can i get some opinions/advice please? im going to the gs nats in may, ill be running my gsx a couple of days. trying to decide if i should go with drag radials or slicks. also dont know which size to go with. i have 235/60/15 on the front. should i go with the same size in the back? or maybe 225 or 235/70 ? need to make up my mind. any opinions welcome. thanks
I just put some Nitto drag radials on my car. First time at the track I was cutting low 1.7 60's, and they do very well on the street.
You can put a 275/60R15 Drag radial on with no fit problems. I ran them in the past. I actually now run a 325/50R15, but on 15x10 rims and I did have to trim the top of the fender well. I also put slicks on when I go to the track. They're worth about .2 or so in the quarter.
drag radials or slicks phillip, ive only ran the car at the track twice. both times with 235-60/15 slicks that are now beyond use. wouldnt a 275 actually slow me down as its quite bigger than a 235? my car has 3.64 gears and turbo 400 trans. are the slicks worth .2 over regular street tires or drag radials?
I am pretty sure that they also make the drag radials in 275/50-15 which will keep the diameter closer to your current tires. The 3.64 gears are plenty low anyway, you will definately be faster, a lot faster, on the drag radials than street tires. I think the .2 sec would be from drag radials to slicks. You are also starting to push your luck with slicks. They will find a weak u-joint, axle, yoke of diff in a big hurry. Unless you have built these parts. I would stick with the more forgiving drag radials. You can even drive to the track on them!
tires I would recomend hoosier quick times there legal for the street and hook up like a slick...:3gears: :grin:
How much power do you have? How much stall do you have? You have a lot of gear. Depending on your power level and stall you may have problems launching with anything but slicks. But if you are close to stock (power wise and drivetrain wise) I'd go with 275/6-R-15's Drag Radials. I get 1.8 60' with 275/60-15 street radials. If you have beefed up the drivetrain like Brent suggested, and you have more than 440 real crank horsepower and a decent stall (2600 or more) go with the 26" or larger diameter slicks. This will give you a larger contact patch, better launch.
I too would recommend a 275/60R15 BFG Drag Radial. I've used this on my wagon for 2 1/2 years and they're finally just about dead (that's ~150 per year). Granted, I haven't tried anything else, but given the fact that they've lasted this long and hook almost as good as a slick, I've been very happy with them. My 60' with them is normally 1.71-1.72 whereas with a 28x10.5" slick, I will usually get 1.68-1.70. I think given the 455 and the 3.64 rear, you would easily overpower a 235/60 sized tire, drag radial or not. I'd suggest the 275/60 or even the 275/50 to get a little more gear especially if you have a stock converter. If you decide to go with a slick I would suggest a 28x10" or even a 26x10". Although you might even have problems hooking the shorter slick unless some suspension work has been done. Good luck in Bowling Green!
I run 275/60/15 Drag Radials on my car. They hook and run the same with my set up as the slicks do. Easier just to drive to the track and race rather than change tires...plus I have a pet peeve about my tires matching and since I don't have any centerlines bolted to slicks....I'll keep running the drag radials Seems the more horsepower I make...the harder they are to hook though and they are only lasting me about one racing season. Your best bet would probably be just to borrow a set of slicks and save yourself some money if you aren't racing on a semi-regular basis.
The new M/T drag radials are going to be the hot ticket...... Really just ET streets with radial belt construction. Bruce
Alan, Did you ever try installing an airbag in the right rear spring. I just did mine. It's easy to do, and just might do the trick.
John, my 2 cents worth, and I'm no expert for sure. I'm on my 3rd set of 275/60 BFG drag radials and I ran a set of M&H street slicks before that. It's all a compromise. If you want to change tires and wheels at the track, stay with a true slick. If you don't want to change, stay with the BFG's. Driving your car on the radials is much better than bias tires. The downside on the BFG's is hookup. I just can't get them to, at all. Mine is a mild build with 3.31's and a 2800 stall. In 7-8 passes, they're about torched, but they're a lot better than any regular street tire. Good luck!
drag radials or slicks thanks for the input everyone. my car is pretty stock with matching #carb, cast iron intake and exhaust manifolds. the non-stock items are electric fuel pump, gm hei ignition, and a 2500 stall converter. the 2 times i ran it last year i turned 12.72 and 12.65 at 106.00 mph. this was with my buddys 26 inch tall slicks. my gsx is a street car but bowling green is 425 miles one way from my house. for obvious reasons ill be trailering it there. whats the price difference between slicks and drag radials?
All I can say is I LOVE my nittos. I've beaten the living snot out of them the last 2 years and they still have tread left........ Best street / race tire on the market bar none!!
I think I agree with you Rich. I was using Hoosier Quick Time Pros last year, and they hook well. But, they are crappy street tires. The Nittos hook well, and are the best street tire out of all the drag radials IMHO.
I've run both Nitto and BFGs, as well as ET Streets. The Nittos hook well on a properly prepped track, you just need to get them nice and hot. If the track is not prepped well they may spin out of the hole. On a plus side, they last FOREVER! I had a pair that I made over 150 passes on and I gave them away with tread still left on them. The BFGs hook better, but wear like butter. My favorite so far are the ET streets, I run 26X11.50X16 and I consistently get 1.54 - 1.57 60' times even on poorly prepped tracks. Another factor to consider is that if you have radials in the front and slicks on the back, the car will get squirrelly on the top end. I ran that way for about 4 months, but now that I have the skinnies in the front I wouldn't go back to radials up front again unless absolutely necessary. For your mods, I'd say a BFG drag radial is great if you race at the track often and Nittos if your car sees more street duty. The Nittos are also considerably better in the rain if you get caught driving home from the track. I had to drive home on ET streets in the rain and it's like driving on ice. The final decision is yours, let us know what you finally decide on.
drag radials or slicks artie, since i 1/4 mile race only 2 or 3 times a year im leaning towards the drag radials. now i gotta decide on the size and what brand to buy.
John, I would definately in your situation run a Drag Radial. I've ran Drag Radials since BFG intorduced them and have ran as fast as 10.36 on them with a 1.59 60 ft. (And this is a street car, not a race car) I feel the new Mickey Thompson is going to be the hot ticket this year. I hope to test my pair on April 3rd or April 10th. (Track Opener here in Wisc.) If you can hold off on buying some, I will post my results on this board. (You can also moniter my results on my webpage.) www.diecastmusclecars.com/buickgs.htm As for your size, I would strongly recommend the 275/60-15's. Hope this helps,
Hey Todd, I would be very interested to know how long the Mickey's last as well. (when you have that data of coarse )
