Any body ever use drag radials as a daily street tire? Something like the BFG's or Nitto's.

I'm in the market for new rear tires and need more traction. My GSC's are not cutting it with the LT1. I don't get to the track that often so don't reallt want to get ET Streets and another set of rims.

Is at a bad idea to drive these things all the time??
How long will they last..5K..20K?
Will they handle like a regulal radial?

 

:lala:

 

Nittos drive like a radial and last long mine 60%done 10Kmiles with lots of track time (not driven winter though). BFG's hook better but don't last as long nor handle as well especially in rain.

 

It really depends on how much you drive everyday. If you only use the car on occasion and at the track, than the drag radials would be fine. But if you drive quite a bit than you're wasting your money, as the soft compound of the drag radials will burn off in no time.

I personally don't recommend it. If you get stuck in the rain you're screwed. And they usually have slightly softer sidewalls, so no they won't handle the same.

 

You certainly are........

 

thats what i heard, no grip in turns, and horrible in the rain, plus they wear out fast.
biker

 

Well it always helps to have a bunch of extra rims... if I didn't have to do the summer/winter deal for my car, it'd be summer/drag or slick combo....

 

As if you need slicks Stickies are for cars with actual traction problems.

 

My car doesn't hook up

If I don't go easy on the launch or they spray track bite it ranges from 2.4-2.7 60 ft times...

So yeah traction is a problem for me.

 

Uhh... bad 60's can also be lack of POWER. I don't think you're ready for slicks quite yet big guy... spend that money on a new block and an engine stand.

 

yeah slade, man my 305 was faster than yours...and i didnt have traction problems...i revved it to about 1200 rpm and then mashed the gas when it was time to go...not too much well spin at all.

i can no longer do this type of launch.....i tried it once and they almost threw my *** out

 

I'm up in the 91-92 mph trap speed range and with track bite I found that I could pull 2.2 60 ft times, but still manage to spin the passenger side tire after I left the track bite spray area. With tires at normal pressure and track bite it was 15.47@92mph and 2.2 60 ft. Heck I can hit a 92 with a 2.4 60 ft time (did it at sparta of all places...)


I will be getting headers for next summer and I will do some traction upgrades, namely posi and suspension as mine's beat from 14 years of daily driving...

Another thing guys, if I were to get summer tires and slicks/drag tires on my other set, that would put me in a different financial situation, I'd have a winter beater and I would be building some super engine of sorts, truth is I don't got cash for that kind of setup anyways. I was suggesting to him to run 2 sets of rims so that way he could run on road and track, this was not an analyze me situation. Since when is anything to do with traction a bad mod or not needed mod? Very few thirdgens came with great suspension anyways, and most of them are old now and in need of replacement. Truth is, no matter what you do or what order you do it, something helps something be better... just do something dammit and not sit around praying to magically run faster. Anyways enough of my ranting I had some bad food downtown and am suffering and don't need put the daily driver down session cuz its all bs right now that's just unnecessary.

 

Slicks will slow you down if you don't need them.... but getting that posi working can't hurt anything.

 

It looks like drag tires on separate rims are the way to go. I might get another set os SLP GSC's for cheap on the street tires.

Any reccomendations for a better street tire at a reasonable cost?? Must use the original 16x8" rims.

I just want my 60ft's under 2.0. I already have Lakewood LCA's with urethane and a urethane torque arm mount. I also have a set of Dragshock's I'd like to try sometime. I charted (force vs velocity test) these suckers VS the original Bilstiens..interesting results, I'll post it here in a day or so if I can find the plots.

The last track I was at, and the only one since the LT1 was installed was Luskville...the car had absolutely 0 traction, I might have cut a 2.19 60ft or something with a 13.8 trap at 102.9. The power is there, just have to get it down.

I did get out to Grandbend the year before..better luck but a 305 TPI, the car wouldn't spin off the line at anything under a clutch dump at 3500 rpm upon which great volumes of tire smoke errupted.

I think I've convinced myself to wait till I get to a decent track before pumping money into drag only tires.

 

Hey JohnnyIROC, what combo are you running for suspension/tires you have some great ET's vs MPH???

 

I don't have anything special.... here's the setup:

CASCAR slicks: $40 each
3.23 10-bolt posi
cut springs
stock stall (1,200)


It's a good ET/MPH hour, but both should be alot higher. I'm getting no weight transfer at all because of the stiff springs.

 

Do you run a front or rear roll bar?

 

Neil, I have a set of those CASCAR slicks you can have for cheap. Goodyear has a sweet new tire out called the F1 GS D3. They come in our size and the price is somewhat reasonable.

 

Giving away our slicks...:nono:

And as for the DR's. I had BFG's for about 1 1/2 months before the car got stolen, I got to the track 1 time, and they only got lit up once. By the time the car was stolen, there weren't much left. DR's do not make good daily driver tires, economically.

I'd get a set of rims and slicks or Cascar slicks and keep them separate. I'd like to try the Cascar slicks in the summer, but I lent them out and they got ruined, and it seems the other set, is being sold to the highest bidder.

 

I took the front sway bar out to race Trigger last season.... seemed to help a bit. But hurt me alot in the auto X the next day.

 

Hey thanks Paul, we'll talk in the spring about the CASCAR rubber. Might help my issues!

I checked out the F1's. List price is $135 US vs $152 for the GSc's. They are also in the highest traction bracket and have a higher treadwear of 280 vs 220. Looks like a tire with much newer technology.

The only reason I'd go with the the GSC's is that SLP sells them for $50 US a pop, and I have 2 good fronts left. Don't want to mix and match if avoidable. Might need a set of 4 F1's...