Plenty of information out there. That said I'd like to pull it all into one pile and sort through it.
The subject:
82 Camaro Coupe
3500 race weight (w/ driver)
3.73 rear gear
3800 Edge converter
4L60
Stock suspension (other than LCA relocation brackets and Air Lift Drag Bags)
My racing history has generally been test and tune days. The pertinent take away from that is low track prep. Not always but generally I'd guess to say.
Other history has been Mickey Thompson ET Streets. A bias-ply 26" x 10" DOT legal slick. My current set is aged and the 60's have been progressively worse although there could other factors in that result as well. My current best is a 1.70 flat. That however was a 3.27 rear gear and McCreary Track Star treaded dirt rack tires. (True story).
Now, with the new engine, transmission and converter, I need to get new boots.

The general thinking is that with a low prep traction limited surface, the bias-ply offers a better chance of hooking up. Thoughts on that?
A radial isn't out of the question, especially for the occasional street tour but I'm not wanting to sacrifice my track performance for a better "feel" on the street. The MT ET Street SS is on the short list.
Note: I'll be running an IROC 16" wheel so that limits a few options.

What are your collective experiences in this?

 

Problem with the mickey radials is street use is gonna harden them. Fresh they grip like no other even on marginal tracks. The power you are talking about they should work fine if car is setup right for them. But street driving with feather them. You would need to constantly clean them up with a burnout to get rid of that layer. And then they dont last too long. Overall i wouldnt be concerned with the grip level if you keep up with that regiment. I know on my 295 et street ss, my 60’s started to suffer and required longer than usual burnouts at track to get rid of the crackling feathering layer and find good rubber. Also noticed car didnt hook as much power on street. So thats the expectation

a pro bracket radial would hook more consistently on lower prep but not a street tire i would run

I havent had an et street bias in a decade but i did like them, but radials always felt smoother to me. Any soft tire will have street induced hardening and feathering of the surface. Bias included but they would likely hook better on less than optimal tracks.

that said, our local track has gone downhill since they redid the surface and starting line in new concrete. It never did take down a good rubberbase layer and they do not use much glue. Its a radial nightmare now and quite a few guys moved to slicks. And it still aint super great. Talking mid 4 sec cars on radials struggling to go 4.90’s. Another guy with a all motor 10 sec 1/4 combo on radials went to a new track that didnt do a radial specific prep and he set a new best there. Struggled at our track.

So hard to say how your track is, in comparison. I know i went 1.4’s and 1.5’s with my 383 on nitrous and na. Et street bias. Great tire just didnt run them on the street full time.

and i also ran the 16” et street bias on bolt on car. Id lean bias on a 16”

 

Thanks for that Orr.
There'll be little to no street driving on whatever tire I choose. This is about the best tire for the track. T & T nights typically have a "heavy hitter" lane that's, at least from what I could tell, well prepped. The other lane...not so much.
That said, it's creates this decision for a bias tire on poor surfaces vs a radial on a better prepped track. This is an NHRA sanctioned facility.
Then there's the automatic vs stick car debate regarding tire structure. Not sure what to make of what I've seen and read.
I fully expect to better my previous best 60' time. That means I have to hook up. It never was a dead hook as some wheel spin always helped but the effect of a good tire on a decent track was never lost on me and I hope to replicate that, and better, this go around.
If a tenth in the 60 is 2 tenths at the stripe, I should see 11's. Corrected that is as I'm in 3000' DA.

 

So, that looks like one vote a bias ply. (As predicated by the 16" wheel size)
Anyone else?
I have driven my old ET Streets (bias ply) on the street but I can't say it was particularly enjoyable. That said, I'm of the mind to avoid any race tire for anything other than the track. That might bring the radial back in play. Then again there's that lore about bias ply for automatics although recently I just read about a bracket racer with an automatic Camaro. He did back to back testing between MT's radial and bias ply offerings. It's not really apples to apples when putting my car into the equation although his automatic did a personal best in the 60' and the 1/8th on the radial. Makes you think.
https://www.dragzine.com/tech-storie...-radial-slick/

 

As with all tires, traction comes with soft, sticky tires. We heat up slicks in the water box to release the oils in the rubber to make them sticky. Even with lots of tread left, slicks can lose their traction if they've been heated up too many times and there isn't enough oil in the rubber to make them sticky any more. Racers with big budgets will replace their slicks when their 60' times start dropping off no matter how much rubber is left on them.

ET streets or drags never need to be used unless you're racing in a class that demands a DOT tire. Same rules for rubber compound in a ET street/Drag as a normal drag tire. Being a DOT tire however does not mean it's designed to be driven on the street. The constant heat/cool cycles of street driving will dry out the tires very quickly.

Drag radials are no different. They provide good traction at the track and good street use however the compound is very soft and will generally be worn out by 5000 miles. Change your oil, change your tires. That gets expensive.

Best option is a good performance tire for the street and a set of slicks (if allowed) for the track.

As for bias tires, that technology went out in the 1960's when better tires were being made. You could run soft snow tires for traction but those tires are also expensive.

 

Hey Alky!
A DOT tire is the deal here as the local track has a street legal T&T. At one time they wanted to see the tires I raced with although I can't say what the situation is like now.

As for street driving, as I had said, it's not a thing for me. I'm not a street racer anymore so traction really isn't much of an issue. The rear tires do tend to wear faster than the fronts though! Go figure.
​​​​​So it seems that there's not necessarily a cut and dried answer regarding the bias vs radial slick.
This might be price point driven purchase as I can get the radials locally but the Hoosier QTP's I'm looking at are mail order from the states. At least in so far as my shopping has indicated. But I've only started that process.

Anyway, the rest of the pieces should be in hand by next week (transmission and converter) and it's back on the road again. Or yet again I should say.
​​​​​

 

The radial allows you to run more air pressure. Typically, drag radials will run no lower than 20 psi. Unlike a slick, the sidewalls wont roll over or wrinkle like a slick and lower tire pressures will actually raise the center of the tire off the pavement causing less traction.

If you're trailering the car to the track and need a DOT tire, I'd go with an ET Street to get the best traction even in poor conditions.

I used to go out on the friday night street legal nights just to get some T&T passes. Some nights there was no traction compound and the street cars just spun off the line but with my big slicks, I still spun but not as bad as the street tire cars.

 

There's also something to be said for stability at the top end. I've gone 115 or so with about 10 PSI in the bias ET Streets. It's not the most comforting ride.

Maybe our local speed shop, JB's, will have another tire sale. Then my decision would be made.

I've a long ways to go towards any kind of drag racing suspension. If traction is an issue, regardless of the tire type, I can always work on that..
​​​​

 

Not many DOT track tires can be safely run on the street. Sidewalls are too thin.
So if you want to run on the street without having to worry about every piece of trash you run over, the options are limited.

 

.

 

That is the reason I'm exploring the bias tire again. Because on T&T nights, there's only one lane that gets any glue attention to speak of. There's no guarantee I'll get that lane and from what I've read and heard, the bias tire will perform better on a poor track.
No trailers here...

And that's why I avoided any kind of "cruise night" action on my slicks.
However, being 20 minutes from the track via highway is a very tempting thing. To be able to arrive race ready without having to change tires and more importantly, store my street tires, is a bonus.

 

@QwkTrip I recall a thread of yours about your trials and tribulations of finding a suitable street tire that actually hooked and didn't wear out in 1000 miles.
What did you settle on? That part is beyond my recollection.

 

I switched to autocross tires in the 200 treadwear class.
Our cars are complete opposites though, and used in complete opposite ways.

 

While our cars a very different, there's still the aspect of street driving. While I intend to do less of that and get to the track more I know myself better than to think I won't get out and enjoy the many miles of unpopulated highway that exist around here. This is why I asked what you arrived at.
Did you find those tires to survive some "spirited" street mileage?
I've got BFG Sport Comp 2's now but given the nature of my general driving about, I don't utilize the "sport" side to any length. I might stress the limits of a highway on or off ramp, but beyond that, fairly pedestrian. Doesn't mean I'm not looking though. There is a lively autocross community out this way not to mention the road course that shares the same grounds as the dragstrip.

FTR: While I have expressed my bent towards drag racing, a member like @IROCZman15 , to me anyway, has the real spirit of these cars locked up. Touring, autocross, drag racing o'plenty...something that, if I were a younger man, I pursue myself.

 

Alot of roll racer guys like autocross tires and some other soft compound street/road race tires for street traction. Im just not familiar with what is in 16” sizes.

if you had some 17’s id say 305-315 sized drag radial lol

mickey only seems to offer the 16” et street ss radials now. 272 each ouchhhh. I dont see bias plys

hoosier has quick time dot radials and slicks in 16” sizes. Definitely go with one of those.but they expensive too

 

That's about it.
One radial from MT.
One of each from Hoosier.
Now, back to the original question, how to decide between radial and bias ply...

Now, I'm not some big time drag racer. The Coupe was primarily a street driven car that saw the dragstrip a half dozen times a year. It was never a huge performer but still improvements here and there saw gains at the track. Now my objective is to maximize track performance (hence cam and converter) while maintaining some civility on a countryside cruise (think drag and drive).
That said, I don't want to give up that 60' time on a T&T evening with a compromised tire choice. This is why the street element for the race tire doesn't enter into the decision. Strictly traction on what is likely a marginally prepped track. The differences between the two might be negligible but then again, is there a tenth or two with one over the other?
That's what this is all about. I did my due diligence with my converter selection. The same applies here.
Thanks all for the input to this point.

 

Yeah id lean to the bias options from
hoosier for marginal prep. Hoosier tends to be softer tires, depending on their compound, either c07 or c06.

mickey used to make bias et streets in 16”.

 

I trending in that direction.

As for the MT ET Streets...


​​​​​​


That's my last set of them on the right. They're twenty years old.
Next to them holds my personal best 60' record. McCreary Road Star dirt track tires. They were the ticket 30 years ago!

 

I remember one of the local racers using used Cascar tires. They worked but the compound was too hard for good dragstrip traction.

 

Yep. The McCreary Road Star was king at one time. Or nearly so. It has "DIRT" burned into the sidewall.
I've posted this video before although I need to watch it again. The first few tires introduced in the video, the MT ET Street, the McCreary's and BFG Comp TA's were all part of the tires I used when that video was new. 1999 or so. Those MT's and the McC's are the ones on the rack picture I posted above.

 

this is a great thread and I will be closely paying attention and chipping in my experience as I can. Today is a bit of a hectic day, but I want to re-read through what has been posted and later on, I can post more.

As things would go, I am going to be exploring the difference between my current MT ET Street SS tires which are 275/65/15 (28.2" tall). They are getting towards the end of their life when it comes to visible remaining treadblocks, but as Orr, Alky, etc have mentioned, the useful oils in the compound may be well beyond their peak performance. I can go through my log-books and find out exactly how many dragstrip passes (and burnouts) they have on them, but as for street miles its going to be a guess. I'll get back to you on that though. They still do "launch" good and they seem to be gripping enough to cause the rim barrel to spin a slight amount on the inner bead of the tire. That's another story, for another day.

I might not be experienced enough to know how to determine tire feathering, but mine do seem fairly true. I do drove on the street with them, especially to and from the racetrack. I have found that the sweet spot for my setup is right around 17 psi in each tire. Multiple times I did try higher tire pressure (like 20 and 22psi) but it led to undesirable results. I know I am probably hammering away at the sidewall integrity, but I am going to keep em at 17ish psi for the remainder of their useful life.

]






Which might be only for the next two months or so. My good friend had a moderately used pair of Hoosier QTP bias-ply that are actually 27" tall, 275,and 15" wheel, so I traded him something he needed for them; long story short I got these two tires for $80 in total. We started to discuss whether I should plan on running higher air psi in them vs a tire tube and I'll have to do more research there. I also bought a can of Permatex high-tack gasket sealant to put on the bead when mounting them as I've learned that this can help curtail any tire slip on the rim. I'm willing to try it, because I don't want to drill my rims for rim-screws (unless I really have to).




I also don't trailer the car, so its always a concern to street drive on a soft tire, and those Hoosiers will be thinner so more chance of a problem on the road. I get it; but I won't know if I can gain any better timeslips unless i do try them. I am certain that my sixty foot will improve because of the grip as well as being 27" tall instead of 28" tall. However, I am going to deal with the trade-off of having higher rpms, which might cause me to get up on the rev limiter quicker and therefore run out of gear at the top end. I plan to start experimenting with these in August or September. If they don't work well, I will just buy another set of my 28" tall MT ET Street SS tires and stick with that setup.

Ah, fun isn't it?!?

 

Feathering looks like the tire has a bad case of crepey skin.

It's more common with cars that can slip tires at speed and are constantly clawing for traction for a long distance down the road. Tire is basically getting torn up.

 

I've driven my bias ply ET Streets on the streetand it's something I wouldn't recommend for any distance. On the highway at 75 MPH there's a definite lack of steering control. And that's in a straight line. It's not like the top end of the track. That can be equally sketchy if you're a dodgy character like me and have 10 PSI. But that was best 60' so I hung in there. Better suspension would have undoubtedly allowed a safer tire pressure.
I always did the two lane blacktop thing and packed.my racing tires and changed them at the track.
Further to that, and it's been a storyline here all along is that you'll kill the tires with distance.
And for the record, despite having a DOT rating, they're labelled as not legal for highway use. Such is the disclaimer from Hoosier and MT. At least as far as the bias "slicks" are concerned.

That said @IROCZman15 I'll be interested in your exploits. I suspect, once you're dialed in, that you might prefer the bias ply.
I can distinctly remember the sort of crushing sound as the tires hooked. Not a dead hook but a staccato clip as they gripped and released and allowed for wheel speed. I knew my 60' would be good if that's what I was hearing. That eventually went away as the tires aged. At least in so much as that was my perception.
I'm looking forward to it again.
Remember too the historically the bias ply tire performs better on a poorly prepped track. One of two lanes at my local T&T track is glued for the heavy hitters. The other lane, not so much. With my power levels I can't say it'll be a factor as I'm a little weak in comparison to others but with a 1.70 flat personal best, I've got a target I think that's well within reach.

 

That's a fairly apt description for how the Comp TA radials looked after a dragstrip round trip. Furry might be another way of describing them. That was three hours of highway travel and a dozen passes or more. I can't say they ever recovered although I've heard of recipes for restoring them to some degree. It's been almost 3 decades since that but I do recall them being directional so the old hot rodders trick of changing sides wasn't an option.

 

There was an XDR car. Factory cobra mustang built by ford just for racing, no VIN. Changed the tires after 6 passes because it was hitting the sidewalls too hard. These are cars that run 6 or 7 second 1/4 miles.

At least with a drag radial, you can drop the pressure down to 20 PSI for racing then bump it back up to 35 for street driving. Just need to take an air tank or compressor with you to the track.

 

I don't recall which bias tire I drove the 3 hour return to the track but I know I cranked the driving PSI for the trip there and later raced with less ( there were two or three tours I did driving on the race tire and definitely one of them was the McCreary). The 12 volt beater plug-in compressor would give me enough jambo to get back to highway cruising pressures. I don't recall what it might have taken out of the tires. They were old hand-me-downs so lifetime was difficult to predict.

The biggest deal in all of that, and even now, is the stashing of the street tires while on the track. It was always a racers code of conduct to not steal the other guys ****. It did me well. Street gear and tools left in my "pit box". Unlocked. Left undisturbed. I can only hope the same code carries forward in the nine years since I was last at the track.

 

If you're looking for a push one way or the other..... This decision to me is a no-brainer --> Don't make the car shitty to drive.

 

ah, i know exactly what you are talkin about now. I've come home some days and seen those wiggly little sinews all on the treadblocks. They aren't from me racing, but more from me over-taxing the radials by driving home with still hot tires plus all the gear I take along with me. For the street drive to/from the track I always air the tires up to 32 psi and when I get to the track I drop them down to 20 in the pits, and then usually 17or18psi right when I am in the lanes. I used to bring a small air compressor, but recently I have been using the tracks free air-supply compressor just before I leave to drive home. At that time, I also bring the rear air drag-bags up to 30 psi for the ride home. Without these air bags, the 28" tall tires have scraped the fenders because of all the tools I take along. My rear shocks get set to level 4 (out of 5, so pretty tight) and then I can make the drive home fully loaded down, with no scuffing, rubbing or bottoming out. Now, can this be done just the same this fall when I switch over to experiment with the Hoosier QTP tires? ...... I am going to try, but I am much more leery with the thinner tire. I don't take the highways, but its still a good 30 minute ride to the track each way. I do look forward to a quicker 60 foot, as I've been real eager to see if this car can crack into the 1.39 territory this year, before possibly switching away from the oem 1987 rear swaybar that has stayed in the car through all of these years!

Looking to learn more from this thread! Good stuff

 

The push one way or the other will be which tire gives me the best 60' time.
The "shitty to drive" aspect is relative. Relative to the track, I can handle the bias ply and soft sidewalls. On the street, well, considering the car will have two distinct trims, one for the track with open headers and the other the street side with a full on choke hold exhaust, the race tire doesn't enter into it as I wouldn't use them. Maybe if I make the trip to the track on them if I'm not comfortable with the pit atmosphere (as in my stuff out in the open) but that'll be a game time decision.
Again that's with a bias ply. Wear and tear notwithstanding, I wouldn't be as concerned if I were to pick a radial instead.

But back to the 60'...

That's the most likely based on this and other bits of research.
Before I'm actually racing again, and seeing that my transmission is in the back of my truck and the converter is somewhere in a UPS truck, it may be a while. But in that while I'll make a point of visiting the track and watching for what the equivalent cars are running and the prep itself. Hell, my engine wasn't even broken in when I had to mothball the whole game so there's lots of boxes to tick yet.
And maybe, there'll be a timely tire sale yet again!

 

Hoosier is not a street tire. They even warn you in their product literature.
That also sets you up to be sued for everything you've got if you end up hurting somebody.

 

Sounds like you've adopted many of the things we've discussed in your development thread. Air bags, a more drag racing orientated shock and strut and with that, improvements overall. That's great to see.
I have (had) very much the same practice as you for race days. Air up both tires and drag bags for the trip. Drop to track pressure and adjust with my little 12v compressor. Air up again for the return trip.
At one time, we had our own little "Drag Weekend" racing trip. Three tracks in three days. It was a blast. I had a small open cargo trailer that I hauled the "fleet" slicks and tools in and towed it behind the original IROC. That was lockable too so the threat of thievery was somewhat less. Those days are long gone though.

Now for learning from this thread....Get the QTP's on and let's go! I'm looking forward to your feedback.

 

Exactly!

 

Track drag radials are very lightweight construction. They are banned in 1/2 and 1 mile racing. And can overheat if driven continuously on the freeway.

Sometimes you gotta decide which team you're playing for.... team "drive" or team "tow".... and stick with the equipment that team has. Nothing wrong with towing, it's a great way to make your hobby easier and car last longer.

Skinny's case is kind of special, he's so close to the track that I can see how it is tempting to limp a drag setup down the road to avoid the hassle of loading / unloading a trailer multiple times. Trailers have their own level of suck too, it's another thing that needs maintenance and costs money.

 

Interesting in that 1/2 mile, 1 mile ban. Something I didn't know.
That said, I do have my Z rated tires if such an occasion presents itself. Surprisingly, or maybe not so, is that despite being out here on the prairies, there no such sanctioned event like a standing mile. I could make my own I suppose . There's no shortage of straight wide open highway.






As for a bias ply trek to the track, I have driven my old slicks round about town and the highway so I'm prepared for that. At one time, Charlie here 3rd gen, with the twin turbo IROC, routinely cruised these streets on those same ET Streets while head hunting. That was certainly a street racing deal which is something I've no interest in participating in. I will however possibly covet that lane the minivan is in at the traffic light. I'm hopeful my street tires are up to the task. You never know what today's soccer mom might be packing!

 

I’ve driven to my track alot on my pro radials but its only a 15-20 min highway ride over. then when they got alittle old i used them on the street. Never noticed any issues other than it wears out the tread alot. Especially with the spool now

but ideally you want two sets of rims and swap em out. I still do that. I want another set for a slick lol keep a radial on street and the beadlocks have pro radials

 

I had a minivan kick my *** on a cold day when my tires hardened to a chuck of ice.

 

Exactly.

 

I don't want to clutter the thread up with my recent dragstrip day on Sunday, but I'll leave the link here in case anyone reading this thread later on needs more details. Most of you guys here keep tabs on my adventures already. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...nstall-11.html


Anyways, I know that I am going to make some changes in tire pressure for sure next time out, but for my recent track day, I stuck to the setup that has been previously "working" (showing best timeslip results), and had both tires at 17.5 psi in the lanes...for all 3 runs. Accomplished three timeslips in one day that ALL beat my previous best ever sixty-foot of 1.42 which was back in May of 2022.
First pass 1.384
Second pass: 1.411
Third Pass 1.400

First pass it definitely rattled the tires, and there is the track photographers photo to show how hard the radial is crushing.
TOO MUCH.
I'll be adding More air to the rear pass side air-bag next time ..probably about 25 psi instead of the usual 18psi.
Winter-time mods might finally include a rear-sway bar but this oem 1987 solid 23mm bar has been a warrior.

 

I'd no idea you were into the 1.4's. I have to say well done. Is that a nitrous hit or all engine?
As for your radials, you most definitely don't want the sidewalls getting crushed like that. Seems a lot of the radial tire guys (in our class of racing anyway) are running about 20 PSI. And it's said, by the MT rep that 1/2 PSI can make a difference.
If you haven't already, you should check out the link to the Dragzine article. Very informative and it discusses precisely that issue with the radials as well as a good look at a functioning bias ply slick.

https://www.dragzine.com/tech-stories/real-world-track-test-comparing-m-t-bias-ply-vs-radial-slick/

 

After all of the dialogue, here and elsewhere, with no clear cut choice (seeing as IROCZ man goes 1.4x with his SS radials and I've had good results with my old MT bias slicks) sometimes price point is the real driver.
Been keeping tabs on both styles of tire and yesterday, there they were. MT SS radials in my size (255/50/16) at 20% off!
SOLD!
I'd be optimistic to say I'll get to the track before the season closer the 2nd weekend of October but you never know. Still woefully out of tune plus I've had to drop the trans pan so as to sort the TCC wiring. That's a messy PITA. Not to mention having to drop the y-pipe to access a couple of bolts (which is new to me as I don't recall having to do that before).
Anyway, slicks are on the way. Locally too from one of last standing speed shops in the city.

 

I used to have MT Et street bias ply. Drove regularly on the street and track. But they felt sloppy at the top end (120+mph )

I switched to MT Radial Pro's (they are DOT) .Way better at the track and street. 148 mph so far
In saying that, if you do ALOT of street driving, get 2 sets of wheels.
On a somewhat marginal track locally here, I was getting 1.28 60fts with the Pro's, and drove the half hr home. But they wear fast.

My vote is 2 sets of tires, hard tire for street, and drag radials for the track. But $$

 

I've been using two sets of tires for the last twenty years or so. I also had the old ET Streets and did some street driving on them but like you said, they're a little sketchy at the top end. Even gone so far as to have the slicks on 16" IROC rims.
Good to hear about a solid 60' and marginal prep. Test and tune nights tend to have one glued lane for the "heavy hitters" as they're called. (You would be in that category ). The slower cars, like mine get the leftovers. The old slicks just sort of gave up due to age so it came down to this thread and ultimately pulling the trigger. Interesting note is that your radial Pros and these SS Streets both have the R2 compound.
Looking ahead to next season as time is running out in this part of the world.

 

I think you are around Edmonton?
I was at Rad Torque Raceway this past July to watch Miles of Mayhem.
Their poorest prep, would be our best prep around Winnipeg.
Make sure to give some attention to suspension, the tires can't do it all by themselves.
And old tires are good to a point, then they get hard and don't work well

 

Yes sir. 20 minutes from Rad Torq.
Regarding suspension, it was always a street car first. And real street. Cross country more than once. Other than LCA relocation brackets and some drag bags, it's nothing special.
This time around though, there'll be less street and more track seeing as I'm so close. If I can't get it dialed in the way it is, which is unlikely given the upgrades this year (engine and transmission/converter) I'll make the change to more drag race orientated shocks and struts.
I'm thinking that even the upgrade to fresh rubber is going to knock a tenth or two off the 60'. That would put me solidly in 1.5x territory.

 

Got the two new 15"x8" Jegs SSR Star wheels mounted to the used set of Hoosier QTP 27x11.5LT (10.00" treadwidth) Bias-Ply tires that my buddy was selling cheap. I didn't want to do rim-screws, and decided to also hold off on using any High-tack gasket sealant on the bead as of now. I'll see how far the tire moves on the wheel and evaluate. Especially since I am only going to get one track-day with them before wintertime.

I put them on the car on Saturday to check fitment and did about 8 miles of street use on Saturday with both at 26 psi. It didn't ride all that terrible at all, even with no front swaybar, Koni 90/10's up front and skinnies also. When I got home I put on the drag radials ( MT ET Street SS 28x10.5" with the same exact 15x8" Jegs wheel) and washed my various sets of wheels. Decided to weigh some of them also, using an old style bathroom scale.








The 1" shorter tire height is hopefully going to help the 60' time but might put me out of gear at the top end of the track. Not running any tubes, so my expected dragstrip tire pressure will start around 18psi cold.

 

Interesting on the weights. I found the ET Streets of old (bias ply) where much lighter than the MT Radials I just picked up. No data at the moment, (although I could and should weigh them all) but I'll say between the two tires, there's certainly 5 pounds more heft in the radial. All 26" by more or less the same cross section. Which is kind of to be expected.
Hope your track day plays out favourably. Wish I could be there too.

FTR: I ran as low as 10 PSI in the MT ET Streets DOT slicks!!

 

Only info I have is a comparison between bias drag slicks and MT Pro Bracket Radials as that's all I've used and my car is track only. Radials were quicker and faster but less forgiving if they spun a little.
As for screws, I do not use screws in any of my tires/wheels and don't use any high tack. If you're concerned about the tire moving on the rim clean the bead surface of the wheel thoroughly and spray some hair spray on the bead before you seat it. No goop, nothing to clean later and the tire won't slip.

 

It'll be the ET Streets SS this go around. The radial has that reputation for not recovering when they lose traction and that's something I expect. That said, just having a fresh set of tires should pay dividends. I know how quick my best 60 foots were and that was with a mix of completely different kinds of tires. Except for a brief couple of passes with aged BFG street radials I'd only ever run bias ply. That's twenty years ago and the result was nothing to write home about even having far less HP than I'm putting down today .
I'll have to examine how much prep is done on the "street legal" test and tune nights. Some of the cars there are marginally street at best and there's an exclusive lane for them. I'll say it'll have the most "glue".

As for the Pro Bracket Radials, what I see is that they're an "X2" compound compared to the "R2" of the SS Streets. I'll guess that there's more grip with the Pro series tire. As I've said though, my racing is modest. The objective is knock a couple of tenths off of the best 1.70 60' and maybe the stronger engine, better converter and transmission will translate that into more trap speed and lower ETs.

Springtime is a long ways away.

 

I got some testing done with the Hoosiers at the track last Friday.

(The track was a little loose and I never did get a crisp launch, but did get things figured out enough to go mid 1.4's sixty.)
This is all off of a footbrake with rpms ranging from 2100-2800 launch.

First I made 4 passes on the MT ET street radials
- 2 all motor were 1.62 and 1.52 (19 psi and 17.5 psi)
- 2 nitrous were 1.70 and 1.47 (18 psi and 17 psi)

Switched over to the Hoosier QTP Bias Ply for the next 7 passes
- 3 all motor were 1.51, 1.47, and 1.50 ( 16 psi, 15 psi, 15.4 psi)
- 4 nitrous were 1.49, 1.44, 1.52 and 1.52 ( 15.4 psi, 15.6 psi, 15.4 psi, 15.4 psi)

I wish I had a way to look at what the profile of the burnout marks is, so I could see if the markings show I am underinflated, but maybe next time or on the street I can try this. As mentioned, the track starting line was tricky that day, and I hope to get one more shot at the track this year (perhaps tomorrow actually).

I did notice a bit of rear side-to-side movement as the car was going down the track. Seemed more noticeable in the 2nd gear area, and by 3rd gear it steady'd out.
Would love to see this car click off more 1.3x sixty foots and I do believe thats entirely possible with these tires; just gotta figure out the psi settings and adjust my suspension (shocks and airbags) to work together well.

 

Probably for most tires, atleast mickey radials, when brand new the first burnout should be big and hot. After that not much is needed. They hook so well with little when new