I'm wondering if a drag radial change will help me hook. I'm running MT DRs 255 50 16. Car is making 467FWHP/517FWTQ with 3.70s a 700r4 with the converter flashing to 4400. I haven't had it on a prepped track but it doesn't even think about hooking on the street. I have read that the largest tire I can fit out back on my stock rim is a 295 50 16. Do you guys think that tire in a MT DR would help my setup?

 

Hoosier makes a quick time pro dot slick in 28" height for a 16" rim.

However...that little rear gear would be way better for you with the tires you have. Those tires aren't made to hook on a road...just not kill you IMMEDIATELY if there is a puddle. Lol

If you need to hook on the street....add like 60-120lbs of ballast weight and try. You won't learn much unless you go to a track!!

 

guys run deep in the 9s on the 235 m/t drag radials, get it on a track and see how it goes.

 

I've also seen radial tire classes swap out tires after 10 runs because they're destroyed or won't hook any more. Local car runs in XDR. Set of tires lasted 8 passes. With 1800HP, he hammered out the sidewalls

Just like slicks, just because their's rubber on the tires, doesn't mean they're still good. Street driving kills tires and the soft compound racing rubber lasts even less. That constant hot/cold cycles that tires get dries out the rubber. When the oils are gone that make racing rubber sticky, the tires are garbage.

Your best option for track tires is to buy a second set of rims to mount the track tires on. Drive as little as possible on the street with them to make them last.

I know the BFG Drag Radials have a life expectancy of around 3000 miles. Change your tires every oil change. Extra rims are cheaper.

 

I know its very true guys have gone way faster then I ever will on my 255 50 16s. I'm thinking my converter might be a bit much flashing to 4400 in a 700R4. I'll try adding some weight out back. I dont have a track within 100 miles of me and I have to drive through NYC to get to it.

86iroc2try- you look like your coming out of the hole real good. What suspension mods do you have? I have LCARBs,LCAs,PHB,Sub frames,STB.... Still have the stock tq arm, maybe an adjustable one would help me leave?

 

I only drive the car 400-500 miles a year. The way I drive the car it looks that my DRs would last about 2 years.

 

I run lakewood 90/10 struts w/coilovers up front with stock shocks and springs out back...all adjustable rear suspension and torque arm.

the torque arm needs to be bigger with more power....but i know guys running 1.2x in 60' with the stock arm.

the weight is the only thing i added to get my 255 mickeys to hook, like in my sig pic on a 7" wide wheel. thats with 592 fwhp and a 5300 converter.

i needed 125 lbs in the trunk to hook on a semi-prepped track...so i wish you luck. i just switched to 275 hoosiers and can lay the smack down now. LOL

 

i think you should be able to make it hook without weight in the trunk personally. once you leave, you are hauling extra weight. but it would make it easier to get the car to hook.

 

On the street, big tires win. You need more diameter an width. Only way you will have a chance. I dont think a 295 will fit an 8" rim.

Id look for 15's or get yours widened to 9.5-10"

 

For a comparison. I have M/T ET Street 255's with factory rim on a 383 with a torquey First intake, 3.73 gear, and 2600 stall. Pulls 1.7 0-60 with zero spin on track, on street with warm sunny weather grips excellent most times, and with a good heat up grip excellent. This is on a 23psi, drop the pressure to 18psi and I cant see how you wouldn't get traction even with your high stall.

 

I have 295/50-16 Mickey's on 16x8 wheels. A little more buldge then I would like but they work until I order 16x10's

 

launch it, get the nose up and roll the throttle if you have to. If you spin that run is basically aborted. What LCA relocation bracket hole are you using and what torque arm? 90/10s up front?

 

IMO the bias ply will work a bit better for you on the street. Buy a set of 90/10's for the front. Back in the day when my car was on the street, the loosest the suspension was the better it left. Once I added the ARB if was worse. The first gear ratio of the 700r4 isn't helping much either. A tighter converter help a bunch.

 

I'll be running a similar setup to yours in the Spring. 385 Siamesed TPI with Dart 200s. Full manual TH350, 3000 stall, and 3.70 gears. Right now I have a set of half-used 245 Nitto's I was planning to throw on, but I doubt they'll hook. I planned for them to go on a 350 build, but that turned into a 385 build rather quickly lol. Now I'm looking into 295 Mickey's and 90/10 struts up front.

Here you go: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/whee...50-16-mts.html

They'll fit on stock rims, and in the stock wheel well with minimal modifications, just a few swings of the BFH lol.

Here's a bit of math I did on the different tire sizes and how they'll affect my 1/4 passes:

 

You don't want anything bigger on an 8" wide wheel than a 255 width DR.

A few years ago, a buddy of mine bought an 89 L98 IROC that he wanted to race - so we did some bolt ons and a nitrous kit and picked up a set of Nitto 16" drag radials for the rear. 100% dead stock trans (i did put a cooler on it), rear (3.27), and suspension. Car would run 1.69 60's all day in any weather at Englishtown running 13.0 at 104mph. I guess it was a perfect combination of tires, engine power, suspension, and low trans stall speed that made it possible.