Help me decide on a tire

Ok I've been toying around with the idea of running drag radials. After reading the all the related posts on this sight about them, I just cannot convince myself to spend the $400 on them do to the reasons that they are only going to last me about a year. I really don't want to have to buy tires again next year. November 7th I will be at the track and new back tires is the only thing left to get before I go. While I may run faster with the DR's, I really need a good all around street tire, maybe the DR's hook the best, but they certainly aren't the cheapest or going to last the longest. I know slicks are the best option at the track, but I can't afford to buy new back tires, plus slicks and two rims at the moment. I'm currently running goodyear gatorbacks, old and dry with about 1/16 of tread remaining, they also have about 40psi in them and are on 17 by 8" rims. Sounds like a bad selection of tires when I'm trying to get traction. So I think A nice new set of street tires and lower air pressure, plus some weight over the rear tires will help alot with the first gear traction problem I have, plus the pavement at the track is stickier than the street.

Ok enough rambling, what's a good tire street tire that will get me halfway where I want to be, decent traction, decent treadwear etc.. BFG KDW's? Nitto 555's? Comp TA's? this is for a 17 by 8 rim, im currently running 245/45/17's, should I go wider? I need to make a decision this week so I can order the tires and have them on by the 7th.

I've always had good luck with BFG Radial T/A's on cars from behemoth size(Sunliner) down to Hondas. I ran Hoosiers on the Falcon, but I don't consider them "everyday" tires. They do stick like crazy on dry pavement tho[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_tup.gif[/img]

I've always had great luck with "round" tires...

And, since I don't race, I guess my .02 don't really matter...

I just got to work and the shop is empty 'cept for an '84 Cuddy I have to put a spindle on. So I'm pretty bored...
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Unless slicks won't fit on a particular vehicle, why would anyone use those over hyped drag radials??????

No sense in spending thousands of dollars on the engine and drivetrain, only to castrate the combination with inferior tires.

If you're going to the drag strip, get some real drag tires. Drag radials are a marketing gimmick. They work a little better than regular radials, but don't hold a candle to real slicks or DOT slicks. If you need an occasional street tire, get the Hoosier Quick Time Pros or ET Streets.

Running (and wearing out) expensive drag radials full time is an exercise in frustration. They wear out fast, don't do well in the rain, are easily cut by road debris, and aren't ideal for the drag strip.

If you're buying a tire just to be run at the track, why not buy a real drag tire? The money is the same, and the slicks work light years better than any drag radial out there.

Money wise, slicks are less expensive in the long run. A set of slicks on an old set of wheels used only for special occasions will last several years. You'd run through several sets of DR's in that time period.

A lot of people fall for those things. The magazines make you think you need them.... but you don't. Their sidewalls are incredibly stiff compared to a set of slicks, so they do NOT absorb shock very well.... and do not work very well at all behind a stick shift. The cars running these tires and going fast are using huge sizes, and are specially set up to work with this type of tire. They are use automatic transmissions, and if they use a power adder, it's a turbo... which comes on gradually. They are also killing power off the line with ignition retards and tight converters.

Get a gear and a set of slicks if you are interested in laying down some impressive ET's. Races are won and lost in the first 60ft.

Good Luck!

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For the street, Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's. Reasonable price and great performance. For the drags, M/T Slicks, as Mike said DR are more expensive and don't hook like slicks.

ok, I know slicks are the best, that's obvious, but right now I need tires regardless. I can't run slicks on the street. I will look into the khumo's, anyone run Falken Azensi sports? they look like a decent tire and reasonably priced. I will run at the track on radials, and in the meantime try to locate another set of wheels and some slicks for future track use. I can't afford both at the moment.

My post wasn't really geared toward you at this moment... just towards those looking to run a set of drag tires at the track. It always blows my mind when people will either run drag radials 100% of the time as their only tire on the street AND at the track. OR, worse yet, have them on a second set of wheels for track only use. They are hyped pretty hard, but they don't hold a candle to real drag tires for strip only duty.... especially on a stick shifted vehicle. Sure, they may be adequate on an underpowered automatic equipped car with a fairly tight converter on a well prepped track.... but you've got a LOT more reserve with a set of DOT or regular drag slicks.

As for your car, get a decent set of regular street radials to run for now... while saving your pennies for a set of seperate drag tires. Mount them on an old set of 15x7 or 15x8 steel wheels. You can get these from circle track places, Summit or Jegs for around $50 each... or you can just go to the junkyard and maybe find some old Dodge Diplomat police car wheels. They fit the small Ford pattern and measure 15x7". I believe they have around a 4" offset. 4-1/2" is ideal for most 65-66 mustangs.

As for radials, I have some Firestone Firehawk Indy 500's that are cheap and seem to be great tires. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_tup.gif[/img]

Good Luck!
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"Unless slicks won't fit on a particular vehicle, why would anyone use those over hyped drag radials??????"

Agreed.... slicks are waaay better. But in my case, I race in a street class which mandates the car be in "street trim" (full exaust, DOT tires, liscenced etc) so If it comes down to the choice between QTP's or a regular tire, gotta get the quick times (or BFG's)

I'm going to respectfully disagree with the views on drag radials expressed earlier and throw out another suggestion. Question 1 how many mile s a year do you intend to put on the car? If the number is low, meaning under 4-5000 then a drag radila isn't such a bad buy. No its not a DOT slick such as an ET street, but at your car weight and horsepower those 245/17's in a drag radial or soft compound road race radial can work with some suspension tuning, and a playing with inflation and burnout.

There are some big differences though between the various drag radials. The Nittos I run as everyday rear tires have much stiffer side walls than either the BFG's or M/T's. But then my car is big, heavy and has a stroked big block.

The BFG's actually wrinkle the side wall to get best grip and the M/T's are so soft you can push your finger into the tread.

You'll get 5000 miles easy from even the drag radials unless you race every weekend in which case nothing will last long anyway. The soft compound road race/ auto cross tires are cheaper than all season high perf tires. Same question about yearly mileage applies.

Finally if you do go the dedicated race tire route look for used lightweight rims, not heavy old steel rims and get a short slick to help your overall effective gear ratio. A short slick with a stick can still launch really hard.
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Couple other things, yes I do have a set of dedicated drag tires, ET streets on 15x10 wheels to be exact.

I have had good experience with both Tire Rack and Discount Tire by phone. Don't be afraid to ask for someone who really knows theri stuff with the various possible tire combinations.

Discount Tire had a local shop I went to for mount and balance help with rims I bought elsewhere with no hassles.

Tire Rack helped me find some tires at a killer price with the good compound.

It pays to ask around and find people who go fast with combinations similar to yours.
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