I am new to the drag tire game. I just scored a set of vette' c4 sawblade wheels in 17 x 9.5" . I need tires I can drive LEGALLY to the track on the highway about 25 miles.....does that mean I need drag radials? These will only be used at the track ... and to and from the track once a week.

I want the BIGGEST tire I can fit ... right now my rears are the 315/35/17's on zr1's so a tire around that size (diameter) will work best for me (or a little taller but obviously not as wide ) ... THANKS for your time and help . What size/brand do you recommend?! ---


* EDIT the tires on the wheels right now are 275/40/17's , just an FYI incase you needed to know that *

 

they make a 275/40/17 mickey thompson et street radial, which would be perfect for you. I personally wouldn't get the 315/35/17 m/t radials.... they won't safely fit on that rim, and you would be running a lot less sidewall..... that and they are on backorder for awhile...

 

Why does a 315/35-17 have "a lot less sidewall" than a 275/40-17? The both have the same sidewall height. Not that I would put the 315 on a 9.5" wide wheel, but I'm trying to understand what you are saying.

 

Awesome, so the 275/40/17 will hook up good huh? MT's it is, thanks for your advice danhr ---

 

Should I go to a size with a bigger sidewall....I trust you the most out of anyone in the auto world when it comes to opinions , ahaahahh ---

 

I guess "a lot" was the wrong term to use....

I've read different feedback on different threads from people who have gone from 275/40/17's to 315/35/17's and say it wasn't worth it. They didn't get much more traction and wasn't worth the extra money for tires. Correct me if I'm wrong but I was under the impression that the aspect ratio was how much sidewall the tire had.

and as far as the m/t 275's hooking... I ran those for awhile on my draglites, and I loved them. It was a horribly prepped track, but I could dump the clutch at 3500 rpms and just chirp them... almost 4500 with slipping the clutch. I would imagine they would hook better on a prepped track.

 

Nice, I will stay with the 275's then , as these wheels are off of a Syclone, so I can swap them when I want ... sweet ---

 

The SY guys are telling me to go with BFG drag radials because the MT's are unsafe on FRONT applications driving on the street? What do you think? Thanks ---

 

If it were me I think I would listen to the sy/ty guys since they know what works and doesn't work on those awd trucks.

good luck
Brandon

 

I run BFG 315/35-17 Drag Radials, and running without the nitrous, they hooked really well on the street, until I went to a 5,000rpm flash stall on the converter and 4.11 gears. Never tried 275's.

Not correct. The "35" or "40" is a RATIO. It is the ratio of the sidewall height to the section width (e.g. 275 or 315). Sidewall height = section width X aspect ratio.

If you do the math:

275/40-17:

(275/25.4) X 0.40 = 4.33" sidewall

315/35-17:

(315/25.4) X 0.35 = 4.34" sidewall

The 315 actually has a SLIGHTLY taller sidewall, not that it is a significant difference.

 

Good idea....it would suck to have it rain on the way home from the track ( has happened before ) ... and be driving the truck on 4 skiis , lol ---

 

Just thought of a question....will I have a problem running the MT's on the rear and the BFG's on the front on the SYCLONE?! That may be the setup I go with ---

 

If it were me..... I would go and buy 4 nitto drag radials and throw them on. They have excellent hook and actually have enough tread to keep you and the car safe in basically all summer conditions.
Brandon

 

Drag radials have soft sidewalls.... I don't think you want that in the front. Bad enough in the back when you are trying to go around corners.

 

Sorry guys, my bad....I forgot to say on the SYCLONE (for all 4), but I will just keep my SY questions on the SY forums now ---