Will an increase in heigth give you just as much advantage as an increase in width? For instance, will a tire that is 27 x 10.5 give you just as much traction ability as a tire that is 26 x 11.5

 

Height is entirely different. Traction is based on primarily on rubber compound, sidewall height/flex, tire construction, width, and height.

Generally people to go a wider tire for more traction, not taller. Taller tires change the final drive ratio.

Drag racers tend to us a smaller rim size with a taller tire and steeper gears to enhance the traction at the launch.

I went to a taller tire to be more to slow down my sixty foot times just a bit as I was running too quick for my index. You need to think through tire size changes carefully for your application. Tell us more about your setup and your goals.

 

My setup is moslty in my sig, at least the important parts are. Car puts down a little less than 600hp in a 6 speed. I am trying to figure out what the best tire would be. I have ran 26 x 10.5 Et streets and spun through 2nd on most passes and a couple of time in 3rd gear. My suspension includes chassis mount tq arm, relocated lcas, subframe conn and aje k-member and a-arms. Springs and shocks are stock. I know that plays into the launch a lot I just havent made it that far yet in modifying. My best 60' so far is about 1.9x on et streets. I want that way down. During my test driving over the last couple of days, the k-member and a-arms seem to make the weight transfer a lot better. I can feel the front lifting up like crazy now when I jump on it.
The reason I ask about the tires is my friend has a set of 27 x 10.5 and it brought up and interesting question to me. I found out later though that he is only selling the 15 x 10 rims and not the tires. So I guess a 28 x 11.5 would be a better solution. If I remember correctly, I was reaching the top of fourth gear with the 26" tires (its been alomst a year since I ran it). So for future modding would it be a good idea to go ahead and go up a tire size so Im not shifting into 5th gear? Thanks

 

Some of the guys here have much better brains for math than I do. From what you have said, a 28 tire sounds to me like iot will work better for you, maybe even a little taller, if necessary.

Footprint, sidewall, and time measurements are all important. I run 28 x 12.5 x 15 ET Streets. They have a 10" foot print. I have them mounted on 15 x 10 rims. The rim width and footprint should match.

Your sixty foot times should be below 1.5. I was cutting 1.52-1.55 sixty foot times with much less horsepower than you until I went to the larger tire size and sixty foot times are now in the low 1.6 area.

In your case, you have enough power so i would expect your sixty foot times to drop significantly as you do not even have a baseline yet from which to tweak.

 

I was looking at the hoosier QTP last night. 27 x 11.5 x 15. It says I can run it on a 10" wide rim so Im thinking of trying that out. I want to see if I can avoid rolling my fenders and beating in the inner panel. A friend of mine was running the 28 and was having to modify the quarter area quite a bit. But heres the thing, do i even want to start messing with tubed tires??

 

They should fit on a 7" offset rim. The tubes are not really a big deal. I have rim screws and tubes for mine and I do not regret it one bit. Drilling for the screws was a pain, but well worth the effort. The tubes are an extra margin of safety as slick have very thin sidewalls. The traction benefits and consistency of a well set up rim/tire combination pay big dividents on the starting line in terms of consistency and traction. You need a good light in addition to hooking up if you want to be on the winning side of the track.

 

Are screws required on tubed tires??

 

I believe so. If the tire spins on the rim at all, whats going to happen to the tubes valve stem?

 

taller tire increases the contact patch moreso than a wider tire. That's why people fit the tallest tire they can get away with for the track along with optimum gearing. I use 28x10.50 and 29.5x10.50 on my camaro typically.

 

Good point.... so whats different with the tires that dont require tubes or does it just depend on how well you hook and how much power you have

 

Screws are a good idea whether they are tubed or not. As HP goes up, you generally need a larger tire diameter. At 600HP, the 26's just might not have enough sidewall.

 

It does increase the length of the contact patch but doesnt increase the width which, I think, is what increase the friction and in turn traction.

 

it's always better to run a taller skinnier tire than a shorter fatter for instance:

28x10.50 will hook better than a 26x11.50 if you have traction issues.

 

You'll have to explain that one to me please. I would think that tire of 26 x 10.50 tire with 81" of circum would spin just as easily as a 28 x 10.50 because you are just increase the "length" of the tread and not the amount (width) that has to do with the friction and traction. Does that make sense?? Unless it has to do with a litttle softer sidewall due to the increased tire height allowing it to wrinkle and take most of the shock

 

Your math is flawed. The contact patch is in square inches. The length times the width. A small diameter tire at 10'' tread width with a 7'' long contact will give 70 sqin of area. A larger dia. tire at 10'' width might have an 8'' long contact giving it 80sqin of area. Equalling about a 12% increase in contact area.