Does anybody have any experience with those drag radials? I just put on a set of them at 245/45 R17. I took probably 6 passes or more on them tonight and I could not seem to get them to hook any better than street tires. I pulled a bunch of 2.11x 60's and two 2.08x, but that's no better than I always got on my stock craptenzas on the same wheels. Running them at 18,19, and 20 psi but still no improvement. I was traction limited too, not a power problem. Got suggestions?

 

Drop the pressure more. I cut mid 1.9s (1.95 best) at like 12psi on my 245-45-17 Nittos back when I had them. At higher pressures like what you're running I was in the low 2.00-2.05 range usually.

 

Yeah, I was dropping the pressure, but I started losing top end so I filled them back up. Unfortunately that didn't bring it back, conditions must have been changing. After I figured that out though I didn't have a chance to drop the pressure again, I'll have to try that next time

 

I know a LOT of people in the Probe community that run them and love them. They usually see 1.7x-1.9x sixty foot times.

 

Yeah my traps didn't go down at those pressures. I always stop lowering the tire pressure either when my 60's stop improving or my traps start dropping. I actually ran my highest traps ever in the car that day at 12psi in the tires.

 

That's because nittos are pretty much street tires lol.

Get some mickey thompsons if you want to hook.

 

Find me some m/t tires that fit the stock wheels...

 

Get some spare 15" wheels with some MT or M&H 24.5 slicks.

 

The only 15s that fit 5.5gen and up are the kosei k1 and those are a little pricey

 

I was going to say they same thing. The best trick I have found for nittos is to run them on the street and run slicks at the track. The nittos are too inconsistent for me. They will not hook in first gear period, I have to pedal it the whole way. From 2nd gear on they are fine, but that gives up too much at the track. Once you have run slicks its hard to go back to anything else.

 

I agree nittos are not ideal for a track tire. I'd never run them as my only tire for the track. They are however far better than any street tire I've ever run at the track. 1.9s. No street tire is capable of that on these cars. Even 2.00s and 2.05s are pretty much out of reach of street tires except on the occasional golden run (I've cut 60's that good on street tires a few times, but my nittos would run 2.00-2.05 all day), not to mention that at the power level FI maximas run they are MUCH better in 2nd gear than street tires are. When you can spin for the first 500 feet on street tires, there's more to a clean pass than just the 60' number.

 

Thats what happining to me + 2nd gear no traction. Watch my latest Video and you can hear the tires spinning 1st and second (15 psi tire pressure).

 

I use them for daily driving but not the track.

 

mickey just updated sizes . I am currently running 245/40/18's in Mickey Thompson Drag radials.

 

you surre you arent referring to the street radial? i got em too in that size

 

mickey thompson ET street drag radials are what you both are talking about...

 

Right theses here

 

kzoosho, how is your car coming along?

 

eh? say again? $115 a wheel is CHEAP for a strong, lightweight wheel. Go look at Volk, Gram Light, or SSR and compare them to Kosei's prices.

 

wow, I thought the kosei's were really expensive. I didnt realize they were 115/wheel. thats super cheap

 

speaking of, anybody know where to get some 15" kosei's?

 

What kind of times are you running with the MTs?

 

I haven't had any experience with the Nitto's on a Maxima yet, but I ran them very successfully on my Turbo Buick. I had the same probs initially and was bummed when they wouldn't hook any more than a normal radial. I was leaving at about 5psi(boost) on the street tires, and couldn't get the Nitto's to hold more than 6 or 7psi on the line. I played with tire pressure for several weekends and didn't get any huge breakthru's. It turned out to be the dumbest thing in the world.....I just wasn't heating them up enough! I was doing a "normal" burnout and rolling up to the line like I would any other time. A friend suggested really cooking them in the burnout. I did and they stuck like GLUE! 12-15psi launches and great 60' times. I did notice a dropoff at the top end when running lower tire pressures, but the launch and 60' improvements were enough(for me) to compensate. Good Luck and HTH with your traction issues!

 

Plus it's fun doing John Force burnouts!!