Best 18" tire for Hot Rod Drag Week (driving and racing on same tire) ?

[David Neibert]

In the rain, the ET STREET R's literally must be driven at 45 MPH or less. I would go with the ET STREET SS 305/40R18 and you literally have to NOT stand on it when driving on the street. Sure you can drive normal and keep up with traffic but if you are WOT even in the higher gears those tires WILL wear out in no time. I would also keep the burnouts to a minimum on the track and be agressive on the pressure to compensate. I would shoot for 14-15 hot.

This is that ET STREET SS @14PSi hot and it drives fine down the track......

Thanks for info and picture. What kind of 60ft and 1/4 mile times were you able to get with the ET Street SS tires ? How much power was the car making ?

David

 

[DRAGRCR]

Thanks for info and picture. What kind of 60ft and 1/4 mile times were you able to get with the ET Street SS tires ? How much power was the car making ?

David

Stock power with 3.09's. I am thinking mid to low 1.50's and 6.90 in the 1/8th. This was a 16 modle year so it was a while ago. In my Opinion, with proper burnout and pressure that tire will hook almost as good as an ET Street R in a comparable size on a well prepped surface. So if they prep good at each venue you should be good to go to mash the throttle. You might consider using my balance method in case they move on the rim and go out of balance.

https://www.hellcatforum.org/threads/tire-rotating-on-wheel.3691/page-6

 

[vortecd]

If I ended up doing drag week, I will be bringing my drag radials in the trunk. If I had to drive on them, Nitto 555r's. They will not be the best at the track but I know they will be on the roads if I get caught in the rain. I daily drove on them for years through many rain storms

 

[David Neibert]

If I ended up doing drag week, I will be bringing my drag radials in the trunk. If I had to drive on them, Nitto 555r's. They will not be the best at the track but I know they will be on the roads if I get caught in the rain. I daily drove on them for years through many rain storms

The 305/45/18 Nitto NT05R tires I'm using now have a little better traction than the Nitto 555R drag radials. I'm sure I could drive and race on them for the entire Drag Week, just looking for something a little better for the track and still be able to drive in the rain if necessary. For maximum traction on the track I would use a set of 17" x 10" Welds and some ET Street Rs, but I'm not wanting to haul the tires track to track.

 

[David Neibert]

Stock power with 3.09's. I am thinking mid to low 1.50's and 6.90 in the 1/8th. This was a 16 modle year so it was a while ago. In my Opinion, with proper burnout and pressure that tire will hook almost as good as an ET Street R in a comparable size on a well prepped surface. So if they prep good at each venue you should be good to go to mash the throttle. You might consider using my balance method in case they move on the rim and go out of balance.

https://www.hellcatforum.org/threads/tire-rotating-on-wheel.3691/page-6

I think you are correct about the MT ET street SS being the best option for my situation. I'll also read your balancing method.

Thanks again, David

 

[vortecd]

The 305/45/18 Nitto NT05R tires I'm using now have a little better traction than the Nitto 555R drag radials. I'm sure I could drive and race on them for the entire Drag Week, just looking for something a little better for the track and still be able to drive in the rain if necessary. For maximum traction on the track I would use a set of 17" x 10" Welds and some ET Street Rs, but I'm not wanting to haul the tires track to track.

I'm just thinking worst case scenario (rain) I wouldn't trust any other DR's then the 555r's but that is me.

 

[vortecd]

Either way, Drag week this year starts 25 minutes from my house so I should see you there

 

[David Neibert]

After getting input from here and a few other places, I've decided that the MT ET Street SS size 305/40/18 is my best option for driving and racing on the same tire. I'll follow up this fall with some Drag Week results.

Thanks again, David