How long of a burnout for my new M.T.'s??

**Rich L** · 07-22-2009, 02:23 PM

Can Anyone give me a tip on how long I should burnout to warm out my MT's to get the best traction?

I just got my new Mickey Thomson's "ET Street Radials" for my stock 16" rims

The MT's tire size is 255/50R16...

Still fairly skinny, but better than stock.

I ran a best of 12.3 (more importantly... a crappy 2.00 second 60' time) with the stock Z-28 Good Year tires. With those I only did like a 2-3second burnout before I raced. It was hard to get them to hook up.

Im not quite sure how the MT's will perform.. or how "warm" I should make them with how long of a burn out???

Also... Do you think these tires can handle the extra HSW 125hp shot in 1st gear? (right now I have 1st gear locked out... so its set for no nitrous in first gear...)

I still have the stock stall converter.

Any advice would be appreciated.

**sunsetorangess** · 07-22-2009, 02:31 PM

Just long enough to clean the crap on your tires. You dont need a long burnout with DR or slicks, it just looks cool.
You should hook up just fine giving the track has been properly prepd.
The tires should be fine but if your running a stock 10 bolt i would be careful..
J

**big hammer** · 07-23-2009, 04:19 PM

you dont have to warm up e\t streets--- they are very sticky to begin with. as stated just clean the crap off them. they are very soft so if you do big ass burnouts with them they wont last long.

**BLKCLOUD** · 07-23-2009, 05:41 PM

I won't completely disagree with the above for your car, given that you have a stock converter and may not need a whole lot of extra hook to get you out of the hole without spinning. It will take practice and experimentation to figure out what is right for you car - which could mean anything from just cleaning the rocks of the tires to a good 5 second, 2nd gear burnout.

That said....slicks and good DRs (like M/Ts or BFGs) will absolutely hook better with a proper burnout. I ran a heads-up class for several years that required DRs, and I've done a lot of racing on slicks. I can assure you that those tires absolutely WILL hook better with a proper burnout (vid from 2004 race - note burnouts, and how well the fox-body in the near lane hooked). What is "proper" varies from car to car, and can only be determined with practice and experimentation.

FYI.... of the class I used to run, taken at the NMRA Joliet race this past weekend. ALL of them are on DRs (class requirement). Most run 1.50-1.60 60 ft (all the top cars in the 1.50s). Pay close attention to the fox-body in the far lane at ~1:40. You can only see the end of one of the burnouts, but you can see all the smoke from virtually every car. There is NOBODY that doesn't do a proper burnout. BTW, these guys race for cash and points in a 7 race series. They know what they are doing.

And they do proper burnouts.

Take it for what its worth, and good luck.

Bob

**Firebirdjones** · 07-25-2009, 07:54 AM

Bob is right on the money. I run the M/T drag radials on my chevelle,,,it cuts 1.5x 60 foot times on them in a 4,100 lbs. car,,,great tire. But it requires a 2nd gear burnout with a good bit of smoke,,and I have to air them down to about 15 lbs.

No way I could simply clean them off with a short dry hop,,,,I'd put the car in the wall. It just depends on the car and what it likes, the power you are putting down, the track conditions etc...Experiment with lots of passes,,,chances are you'll go through the first set and need another before you find a routine that works consistently,,,,,I did.

**anniversary30** · 07-25-2009, 08:09 AM

I try to get just a little smoke going off the tire and then roll it out. On the nitto 555 dr's that seemed to work for me. I know the MT's are a stickier tire so that might be more then enough. Start with a quick clean off and if it isn't enough then add a little more. What I have been told is get to the line right away and get them set so the rubber contacting the track is still warm, makes for better traction on the launch. If I wrong feel free to correct me, I'm stiil newer to this myself.

**Rich L** · 07-25-2009, 03:37 PM

Thank you all for the info.

A second gear burnout?

I havent tried that yet...
(I assume that makes them even hotter)

I had to laugh when I was first pricing the tires... and found out that the MTs were cheaper than the "stock" good-years!