http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/s...StreetRadialII

Just wondering if anyone has experience with these on stock 16x8 rims? I'm currently running 28x11.5x16 ET streets and want a radial.

Thanks in advance!

 

TTT. Mods, should I post in another forum?

 

I've run the street radials for think about 3 years, and I wouldn't use anything else. I used the streets once, and they sucked, so I went back to the radials. Strange as it sounds the non-radials had less traction, and I was making a road course out of the 1/4-mile. Diameter seems to make a big difference with traction. Ran on 26" tall ones for most of last season that couldn't hold the power making a best of 1.57 60'. Moved up to a 28" tall that held down the power for a 1.31 60'.

 

i have 255/50r16

 

295's are a bit wide for a 8" wide wheel. You'll loose much of the contact patch due to the "balloon effect", yet the larger tire will weigh more and take more power to pull. IMO you'd be better of with a 245 or 255 wide that fits the wheel correctly.

 

I'd have no problem with that tire/rim combo. If it was a bias ply tire it'd almost need more wheel width, but radials don't mind nearly as much. I have 275/50/15's on the 7" wide wheel for the street, and have had a drag radial the same way. The 295 is almost an inch wider tire, and his wheel is also an inch wider than what I've used.

 

The "problem" if you will is the weight of those tires. They are listed at 33 pounds. That is quite a bit of rotational weight. The standard ET street is around 23 pounds for comparison. I'm currently running the MT 16" 255 Street Radial and I thought those were heavy. They are light in comparison.

 

^ that's a huge difference in rotational weight!

 

....and to make it worse is the distance from the axle center line. The further away from the axle the worse the weight issue becomes. I will be switching to the Hoosier DOT Drag radial. I believe they weigh around 22-23 pounds and have great traction. The problem with the Hoosier is they are only a drag radial tire and are not to be driven on the street.

 

Thanks for all the replies!

I'm not too concerned with the mass moment of inertia of the heavier tire. These days, making power is getting alot easier and while tire technology is progressing, hooking it up is still the critical path to getting down the track. Plus this tire is ALOT larger than the MT (or BFG) 255 50 16 Drag Radial. I'm working towards 1000hp with my new combo and am exploring some options.

Has anyone specifically used this tire size?

 

I just mounted mine up yesterday. Gotta wait till spring to run them and see how they work.

 

89406Iroc, Any way you can post pics of these for everyone? 295 50 16s, correct?

 

Yeah I can try to grab pics tomorrow. The car is currently up on stands but it'll give some reference. One side I have mounted on a front rim and the other side mounted on a rear. Both standard 16x8 wheels but checking fitment so I can widen the stock wheels.

 

You're correct in the fact that making power has become easy, not sure as to why you're keeping stock wheels when getting to that power level, but to each their own.

The problem in a heavy tire is not only the power it takes to turn it, but it's control. The line between traction and shake/spin becomes much finer with a heavier tire. Once you get that weight spinning it takes a lot more to slow it down, thus if it starts to break loose it's much harder to re-gain control. Heavier rotation weight also adds considerably more stress to the driveline and braking system. - The stock wheels are fairly hefty as well. My 17x11 rears and 315/35 drag radials on my vert are lighter than the stock 16x8 with a 255 dr.

 

89406,

Pictures would be awesome! I was thinking of having my wheels widened 1 inch inboard. You?


Shagwell,

Stock wheels aid the sleeper look. Agreed that it is somewhat unorthodox (and I'm still conteplating some Prostars). I just got addicted to the puzzled looks I received when I put up mid 10s on the board. Now, hoping for a little more mph......and even more puzzled looks.

 

I am either going to go 1.5" on a rear or 2" on a front wheel put on the rear. The 8" wheel doesn't look as bad as I thought it would but it's too wide for that rim. on the 8" rear wheel it's going to take some massaging in the bottom front of the inner fender already. If I can be of any help let me know.


P.S. - I like the stockers even though they weigh a ton. 9.70's on the stock Iroc wheels.

 

I love stock GTA wheels and I like "sleepers". - I just start thinking more and more about saftey when running into the 10's or faster.

 

Wow, they actually look decent on the 8 inch wide rims! Thank you very much for taking pictures.

Is that a back wheel or a front wheel? Looks like it stuck out a tad more than my Formula rims in the rear.

 

No problem. That's on a rear wheel.