give me your tire suggestions

[monterey1962]

In a pinch 'cause drag racing starts soon. S.U. currently has 225/60R15's all around, mounted on 15x7 Outlaw II rims. Traction is hard to find (especially when racing). At this point, I have two options ...

1. Find a pair of 245/60 tires and run 'em on the current rims; or,

2. Buy two new Outlaw II rims that are 8" wide, and mount 255/60's on 'em.

Option one would be cheaper, but I'm having a hard time finding tires in 245/60. BFGoodrich Radial T/A is about the only decent option in that size. 255/60 on 8" rims opens up a wide variety of tires, but costs more.

What I'd like you guys to suggest ...
-Which option would you chose to be more effective?
-Which brand of tire would you suggest for (in either size) street driving and racing?

[DuceAnAHalf]

best of both worlds would be to get a set of street tires, then find a lightly used set of drag radials or slicks, if they are small enough you can mount them on stock wheels, or buy a set of cheap steelies

[Grand Marquis GT]

I put 255/60R15's on 15X7s no problem. They work without much problem.

Run a set of 235/60R15 up front, and you will have a nicely matched combo for uthe hot rod you drive, and not too tall

[1987cp]

How about Mickey Thompson Indy Profiles for a real street/strip tire? Granted, they're pricey enough I may never go near a set myself ....

[DuceAnAHalf]

How about Mickey Thompson Indy Profiles for a real street/strip tire? Granted, they're pricey enough I may never go near a set myself ....

IIRC, those are a bias ply tire

[1987cp]

True, that would be one of my other hesitations about running them on the street myself. I'm sure they're great tires, but I don't have the slightest clue how a non-steel-belted tire would perform under ANY conditions.

[85MercPark]

Run a set of 235/60R15 up front, and you will have a nicely matched combo for the hot rod you drive, and not too tall

I think the 235/60's seem a bit short on my car. look awfully small in the wheel well.




The 255/60 fit nice in the rear, I do love the handling though.

My

[murphmobile2]

15x7's with 235/60's front.



15x8's with 255/60's rear. (mine are 8.5's though)



This is the tried and true wheel and tire size. Don't mind the crappy picture quality, lol.

[P72Ford]

We put 255 60 15's on my brothers car (in the rear) on 15x7 Mopar rally cop wheels. They fit fine, and they actually look quite nice.

[monterey1962]

Thanks for the info, fellas. However, I called Sears and ordered a pair of BFGoodrich Radial T/A 245/60R15's. Turns out, BFG is discontinuing the 245/60, so I figured I'd better grab 'em. Getting them for $85/each. At this point in time, this is just the more affordable route for me.

[1987cp]

Discontinuing the 245/60? Weird ... now who has that size left? Anyone other than Yokohama?

[Pirate]

Oops, I guess I need to come in here more often.

I don't think you are going to have your traction woes fixed by this set of tires. I think I have mentioned in here, before, that longitudinal contact patch is better for forward bite, while wider tires are better for cornering, hence why you see 31" tires or so in drag racing, and not in road racing.

Some tips, just in case nobody knows about this...

1. You obviously know about tire pressure, and chalk marks.

2. When doing a warmup burnout with these tires, don't sit there and do a smoke show. A simple 2-3-second spin to clean the tires is about all you need, as these tires aren't designed for drag racing. Anything longer cooks the tread, hardens it, and also brings oil out of the tire.

3. If traction is a serious problem, bolt a couple of 45-pound dumbell weights as far back in the trunk as you can mount them, and experiment with more/less weight. More weight is better here at this point, especially if the car isn't hooking up while trying to take advantage of lighter weight.
Overhang, Overhang, Overhang.

[DuceAnAHalf]

i still think you should get a second set of tires for just racing. i got a pair of Mocky Thompson ET drags (full slicks) in 28 x 10.50 for $120 ($60 each) with like 3 passes on them. that is enough tire to make a low 7 second pass.

If you dont want to run slicks, you can get a pair of drag radials for a little more usually

[monterey1962]

Well, I needed new rear tires, anyway, so I'm thinking these will cover me for now with street driving and a little racing. I know not to cook these BFG's. Since the track is 3+ hours away, I figure racing won't be a real serious thing to get into this year. Just looking to get some solid 1/4 mile times. However, if it goes well and I get more into it next year, I'll go the route of a separate set of tires for racing.

Once the car is ready to go, I'll probably go out and play around with tire pressure, hot and cold tires, and weight to see what really gets the car to hook up. I'll let you guys know what I find out.

[murphmobile2]

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