Help with Drag Radial Setup

[SeanC]

Hey guys,

So after going to the track for the first time last weekend, I decided I really dont want to ruin my brand new street tires that I just got, and I really want to get my 60' times down (I know I have to learn to drive better, but tires would help).

I still have my stock set of trans am rims...Will these work with a set of Mickey Thompson ET street drag radials in the rear? If so, whats the best size to go with? Would I just be better off saving for 2 other, lighter set of rims to put them on?

I'm really scared for my stock 10-bolt, but if it blows, it blows I guess lol

Thanks for the help!

[NJ Torque]

Well... not that I know the setup on the car.

But the stock TA wheels are a 16x8 and a 255/50R16 work well... But if its a M6, a bias ply will always work better.

Pretty much all your 15" wheels have to grind down on your brake calipers without going to expensive bogarts.

[afclubkid21]

What mods are done to the car? What wheels are your stock wheels?

[afclubkid21]

Originally Posted by NJ Torque

Well... not that I know the setup on the car.

But the stock TA wheels are a 16x8 and a 255/50R16 work well... But if its a M6, a bias ply will always work better.

Pretty much all your 15" wheels have to grind down on your brake calipers without going to expensive bogarts.

I got lucky with some 3rd gen 15s. Have about 1/8" clearance between the wheel and calipers.

[SeanC]

Sorry, should have been more specific. My stock rims are the 5 spoke 16X8s...I just bought a 17/18" set of C5 Y2ks which obviously arnt too good for racing. What tire would you suggest over the MT ET drag radials for an M6? And why are bias ply tires better for M6s? (not questioning you just curious).

The car is just a bolt on car.....

[afclubkid21]

Originally Posted by SeanC

Sorry, should have been more specific. My stock rims are the 5 spoke 16X8s...I just bought a 17/18" set of C5 Y2ks which obviously arnt too good for racing. What tire would you suggest over the MT ET drag radials for an M6? And why are bias ply tires better for M6s? (not questioning you just curious).

The car is just a bolt on car.....

Go with a set of MT ET Streets. They are bias ply and should run you less then straight up drag radials. With a set of 17s upfront the 16s should work fine. I dont know about the size though. Are your stock wheels chrome or aluminum?

[jts98z28]

my suggestion if you use the 18's

[SeanC]

My stock rims are aluminum (not the chrome WS6 ones). Will that work okay? 17s up front and 16s in the rear? Wasnt sure if you could do that or not haha. I could put my 16s in the front too if need be; they still have decent tires on them.

Thanks for the link JTS! I wasn't really planning on using the 18s....From what I gather its not exactly beneficial to run that big of a rim. Plus, i'm planning on using them on the street, and I dont think there is any way I would run an ET street/drag radial on the street (even though people do...)

[afclubkid21]

Originally Posted by SeanC

My stock rims are aluminum (not the chrome WS6 ones). Will that work okay? 17s up front and 16s in the rear? Wasnt sure if you could do that or not haha. I could put my 16s in the front too if need be; they still have decent tires on them.

Its better to put a smaller wheel with a bigger side wall tire when dealing with slicks. I asked what the original wheels are made of cause of weight. The aluminum ones are fine, weigh a lot less then the chrome ones.


Come to think about it, IDK if you can find slicks with a tall enough side wall to make up for the drop in 2 sizes. Thats a little out of my league there.

[deadtrend1]

Originally Posted by SeanC

Sorry, should have been more specific. My stock rims are the 5 spoke 16X8s...I just bought a 17/18" set of C5 Y2ks which obviously arnt too good for racing. What tire would you suggest over the MT ET drag radials for an M6? And why are bias ply tires better for M6s? (not questioning you just curious).

The car is just a bolt on car.....

You should have little to no issues with the vette rims on a bolt on car. Just go to the track and run them.

[sweetbmxrider]

the bias ply tires have a softer sidewall. you will hear them called wrinkle walls because they do just that. they will better absorb the shock of a launch that a manual car launching at a high rpm will create. you can also better recover from a spin whereas a radial tire will tend to spin until you let off of the gas. not saying you can't run a radial with an m6 though.

[SeanC]

Thanks for alll of the info! I dont want to put drag tires on my Corvette rims because they are my street rims...I wanted to have a seperate set of tires that I could just use specifically for the track (figured I'd take advantage of the stock rims I still have)...If I was to use my stock 16X8s, what is the best size to put on???

[sweetbmxrider]

probably that 255/50. you can check out mickey thompson, qtp, and hoosier among others.