2011 Grand Sport, A6, 2.73 gear, headers, cam and converter. I just bought Forgestar 17x11 rear wheels and looking for drag radial suggestions. Thanks.

 

 

For that wheel size, the Hoosier 315/35/17 is the lightest DR at 26#. I'd heat cycle them once before racing. Try 24# psi and drop 2 psi at a time until they hook. Depending on the track and your power, you may have to go as low as 16 psi. About a 3 second burnout works with decent track prep. Use 2nd gear at around 3-4000 rpm for the burnout after the waterbox. If the prep is minimal, it might take 5 seconds around 5-6000 to hook.
Not that it'll make a difference for the tire or pressure, but what stall converter?

 

Thanks. For the converter I'm thinking Yank SS3600

 

I ran a MT ET R 305/45R17 with my old setup - H/C/I, Yank SS3600, 2.56 gear. It went best of 1.49 but usually 1.49-1.52 on motor.

You have the 2.73 so I would try the tall tire. I have no proof but I think the tall tire and 2.73 is about the same as short tire and 2.56 because of gearing in the 6L80..

 

I was wondering the same. Wasn't sure if the taller tire would slow it down though. Curious if anyone has compared results with a 26" vs. 28".

 

Hoosier DOT Drag Radial . - .315 / 35 -17" . . . . 25.8" diameter
Stock GS / Z06 Rear Tire . . 325 / 30 -19" . . . . 26.7" diameter
MT ET Street Drag Radial . . .305 / 45 -17" . . . . 27.9" diameter

Hoosier is about an inch shorter than Stock rear tire .... MT is about an inch taller than Stock

However the MT ET Street has the greatest aspect ratio of 45 which will give it the largest sidewall which equals best 60' traction (all things else equal)

My opinion ...

 

The MT is both taller and heavier, both of which are gonna hurt your ET.

As for traction, I regularly run low 1.3 60ft times (best of 1.32) with the 315 Hoosiers which isn't anywhere close to what I got with similar size MTs.

 

Okie Dokie ...

 

I run high 1.30's with the MT 305/45 x 17 in a 4L65E with 3.42 gears.don't know if the 2" shorter Hoosier would hook

 

Unfortunately, in this case all things are not equal.The OP is using an 11" wheel. The section width of the MT tire is 11.9 vs the Hoosier at 12.8. While the MT has a taller sidewall, it's far more vertical and therefore more resistant to the flex than the Hoosier, which is already flexed in it's static state. That's in addition to the weight that subfloor mentioned. The MT is 2# heavier and the 2.1" larger diameter moves the tread, the thickest and heaviest part of the tire, an additional inch from the center, effectively increasing the centrifugal weight penalty to 3.9#. Subfloor also mentioned the diameter that has the same effect as reducing the overall gear ratio, meaning the car has moved farther downtrack and unable the utilize the horsepower curve effectively. irok combats those problems by using a supercharger to create more power on the backhalf of the track, while giving up some on the launch and possibly using a narrower wheel. Subfloor's overall gear ratio of 13.78 requires a lower air pressure to hook, but with a 4000 stall converter to cushion the shock, it allows the weight transfer to lengthen the footprint.

The bottom line is that it's important to consider more than just things like sidewall size when choosing tires. The best results happen when everything works together.

 

Hoosier 315/35R17s have gotten me several low 1.3x 60fts with a stick car. I've seen the same tire do 1.22 in an auto car

 

High 1.3s on a 275/40/17 at thee track. Yank PAS3800 and 2.73 gears

 

How are the Hoosiers on the street? I'm assuming they wouldn't last as long as a MT?

 

The problem with this size tire is that the maximum recommended wheel width is only 10" .... The OP has 11" wide wheels

 

I am happy with the m&h 325 drag radials. I dont make a lot of power, but i do have a 3600 converter.

 

How do they hook on the street?

 

Really good if you can find a stretch of 100 degree concrete that has a good bit of rubber buildup and some prep that's still fairly sticky. Otherwise, the pavement will dictate how bad your launch will be.
While I can dead hook the launch on 275/40/17 Hoosiers on a 60 degree track at high 1.4's for 60' times, I can still spin with the same tires on the street. The taller, wider, and heavier the tire is, the worse it is for launching, especially on the street.

 

The Mickey Thompson ET Street SS are amazing.
http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/d.../et-street-s-s

 

It all depends on what you are looking for. They will not dead hook on the street. But they do a good job, with the right launch I get out with no spin on the street. I did my homework when I decided to get them. I was looking for a set of drag radials to use as my everyday tire and for well prepped tracks. What I like about the M&H, is that they look like they belong on the car, they are the right width similar to stock. While I also have a set of Slicks I use for no/ light prep events. They are not as wide. And just doesn't look good on a Widebody car. M&H also looks like a street tire, unlike the Mickey ET street r's. The MT S/S do look like a street tire. But decided not to give them a shot, because everyone around me has had trouble with them. They don't balance right. 1/2 the time they are defective from the get go, or after a couple of events. On my last car I had to send back two sets of tires because the side wall started to separate. M/T's are also heavier.

Hoosiers makes great tires, I run their slicks and they are the best (D06 compound). But then it comes to their drag radials, its not a real street tire. It has no threads/grooves on it, and its so short it looks odd and doesn't look like its belongs on the car. I would not use that as a everyday tire. If I am going to swap tires at the track, I rather run a full slick. At least at my light prep/no prep events, No one I know has ever had any luck with the Hoosier drag radials. I don't think there is enough sidewall for poorly prepped tracks.

so you need to weight your options and see what will work for you. There is no such thing as one perfect tire for everyone.