Drag Tire Question
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Racer
Joined: Nov 2015
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From: New York
Drag Tire Question
So i posted in the performance results forum and havent had any responses. So trying here. I have a 2002 c5z06 making 560rwhp with a procharger, meth kit, bolt ons and cam. I have Nitto NT05 on the car. Check out drag video below.
I was thinking about putting MT ET Street pros on the back of my car on a 17" rim. 315/35r17. This will be for track use only. Can I keep my NT05s up front and put these on the back when I get to the track? Or should I go straight slicks?
I went to the 1/8 mile drag strip on friday and it was like I was driving on ice. I couldnt get any traction. I almost crashed my second run. My other runs I was spinning the tires most of the way down the track especially when the boost would kick in. I have ran 8.8 1/8th at 91mph on back roads near me but my best time there was 10.3 at like 77mph. I thought with that stuff they sprayed I would get better traction but I guess it was worse.
I was thinking about putting MT ET Street pros on the back of my car on a 17" rim. 315/35r17. This will be for track use only. Can I keep my NT05s up front and put these on the back when I get to the track? Or should I go straight slicks?
I went to the 1/8 mile drag strip on friday and it was like I was driving on ice. I couldnt get any traction. I almost crashed my second run. My other runs I was spinning the tires most of the way down the track especially when the boost would kick in. I have ran 8.8 1/8th at 91mph on back roads near me but my best time there was 10.3 at like 77mph. I thought with that stuff they sprayed I would get better traction but I guess it was worse.
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I have nitto invos on the front of my car and ran nt05r's year round on the rear for a few years and recently installed some mickey thompson et street s/s... the nt05r's are a great tire, they got very good traction on my setup and they don't handle bad at all either... I have had my car up to around 170 on multiple occasions and never had an issue with them feeling unstable... at your power level I think they would be even better as far as traction goes... I just wanted to try something different, that was my only reasoning for switching to the mickey thompson's... the weather in my area has been pretty crappy lately so I haven't driven the car much or had a chance to really lay into them yet so I can't comment too much on them... in the size you listed you could run the nt05r, et street s/s, or the st street r... the et street r is more suited for track only use whereas the nt05r and et street s/s are more of a dual duty tire
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315/35/17 will fit fine as long as you have the proper sized wheel... wow, I didn't even look at the vids until now... did you have the traction control on, off, or in competitive mode?... the track almost looks wet but that is probably just the video... the regular nt05 is still a street tire though and more focused towards handling corners than in a straight line with a lot of power so I'm not surprised it would spin
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Racer
Joined: Nov 2015
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From: New York
I shut traction control off because once in a while my traction control will shut off mid driving and give me the service active handling code and my car will wiggle on its own. Didn't want that happening while going down the strip. I have 17x11 wheels.
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I have never used hoosier but they would be one to consider as well as m&h... a full slick will definitely give you the best traction but those are typically for smaller wheels like 15-16" and if you don't have a good clutch and drivetrain that will become your weak link rather that the tires being the weak link due to spinning... I would not recommend driving on the street with a full slick on the rear and radial on the front, I have seen people do it but it's not a smart idea... if you want a dual duty tire then you would be better off with a drag radial, besides the ones mentioned toyo tq's would probably do well at your power level and possibly an r888 but they are more focused towards cornering... I have used those in the past and they are a good tire but in my opinion there are better options for traction with high hp
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Racer
Joined: Nov 2015
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From: New York
I don't need a dual tire. I have the nt05 for daily driving. I just want something that will be safe and fun to drive on the drag strip. I would like to keep my 17" nt05 up front on drag and just throw on either drag radials or bias plys when I get to the track. I can get different rims for the rear if needed but I have a free set of 17x11s to use. What tire height can I get away with with the nt05s up front? Thanks for all the help.
Pro
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Man that's either the worst track prep I ever seen, your tires are old and hard, or there's way to much air. 560whp should not be any were near enough to spin that bad! Either way ET Pros are a crazy good tire and even in a 17" tire around 16psi with a medium burn out they should dead hook 560whp pretty easy. The more side wall you can get the better. Either way keeping your front tires with ET Pro rears would be fine.
Just a note on slicks, there easier on axles and drive line parts but can get hairy using a radial front and bias ply slick rear. It can cause a scary shimmy on the big end. If you can get a drag radial to work it will have a faster ET vs. a slick, find your self a 16" rim if possible..
Just a note on slicks, there easier on axles and drive line parts but can get hairy using a radial front and bias ply slick rear. It can cause a scary shimmy on the big end. If you can get a drag radial to work it will have a faster ET vs. a slick, find your self a 16" rim if possible..
Last edited by yoshgixxer; May 22, 2016 at 10:31 PM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2015
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From: New York
Yeah I didn't check my air and I had just gotten those rear tires a couple days before so I'm sure when they mounted them they put the street amount of air in it. I'll check my psi tomorrow to see what i was running. Def went unprepared. So I'm thinking I'm gonna go with the et street r 315/35r17 Sound good?
Pro
Joined: Sep 2014
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Yea ET Street R is the tire that replace the original ET Street, its a very good tire. Will the 305/45/17 fit? I think if your car is not lowerd or close to stock ride height a 28" might fit in there and the taller tire will give you more roll out which helps to. By the way what rear gears are you using?
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my 305/35/19 et street s/s fit fine, those are 27.8" according to mickey thompson but installed on the car they are actually 26.75"... I'm not sure why there is such a difference, my car is also lowered on coilovers and I did have to remove the rear brake ducts but other than that I don't have any rubbing issues
Melting Slicks
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Don't mix radial and bias ply on the track either. They act different in acceleration and braking, and could make you loose control.
You need to drop your air pressure and try to get something with some sidewall. I noticed the other day that MT discontinued the 295/45-17, which I really liked. Not too happy about that.
If this was a TNT at a small track they probably skimped on the prep.
You need to drop your air pressure and try to get something with some sidewall. I noticed the other day that MT discontinued the 295/45-17, which I really liked. Not too happy about that.
If this was a TNT at a small track they probably skimped on the prep.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 1999
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From: Palm Coast, FL
a skinny tire up front would help the swaying up top but the tire spinning down the track is horrible - borrow a friends drag pack and see if it's something you might be interested in purchasing ... but use a better tire, some of the street tires at the track is just looking for trouble with spinning and loss of control.
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Racer
Joined: Nov 2015
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From: New York
So I just checked the psi of my tires and they are at 32psi in the rear. So I'm guessing that high psi on street tires on a drag strip won't be that great. Ordering the et street r's today. What psi should they be at?