Drag radial opinions?

[DustinsDuster]

so i've never ran Drag radials before; i always ran bias-ply Hoosier QTP's. i bought a cheap pair of 28x9" ET Drags for mock up and maybe just a bit of testing for the truck, but now i'm finding out no company i could find makes a Bias-ply DOT drag tire in the odd 28x9 size, so i've been looking at Drag Radials. the Hoosier and ET Street Radials seem pretty comparable in size and price for 275/60R15, but the Nitto 555R tires of the same size are $80 cheaper a piece.

I'm wondering what people who have tried them all think about them. I'm sure the 555R will be stickier than what i have now, and really, i need the diameter more than i need the stickiest tire(so i don't run out of gear in 4th).

What say you guys? are the 555R's decent tires for a torque-less wonder, or should i shell out another $160 for a pair of tires that might only get a track day or two on them this year?

[DustinsDuster]

P.S. - will Drag radials still grow a bit on the the top end like bias-plys, or do they stick to their same diameter better?

[86svo9L]

Not sure about the growth factor of Radials. But I did run the Nitto's on my old convertible. On the street they were not the greatest of tire and in my opinion were quite an under performer vs the Goodyear Eagle F1's I had run before. At the track they did ok, never got a dead hook with them, always had a bit of squeel and grab going on. But my car was heavy on low end torque so it may not be an issue on yours. Over all I would say they are a decent tire you can run on the street or track for what they cost.

I am sure some more guys will chime in with their experiences.

[FiFdYnUtZ]

If you are definitely against a bias ply drag radial, I would opt for the MT et street radial, they always lasted a decent amount of time for me and in the proper setup will outperform most any true radial out there (except the new x275)...and they shouldnt grow much at all for you

[DustinsDuster]

I'm not against Bias-Ply tires, i just thought that i couldn't find them in the size i need. although now that you said it, i gave a second look and for whatever reason, the 28x11.5" ET street has an 11.1" section and 9" tread with 27.6" diameter, and my 28x9" ET Drags have a 10.8 section and 8.6" tread with a 27.3" diameter; i guess they kinda measure ET Drags differently? in any case, the point is probably moot now, as if that's the case with ET Streets, i'll probably just run them. i still welcome opinions though; it's all more knowledge.

[Sleepy]

M & H has a slick in 28/9. http://www.mandhtires.com/M-H-Racemaster-Drag-Slicks/9.0-28.0-15 $210 a piece.

If you use, coupon code NEDRA (it works on the website, however I do not know hold old this code is) you will save $63 on a set making the total $357 before shipping.

For a drag radial, http://www.mandhtires.com/M-H-Drag-Radials/275-60R15 $234 a piece, $397.80 after coupon code.

[93stang5oh]

I am on my second set of ET Streets and haven't had any issues with them. They wear fairly quickly but that is expected for how soft a compound they are. Traction at the track isn't much of an issue either, third pass down the track with them on and I snapped a stock axle on my car. With that being said my car is only about 450 at the flywheel.

[AutoMods]

radial tires do not grow at all.

you could buy the 27x10.5 et street bias and it will grow to 28" diameter if you are trapping 125+. i can kinda estimate how much mine is growing from my mph vs rpm data logs and at the track my bias is growing almost 1.5 inches at 150mph .

the DOT legal tires are narrower as they are measured differently. for a manual transmission, the bias tire is really want you want for the best track times.

i run 555r's on the street, they provide decent traction for me and they will last a decent amount longer than the mt et street radials but are not as good. i think some people give the nittos a bad rap when sometimes they were running the 555 instead of the stickier 555r

[DustinsDuster]

M & H has a slick in 28/9. http://www.mandhtires.com/M-H-Racemaster-Drag-Slicks/9.0-28.0-15 $210 a piece.

If you use, coupon code NEDRA (it works on the website, however I do not know hold old this code is) you will save $63 on a set making the total $357 before shipping.

For a drag radial, http://www.mandhtires.com/M-H-Drag-Radials/275-60R15 $234 a piece, $397.80 after coupon code.


Damn, both of those are tempting. Thanks for the links!

[FiFdYnUtZ]

If you are making any kind of power and actually want to attempt to dig race on the street, the 555r shouldnt even be an option..

[AutoMods]

If you are making any kind of power and actually want to attempt to dig race on the street, the 555r shouldnt even be an option..

true.

but they will hold pretty good on my car rolling into it the throttle in the 500whp area. above that they may lose traction from rolling

[Sleepy]

No problem on the links. I am wanting to pick up a set of their drag radials this summer for around town and track use. I don't have enough cash to buy slicks and another set of drag radials. So the radials win.

I can tell you BFG's are barely better than nitto's.

[Sleepy]

but they will hold pretty good on my car rolling into it the throttle in the 500whp area.

Damn you and your wide tires.

[AutoMods]

Damn you and your wide tires.

your too used to your fwd


dustin, don't forget to look for options from other brands like phoenix http://www.phoenixracingtires.com/ and goodyear slicks http://www.racegoodyear.com/ . probably some other brands out there

[DustinsDuster]

i picked up the Pro Star fronts from Andy, and now i need tires for them. i found a pair on tire rack, but before i order i was wondering if anyone had any promotional code for them as well. worth a shot.