Tire questions

**dethinboots** · 12-07-2012, 11:19 AM

I wave 18x8 rims with Primewell pz900 235 tires on currently. After a couple fridays at the track it is painfully obvious that i need wider and stickier tires to get any sort of traction. I was running 13.4's pretty consistently but i feel that i could do much better. any advice?

**04yellowjacket** · 12-07-2012, 12:00 PM

nitto's will make a huge difference. just save your street tires at the track and run the nitto's. just get them good and hot. they will stick.

**FinZ28** · 12-07-2012, 02:46 PM

Wider is better, in my opinion. The more of a contact patch you can have, the better traction you'll have. Having said that, you can go too big, especially with huge wheels that are too big of a rotating mass when you're trying to hook up and go. Definitely get some Nitto's and save your street tires, as stated above.

**2002ssslp** · 12-07-2012, 03:26 PM

Nitto NT-555's will do the trick. Try to go a litle wider also. These tires like heat, once they are warmed up they stick like gum to the bottom of your sneaker. Discount tire has good pricing on them as well as free shipping.

**04yellowjacket** · 12-08-2012, 05:53 AM

mickey thompson has a good drag radial also. but i believe the nitto 555r's are cheaper. now just for kickers! it all depends on what kind of tread material was used in the stock tires, wheather they will grab or just spin. i say most of the street tires today have a very high mileage wear pattern on them, so the op can get there money's worth out of them. but those tires are made of a very hard compound and will just spin and not grab. and if you try to heat them up it is like putting oil on the tires. and the wider the stock tread the same affect will happen. nittos are not made for everyday use.
The compound in them is soft, like used in a drag slick. a little harder. If anyone can get there hands hold of any nascar pulloffs. that is the way to go. the compound in those tires is very soft. but they are very hard to get. there is a part time nascar team that lives and stores there car here in ardmore ok. and i can buy there pulloffs for 25$ a tire. some are bald, but some are very good. like new. they are to wide for my gto. i believe they are 15's, something like 12" wide and fit a 10" wheel. i will need to make sure of that.

**35th-ANV-SS** · 12-08-2012, 12:32 PM

Wider is not always better. You have to consider what kind of side wall you have also. A track tire needs a lot of side wall to handle a launch.

I run Nitto Drag Radials at a local track and THEY SUCK at the drag strip.

Go with a Mickey Thompson if you want traction, OP.

**04yellowjacket** · 01-07-2013, 07:38 AM

there are guy's here at the track in ardmore ok that have big hp and they use them. and they stick like glue. i usually let mine burn for like 10 sec before i go to the tree. but if i just spin them for a second or two they will not grab.

**35th-ANV-SS** · 01-07-2013, 02:18 PM

I have done numerous burn-outs for various times, along with running different tire pressures. The best 60' I was able to manage on Nitto 555R Drag Radials was 1.905, which is not too much better than what I got with OEM wheels; 2.060. I have feathered the clutch out at various RPM's and have dumped it at 3K up to 5500RPM. That time was with a decent burnout dumping the clutch at around 4500RPM.

Mickey Thompson tires are hitting 1.7X down to 1.3X, depending on if you're manual or auto. I'm not sure about the newer NT05 Drag Radials. They are supposed to be better/stickier than the Nitto 555R DR's.

**04yellowjacket** · 01-08-2013, 04:17 AM

Well I do know that every car is different. I have heard of others say they will not hook. And I agree if mickey's do you a good job, Then that is what you need. I think the IRS in my gto is what makes the nitto's work for me. It is a pos setup for traction to begin with.