I have an 07 vert automatic with around 500rwhp.I have read hours of material on the forums and I understand totally that 17 or 18 inch drag radials will do better than 19 at the track. I am a newbie when it comes to racing so I am looking for some advice.
My question is this. For street use and the occasional (maybe 5 runs a month) at the drag strip is it worth for me to get 19" MT drag radials? As it is now my traction is terrible. I would keep my runflats and use them for any long trips. I normally use my vette on nice days and only rarely get caught in rain.
I am not interested in breaking records but would like to try and run some decent times at the track. Would the 19's do the job for me. I know its the lazy way out but I want the car to look stock so I would just buy 2 extra wheels the same as I have on now. I dont think I can find 18s the same which is why I am avoiding those.

Any input appreciated.
Thanks.

 

The 19" drag radials will provide loads of traction and be more than enough for 500rwhp when they're warmed up.

 

I have an 05 and drag quite a bit, but also drive 100 miles each way to the track & take the car on trips... I found the following to be the BEST OVERALL set up..

I got a set of 18" rear wheels from an 04 they are 18x10" wide... I use Nitto 555 those are the older Nitto's size 305/35x18 .. the fit is perfect, & the overall diameter is the same as the OEM tires..

I get a full season out of a set and my OEM rear tires have only 1000 miles on them I put them on in November, and off in March...

With 500 HP you may need a softer tire than the Nitto 555 maybe a MT but the size 305/35x18 is perfect...

 

the 555R (not to be confused with the 555, which is just a regular street tire) is a great drag radial for street/track duty and should provide ample traction up to 450rwhp. Over that it'll start to prove difficult to launch on.

 

the only way to have the wheels match the fronts and use 18s is to have some widened. That is why I'm leaning towards the 19s.

 

Do you still have the stock 2.56 gears in the car?
The 19" drag radials are taller than stock (and much taller than the more popular 17" or 18" drag radials) so your final gearing will be effected.
Though the traction benefits of a 19" drag radial will still supersede the slight gearing advantage of a stock runflat of course.




For most, the main beauty/advantage of getting those new 19" Mickey Thompson drag radials is that they can keep their stock rims/stock look and still hook better in a straight line than before.
If having to buy a new set of rims and swap them out for track use anyway, it's often best to go with the smaller diameter rims for drag radial use as they're often better performing with the tires also being notably cheaper to buy as well. Finding a set to match the fronts is a small hurdle but there are options out there.




You might actually be able to. If you have the standard painted or polished 2007 rims you can find aftermarket/replica replacements in 18" (even 17") that will fit. Even if you have the QX1 comp grey wheels, you can buy the silver rims and have them matched by a good painter/shop (but that does add some more cost into the mix as well). The aftermarket wheels are often a little heavier yes, but an aftermarket 18x9.5 might still be lighter than the factory 19x10 and the 18" tire might be lighter as well.
18" and 17" C6 wheels are available from numerous sources, from the sponsors on this site, various other wheel retailers and all over ebay.

I like the concept of 19" drag radials, if I were hell bent on having a completely stock look on my car at all times (ie: never swapping wheels/tires just for the track etc.) I would be all over those new M/Ts.

 

Actually John, those are 18x9.5", but they do work well.

 

I have 3.42 gears. I am hell bent on keeping the stock look and not to keen on replicas as I have heard of quality issues. My original plan was to go matching 18 replicas but have been wondering how much difference the 18s will really make over 19s. Like I said I am not out to set records, just run some respectable times enjoy some decent traction on the street.

 

Not necessarily.
If you're set on using ONLY factory OEM quality rims then the standard front 18x8.5 C6 rims will work on the back of a C6. The 265-40-18 Mickey Thompson or 275-35-18 BF Goodrich drag radials fit very nicely on them.
The aftermarket versions are available in 18x9.5 and even 18x10.5 I think, but the offset on 10.5s might not work as well.
The 18x9.5s (with a 65mm offset) and a 265-295 tire on them fit beautifully.

 

Oh if you have 3.42s then tire height is NOT an issue LOL. If anything you might even want a taller tire on there so yes, between that and also seeking a 'stock look' you are a prime candidate for the new Mickey Thompson 305-35-19 drag radials.

 

I appreciate all this info and will consider it all in my final decision. My real question is simple. Does anyone have experience with the 19 inch MTs. Will I have decent traction and be able to run low 11s? Assuming the car and driver are capable of course.

 

great . There's my answer. Saw it after my last post. Thanks

 

19" drag radials will work fine with 500 rwhp. I have the 345 nittos on my wide body with 550rwhp and I have been impressed. Of course the 345s are wider but I would bet the MT 305s hook just as good (if not better) than the 345 Nitto's. Now if you are looking for consistent sub 1.70 60's then 17s or 18s would be the way to go.

 

Thanks. I was anxious to do the wide body thing and still may do it but I am kind of liking the stock "sleeper" look. If my paint wasn't so perfect and I wasn't scared of the match (silver can be tough) I might be quicker to do it. I love that look but I guess I should save something for next year !

 

The tires haven't really been out long enough yet for anyone to truly test but having used all sorts of M/Ts in sizes 16", 17" and 18" I am quite confident that the 19s will perform very well in your particular application with just the right pressures and temps in them.

 

I heard bridgestone re-11 are very good too do a search on it.

 

That's a very good (sticky) street tire but it's not going to hold the power during a full throttle launch like a true drag radial will, especially with 500rwhp.
Now on a warmer day on a very well prepped track there is a chance that a tire like that will hold on some passes but that's ONLY if he still has the stock torque converter in there. Even then the almost violent 1-2 shift of the (tuned) A6 trans might still send the car sideways.

 

FWIW I got a full second set of wheels for my DRs that fit absolutely perfectly and were less than $1600. Pictured in sig....

 

It's amazing how many twisted answers a simple question can generate. I have over 600 rwhp and bought a pair of the MT's 305/35 19. I drove them for about 300 miles (on the street only) and the traction was spectacular. Brand new, they stuck like glue, even in 1st gear. I'm like you, and didn't want to change the stock tire set-up. These tires will do what you want them to do, all on the stock rim - trust me. They don't corner the best though, but that's what you'd expect from a "drag" radial. That's the only reason I'm selling mine.

 

I have nitto NT05 sitting in the garage. They look like they will hook like crazy and have decent tread life.

I should have them on in a few weeks.