bias ply) for a little test and tune at the track.
The results make the decision to buy a pair pretty easy. I'm back to the 1.7 60' time (not a big deal I know) but zero tire spin which makes for a very consistent vehicle. Available in 16" which keeps the IROC rims on all four corners.