Alright so I got a set of 4th gen 16" wheels for free and I am most likely going to be mounting a nice set of tires on the front to try to help out my 60' times this summer. Right now I'm looking at 225/50R16's. Now I'm not sure that I want a set of slicks to put on because for one my car is only making probably 240whp at best and two I don't want to put too much of a strain on the driveline and break something, and I might also be driving to the track and back with them on the front so something semi streetable would be a plus. I'm mainly just wanting a good tire to at least take my 60' foots in the 2.0 range.


I've looked at the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Specs, Yokohama Advan Neova AD08s, the BFG G-Force KDW 2's, also the G-force T/A drag radial 2, I looked at the traditional hoosiers, mickeys, nittos (expensive as $hit btw lol), and I just don't know which one to choose. I would like to stay around $150 per tire and like I said my Max definitely is no drag car I just want something with a little more bite to get my 60' down so I can get a little quicker times this season. What are your opinions?

 

if these are going to be used only for drag racing there is no reason to get anything other than slicks.

you aren't going to break anything on a 6spd with the power you are making on slicks. if you wheel hop on any tire though, you could break something at any power level.

your choices for slicks are severely limited with that wheel though. the only slick i know of that i would really say is a good size for that wheel is the hoosier quick time pro 26x9.50/16. the next closest i know of is the m&h 26/11.5-16LT which is pretty wide, i am not sure you would be able to get the bead to seal.

you can forget all those street tires for drag use. they are good tires, but won't do anything beneficial for you at the drag strip. drag radials are definitely way more effective than street tires, but still not nearly as good on a FWD car as a bias ply slick/cheater slick is in my experience.

 

Mickey thompson et streets or bfg g-force t/a. I've run them both on my srt with good results. Any brand you get will get you a 2.0 60 ft. Heating them up properly is the most important part. Ideally u want a slick but you want to drive home with your race setup and your 2.0 sixty foot goal is easily attainable on a drag radial. I too would be scared to break axles on a slick. But I'm no pro and maybe the stock axles and drivetrain can take the abuse.

 

ET Streets come in a bunch of sizes for the 16" wheel..

 

they come in three sizes for a 16" wheel, two of which would be just plain wrong for him unless there are other sizes available than those listed on mickey thompson's website. one because it is a 28" tire which is way too tall for his power level (and might not even fit in the wheel well or without rubbing on the strut), and the other two 26" tires will probably not fit on a 6.5" wide wheel which is what he has... you MIGHT be able to get the 26x10.50-16 on there, but it would probably be difficult.

 

Hmm I found this video to be quite interesting...I know he was rolling into the throttle but this is only a 245 direzza star spec on a 440rwhp GTO...

 

I would take that with a grain of salt. theres no way he can go wot on ANY 245 street tire at that amount of power and not even chirp. Sounds like someone has invested in Goodyear tire and rubber company.

 

RWD tire performance does not translate to FWD tire performance.

the difference between bias ply and radial construction is much more pronounced in a FWD car. this is why RWD cars can often pull the same 60' times on drag radials and slicks, but in FWD cars that is simply not the case.

I own 245 star specs. they are wonderful tires, but you would be stupid to buy them for drag strip use. they will be no better than whatever tire you are already using. street tires are street tires when it comes to use on the drag strip. one does not have a significant advantage over another.

 

I know, I just found the video to be interesting because rwd or not a 245 street tire hooking that well I found impressive. But anyways I'm probably going to get a set of the NT555r's...my dad had a set on his 03 cobra and he frequently drove to and from the track with them on just fine, just gotta be careful in the rain but those seem to be a popular choice for a lot of fwd racers and from discounttiredirect they aren't really too pricey. I might even just go ahead and put a set of 245/45's on my factory 6 spoke 17's since they are just setting in the garage.

 

^^I don't think you will be happy with the results. I have only run drag radials and street tires at the track and while drag radials are better they are still frustrating. I currently have a set of slicks that I have never used, but I bought them because I was tired of being disapointed with my drag radials. Neil knows what he is talking about....I would take his advice....my .02

 

I stand corrected..the ET street radial is what we used before, but they must have discontinued several sizes..the only one left is a 255/50-16...that or I am not remembering correctly..that was also mounted on a 16 x 8 though...

 

They will be better than a normal street tire, but still a far cry from a bias ply tire. I wouldn't bother if you are only planning on using them at the track. They are a good street/strip tire though if you want a tire that can do double duty of track use and still give you good longevity on the street. Mine lasted like 17,000 miles and still had a few thousand left in them until I flat spotted them and ruined them.