Can I hook 700rwhp on a 18-19" drag radial at the track?

builttodrive

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My last post didn't get much traction (pun intended) so here's another one. I'm looking to run the car at my local 1/4 mile track and need a drag radial setup for the car. My Grigg's racing Coil over suspension works great but from looking at it and searching the internet I will need at least a 18" or larger wheel because of coil over clearance issues. I have 19" wheels on the car currently. Can I get my 700rwhp 650rwtq car to do well with a drag radial in the 18-19" wheel diameter? Also what do you guys suggest I use for wheels and tires? I think I can run a 10.5-11" wide wheel and up to a 315 wide tire from what Grigg's racing informed me.

My friend has a similar setup GT500 and says the Nt05R on 18's is ok but he has Hoosier DR2's on his Demon and said they are awesome but they don't offer a good size for the GT500.
 

69b302

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The Mickey Thompson DR(305/35/18) are what I have run for a while and they do Ok at the track. I usually hit 1.7s no problem, and have gotten down to the 1.5s on the Mickeys. I go pretty low on pressure ~13 psi. The launch is all about blending the weight transfer and throttle. I would start with soft launches at 2k and see how it goes from there. You can not launch that hard with these cars, if your suspension is not specially set for 1/4 mile launches. The 305s need at least a 10" wide wheel to ensure a good tread contact patch. A good drag strip will also have a very sticky track, so you should hook much better then on the typical road, so street practice is not that useful. Mark your rear tires with a sharpie at the valve stems to see if they slip on the rims. I don't even balance my rear tire anymore, since they always slip on the rims. Best of luck.
 

builttodrive

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The Mickey Thompson DR(305/35/18) are what I have run for a while and they do Ok at the track. I usually hit 1.7s no problem, and have gotten down to the 1.5s on the Mickeys. I go pretty low on pressure ~13 psi. The launch is all about blending the weight transfer and throttle. I would start with soft launches at 2k and see how it goes from there. You can not launch that hard with these cars, if your suspension is not specially set for 1/4 mile launches. The 305s need at least a 10" wide wheel to ensure a good tread contact patch. A good drag strip will also have a very sticky track, so you should hook much better then on the typical road, so street practice is not that useful. Mark your rear tires with a sharpie at the valve stems to see if they slip on the rims. I don't even balance my rear tire anymore, since they always slip on the rims. Best of luck.

Thanks for the info. I would imagine an 18" wheel will be preferred over the 19x10 I currently have. I have ran other cars in the past but this would be the first time with the GT500. The popular Hoosier DR2 only comes in a 26" diameter tire and every other size is probably too big for my application. Something in the 27-28" diameter range is probably ideal. One thing you may try if you are having trouble with the tires slipping on the wheel is some Aqua Net hair spray on the beed when mounting. That's something we do on higher power cars not wanting to run beed locks.
 

SCGallo2

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With 650-680 RWHP, NT05R 285/40R18s deflated to 16 psi with 3.31 gears hooked at the strip. On the street, inflated to 30 psi for sidewall strength, traction wasn't that great.

Now I am making 700+ RWHP with NT555RII 305/35R19s inflated to 30 psi with 3.31 gears and hooking on the street. I have gone close to WOT in 1st gear without wheelspin but definitely hook 2nd gear and above even in cool weather. I have not been to the strip with this setup, but it should be even better with good track prep. They do bulge a little on a 10" wheel but not bad; 10.5" width would be just right. If you are going to drive on the street with drag radials, you would be pleased with the 555RIIs. The sidewall strength is slightly better than the NT05R, which have scared the crap out of me during freeway speed abrupt lane changes... just something else to consider.

Nittos.jpg


New tires.jpg
 

builttodrive

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With 650-680 RWHP, NT05R 285/40R18s deflated to 16 psi with 3.31 gears hooked at the strip. On the street, inflated to 30 psi for sidewall strength, traction wasn't that great.

Now I am making 700+ RWHP with NT555RII 305/35R19s inflated to 30 psi with 3.31 gears and hooking on the street. I have gone close to WOT in 1st gear without wheelspin but definitely hook 2nd gear and above even in cool weather. I have not been to the strip with this setup, but it should be even better with good track prep. They do bulge a little on a 10" wheel but not bad; 10.5" width would be just right. If you are going to drive on the street with drag radials, you would be pleased with the 555RIIs. The sidewall strength is slightly better than the NT05R, which have scared the crap out of me during freeway speed abrupt lane changes... just something else to consider.

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Thanks for the info and great looking car! Are the wheels on your car 10" wide? I was thinking all the OEM wheels were 9.5" wide. I am leaning towards the nitto NT555G2R at the moment and I like what I hear from you. I have the NT555G2 street tires on another car and really like them. My 3.73's may give them a little more test. I'm just wondering if I should put a set on my 19x10" wheels I have now or if it would be smarter to go to an 18" setup.
 

azc0bra

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I think doing "well" is all subjective. What is considered doing well to you? It takes a pretty skilled driver to hook a drag radial with a high powered stick car, especially our cars being how heavy they are. You really would be much better off by buying a second set of rear 15" wheels (if you have swaybar relocated), or 17" if you don't wnat to do that.. and putting a bias ply stiffwall 28x10 slicks on the back of the car if you actually want to hook with the car. Again, all relative. To me, a 1.5 60' is decent and would be quite difficult to do on a drag radial consistently without a ton of experience in these cars, as well as having your suspension dialed in and lots of seat time. With a slick, you could do that quite easily with some seat time. Again, it is all relative.

If you just want a radial for decent street traction then the NT555R2 will do fine, I use them for street driving and they do decently in 2nd gear and up with ~760whp. But, I would not run them at the track as I know shit would start breaking and I would be unhappy with the consistency.
 

builttodrive

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I think doing "well" is all subjective. What is considered doing well to you? It takes a pretty skilled driver to hook a drag radial with a high powered stick car, especially our cars being how heavy they are. You really would be much better off by buying a second set of rear 15" wheels (if you have swaybar relocated), or 17" if you don't wnat to do that.. and putting a bias ply stiffwall 28x10 slicks on the back of the car if you actually want to hook with the car. Again, all relative. To me, a 1.5 60' is decent and would be quite difficult to do on a drag radial consistently without a ton of experience in these cars, as well as having your suspension dialed in and lots of seat time. With a slick, you could do that quite easily with some seat time. Again, it is all relative.

If you just want a radial for decent street traction then the NT555R2 will do fine, I use them for street driving and they do decently in 2nd gear and up with ~760whp. But, I would not run them at the track as I know shit would start breaking and I would be unhappy with the consistency.

I'm just looking to have a little fun in the car so getting the best 60ft and ET possible isn't important for me. I'm just looking to make some decent passes without it being a spin fest and total disappointment. I am forced to run an 18" or larger diameter wheel with my coil over suspension/watts link/torque arm setup. The suspension works awesome everywhere and although not ideal for the strip with wheel and tire fitments I don't want to change it to simply make some fun test and tunes. I have run faster auto cars and plenty of stick cars but none of those were making as much power as my GT500. I currently run a Michelin tire on the street and it does well but I know I will need something better at the track in a 18-19" wheel option.
 

SCGallo2

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Are the wheels on your car 10" wide? I was thinking all the OEM wheels were 9.5" wide. I'm just wondering if I should put a set on my 19x10" wheels I have now or if it would be smarter to go to an 18" setup.

Aftermarket Ford Racing 19x9" in front and 19x10" in rear. If you just want to try out the strip and get better traction on the street, new rubber on your current wheels would work. I am still on the fence about purchasing a Forgestar F14 drag pack setup for private track rental days.


I'm just looking to have a little fun in the car so getting the best 60ft and ET possible isn't important for me. I'm just looking to make some decent passes without it being a spin fest and total disappointment.

Same here. I have roughly 30 passes down the strip in this car at varying power levels. It was always about focusing on a good launch and clean pass to see what I and the car were capable of. 3500 RPM launch with a quick clutch release (not sidestep) while flooring the gas worked best with my tuneup. Datalog your passes if you are able.
 

oldstv

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I would run the MTss tires and call it a day. From what you said you just want to enjoy the car not make it a race car so those would be my choice. I have seen that tire in an 18 run some really good numbers with high hp cars "not stick cars" and I have a set of 20s "not a stick car" but they do have good traction.
 

builttodrive

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I would run the MTss tires and call it a day. From what you said you just want to enjoy the car not make it a race car so those would be my choice. I have seen that tire in an 18 run some really good numbers with high hp cars "not stick cars" and I have a set of 20s "not a stick car" but they do have good traction.

I have some friends and family members running those on different cars with good luck so I wouldn't count them out however a few have switched to Hoosier's and I think they're getting better results. I probably wouldn't rule many options out but it may come down to size availability more than anything.

What sizes (diameter) are people running with 3.73 gears?
 

GNBRETT

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Those seem to be a huge improvement over the last set of 555r's which were utterly useless! I have heard a few friends say the new 555RII hooks better than MT Street R's and have really stiff side walls.

Thats good news cause im looking for a good 18 inch tire for my RS3. I like the ToyoRRR but im betting these hook even better. Down side it they probably suck taking corners where the RRR's handle well.

With 650-680 RWHP, NT05R 285/40R18s deflated to 16 psi with 3.31 gears hooked at the strip. On the street, inflated to 30 psi for sidewall strength, traction wasn't that great.

Now I am making 700+ RWHP with NT555RII 305/35R19s inflated to 30 psi with 3.31 gears and hooking on the street. I have gone close to WOT in 1st gear without wheelspin but definitely hook 2nd gear and above even in cool weather. I have not been to the strip with this setup, but it should be even better with good track prep. They do bulge a little on a 10" wheel but not bad; 10.5" width would be just right. If you are going to drive on the street with drag radials, you would be pleased with the 555RIIs. The sidewall strength is slightly better than the NT05R, which have scared the crap out of me during freeway speed abrupt lane changes... just something else to consider.

View attachment 1706765

View attachment 1706766
 

builttodrive

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Those seem to be a huge improvement over the last set of 555r's which were utterly useless! I have heard a few friends say the new 555RII hooks better than MT Street R's and have really stiff side walls.

Thats good news cause im looking for a good 18 inch tire for my RS3. I like the ToyoRRR but im betting these hook even better. Down side it they probably suck taking corners where the RRR's handle well.

Do people run the toyo at the track at all or is it just a really good street tire? I've run the old nitto 555R on a Shelby GT I had and they worked but I wasn't impressed. I think the new nitto 555G2R sounds like it's a huge improvement.
 

oldstv

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There is a big difference between those Hoosiers and the MTss. I have been in a really hard rain with the MT and had zero issue with traction at 60mph. Not saying that I can do a hard launch on the street with out tire spin but it does pretty well. I have never tried a hard launch on the street after a burnout, not sure what that would look like. We did make a pass on a non prep side of the track on a 20" MTss and it worked great. "auto, not manual car" and 800 at the tires.
I thought you were looking for a tire that you could drive to the track and make passes.
 

builttodrive

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There is a big difference between those Hoosiers and the MTss. I have been in a really hard rain with the MT and had zero issue with traction at 60mph. Not saying that I can do a hard launch on the street with out tire spin but it does pretty well. I have never tried a hard launch on the street after a burnout, not sure what that would look like. We did make a pass on a non prep side of the track on a 20" MTss and it worked great. "auto, not manual car" and 800 at the tires.
I thought you were looking for a tire that you could drive to the track and make passes.
Not necessarily. I'm stuck using a 18" or larger diameter wheel with my suspension and they don't really make a 18" wheel slick. Everything I find in an 18" or larger drag oriented tire is a drag radial. I could use a tire for all around purposes but I may just keep my street setup and then get a dedicated drag setup also.
 

GNBRETT

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I plan on using them on my RS3 cause they actually handle well to. Im not sure how they would stand up against the new 555 tho. They are load tho and probably last 2 seasons at most.

But my RS3 is gonna make as much hp as my Mustang almost so I may have to swap to a MT or Hoosier.

Do people run the toyo at the track at all or is it just a really good street tire? I've run the old nitto 555R on a Shelby GT I had and they worked but I wasn't impressed. I think the new nitto 555G2R sounds like it's a huge improvement.
 

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