Best street/track tire combo for 600+ HP

[digital911]

Can someone kindly post what tire and rim size they are running, especially on the rear on cars that have over 600hp (that still have their IRS - w/ FTBR upgrades) and that are primarily driven on the street but see an occasional track use?

I would like a rear tire that can hook and flex very well because I still have my IRS.

If an all around tire will not cut it then I also have a pair of 10.5 cobra replica wheels (17"). So I'm thinking I could purchase a pair of really sticky drag radials on for these 10.5's and just swap them on drag strip days. I would like a fat tire that will absorb most of the shock on the launch so I don't break my half shafts or anything else in the IRS. But isn't a 17" rim too big for a fat tire?

Would someone post what's already been tried and proven to work so I don't have to re-invent the wheel and spend unnecessary $$$?

Thanks!

 

[digital911]

bump no one?

 

[SVT_Troy]

MT ET street SS's for the street. I wouldn't recommend using them to launch on the track with an IRS. You could but you have to be careful and slip the clutch. If not chances of breaking a halfshaft are high.

There is plenty of info about a straight drag tire for the IRS cars. you want a bias ply. 16"s if you dont want to grind the knuckle and dont mind limited options. 15"s if you dont mind some grinding and want lots of options.

 

[digital911]

MT ET street SS's for the street. I wouldn't recommend using them to launch on the track with an IRS. You could but you have to be careful and slip the clutch. If not chances of breaking a halfshaft are high.

There is plenty of info about a straight drag tire for the IRS cars. you want a bias ply. 16"s if you dont want to grind the knuckle and dont mind limited options. 15"s if you dont mind some grinding and want lots of options.

What exactly needs to be grinded and how much material are we talking? If I go with a 16 inch rim and bias ply do you think that is enough side wall to perform a hard launch? And same question goes for a 17" bias ply on the factory rim. Thanks!


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[ITSTOCK]

What exactly needs to be grinded and how much material are we talking? If I go with a 16 inch rim and bias ply do you think that is enough side wall to perform a hard launch? And same question goes for a 17" bias ply on the factory rim. Thanks!


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The bias ply hoosier drag in 28x10x17 will take anything a 600hp car can throw at it. But you still might break parts if you go all out on the launch (breakage wont be because of wheel hop).

My recommendation is a separate tire for street/track. Get a 17x9, and go with the Hoosier drag for the strip. I have done a best of a 1.43 60' in not so optimal track prep and 100% stock suspension on the 28x10x17 Hoosier Drag slick. That was on a 4200 2-step launch, and I'm sure I could up it more and cut that down so long as the rear (halfshafts) don't break again.

 

[digital911]

The bias ply hoosier drag in 28x10x17 will take anything a 600hp car can throw at it. But you still might break parts if you go all out on the launch (breakage wont be because of wheel hop).

My recommendation is a separate tire for street/track. Get a 17x9, and go with the Hoosier drag for the strip. I have done a best of a 1.43 60' in not so optimal track prep and 100% stock suspension on the 28x10x17 Hoosier Drag slick. That was on a 4200 2-step launch, and I'm sure I could up it more and cut that down so long as the rear (halfshafts) don't break again.

So you're saying go w/ a 17x9 instead of the 17x10? Won't that still have a high chance of breaking something in the IRS like a half shaft?

Shouldn't I go w/ a 15" wheel so I can get maximum side wall so it will take the load on a hard launch (ripple)?

I'd order some 15's right now if I knew exactly what I was getting into as far as fitment issues. Can you or someone elaborate on what it will take exactly to get a 15" wheel on the back of my car?

Thanks!

 

[ITSTOCK]

So you're saying go w/ a 17x9 instead of the 17x10? Won't that still have a high chance of breaking something in the IRS like a half shaft?

Shouldn't I go w/ a 15" wheel so I can get maximum side wall so it will take the load on a hard launch (ripple)?

I'd order some 15's right now if I knew exactly what I was getting into as far as fitment issues. Can you or someone elaborate on what it will take exactly to get a 15" wheel on the back of my car?

Thanks!

The sidewall helps, but if you are launching hard off a 2 step or a straight dump of the clutch, you still aren't going to save your half shafts and risk breakage. There is really no avoiding it. The bias ply tires with a sidewall will certainly extend the life of them, but there is no surefire way of saving the half shaft on a 3800 pound car launching hard at 4000+ rpm. I had about 20 3500+rpm 2 step 1.4-1.5 60' launches before I sheared off the outer part of the shaft (on a 4800rpm 2 step launch). The reason for 17x9 instead of 17x10.5 is simply because Hoosier does not recommend putting their 28x10x17 on that wide of a wheel.

Either way, the bias ply (in 15/16/17) WILL eliminate the wheel hop which is the most common cause of half shaft failure. Don't launch quite as hard as some of us do, and you won't have a problem. The 28x10x17's wrinkle just fine, and while there will obviously be a little more flex on a 15, i doubt it's going to be a measurable difference when it comes to half shaft life.

Getting a 15 to fit is a little different depending on the wheel, but they almost all will require substantial grinding of the lower tie rod, and some will also require grinding of the brake caliper and lower control arm. I did it on my previous Cobra and quite frankly, I was never exactly comfortable with how much material had to be taken off of the tie rod knuckle.

 

[digital911]

Ok, I have some 17" x 10.5" cobra replica wheels sitting around in my garage I'd like to make use of, does Hoosier make a bias ply tire that properly fit this wheel?

Do you have any recommendations for upgraded half shaft? Is that truly the weak link in the IRS besides the rear end cover?



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[ITSTOCK]

Question 1; no.
Question 2; DSS is the main player in town, but they have also been known to break. Gforce is soon releasing them as well. Both are stronger than stock. The IRS brace or cover is a must. On the flip side, it takes less than 30 minutes to change out a broken half shaft, and you can pick up complete
stock ones for around $150.

 

[digital911]

The sidewall helps, but if you are launching hard off a 2 step or a straight dump of the clutch, you still aren't going to save your half shafts and risk breakage. There is really no avoiding it. The bias ply tires with a sidewall will certainly extend the life of them, but there is no surefire way of saving the half shaft on a 3800 pound car launching hard at 4000+ rpm. I had about 20 3500+rpm 2 step 1.4-1.5 60' launches before I sheared off the outer part of the shaft (on a 4800rpm 2 step launch). The reason for 17x9 instead of 17x10.5 is simply because Hoosier does not recommend putting their 28x10x17 on that wide of a wheel.

Either way, the bias ply (in 15/16/17) WILL eliminate the wheel hop which is the most common cause of half shaft failure. Don't launch quite as hard as some of us do, and you won't have a problem. The 28x10x17's wrinkle just fine, and while there will obviously be a little more flex on a 15, i doubt it's going to be a measurable difference when it comes to half shaft life.

Getting a 15 to fit is a little different depending on the wheel, but they almost all will require substantial grinding of the lower tie rod, and some will also require grinding of the brake caliper and lower control arm. I did it on my previous Cobra and quite frankly, I was never exactly comfortable with how much material had to be taken off of the tie rod knuckle.

any way around grinding material off to fit a 15" wheel? In other words, is there some aftermarket kit or parts to make it work?