i'm seriously thinking about getting drag radials for the rear and using them on my soon to be daily driver SS. how long do these things last usually?

 

bfg's with 13 passes at the track lasted me ~6k miles

 

Nitto DR's will go about 10 - 12 if you don't overinflate them or put many passes on them. The key is use no more than 25 PSI when you run on the street, this keeps the center from wearing out prematurely. Nitto's last longer than BFG's but don't hook as well, however, they handle curves better than the BFG's.

 

Depends entirely on usage. They are designed for racing and the tread depth is much less than a regular tire so despite what some may claim, you need to be very careful on a wet road. Dry traction is outstanding.

Nittos tend to last longer, in general, than other brands but BFG's and Mickey Thompsons hook better, especially the Mickey Thompsons.

Basically, drag radials are a convenience tire for people who don't want the hassle of trailoring their cars to the track or changing tires frequently. They are designed so you can drive around on them to get back and forth to the track, and some cruising around town.

They use softwer rubber compounds to facilitate dry weather traction and as such wear out quickly.

I know of people who have gotten 10-15,000 miles out of the Nittos but they only go to the track a few times a year and the more you use the tires on the street the less effective they are at the track. there is a direct link between the heating and cooling of street use and a decrease in traction at the strip.

The people I know who are most pleased with street use for drag radials are the folks who only take their cars out once in awhile around town and back and forth to the strip.

Basically think of it in terms of mileage with Nitto the best, BFG in the middle, and Mickey Thompson last. In terms of traction mickey Thompson is head and shoulders about any other brand with BFG a distant second and Nitto an even more distant third.

 

I never went to the track too often, but I got 20K miles out of my Nittos. Like people have already said, the centers wear out very quickly on the street, so I had to inflate them to 35 psi. Surprisingly, they were very good in the rain.

 

My Nittos lasted closer to 12-15k, but I replaced them as soon as the middle wearbars were gone. This is with normal driving, no burnouts, etc. The best thing about Nittos isn't the launching traction but the 1-2nd and 2-3rd gear shift traction. They performed well in the rain, but I replaced them before they went completely bald in fear of them becoming bad in the rain. Small price to pay for the advantage .

Ryan

 

man this is my big decision as well.

i've been looking at the goodyear F1 gs-d3s....just for the wet weather use. but i really don't drive in the rain much. and most of my driving is <55mph (nearest highway is 2hrs).

i really like the traction of the worn out nittos i have now. and tire wear isn't a big concern, i only drive about 5000 miles a year.

the $175 price tag for the nittos is much more inviting than the $280 for the GS-D3s. even if i do have to replace them more often.


grrr...decisions!!!!

 

I got about 5-6k out of my BFG's and I was at the track with them exactly 2 times.