Fuel Slicks Or Radials

tannerc91gt

This last 25% is foreign territory at this point
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Nov 29, 1999
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Trying to decide which direction I want to go with the race car in terms of tires. Obviously each choice will have its ups and downs and required changes to maximize the use out of. I know this isnt as much of a racer's hangout as "that other forum" but theres a few guys floating around who will have an opinion which i value.

Deciding between the obvious 28x10.5 MT drag slick and the equivilent ET Radial

Its going to be right around a 500/500 motor off the bottle on this setup, built auto, no transbrake (as of now) with a pretty healthy stall, which still wont shock the tires the way a stick car does. I realize the benefits of a full slick, or even a set of the stiff wall slicks and have no worries about their use on the street as its going to see an extremely limited amount of street duty with no DDing involved.

The upside to the radials are
1. guys run PLENTY fast on them, a lot faster than ill be looking at anytime soon and can cut great 60's once theyre used to launching on them compared to slicks
2.Gives me the option to cruise it a little bit bc while its going to be a purpose built car its far from being too extreme to drive to the gas station and the flexibility is nice
3. with a 26" profile radial id be killing a little less gear, but i could achieve the same on a 26" slick
4. what they lack in possible traction (once theyre spinning they just keep spinning) they pick up in less rolling resistance on the top end which could result in a few more MPH on the top end.
with the downside being that they just wont quite have the HOOK that the slicks do from my understanding (again ive never used the radials other than your standard BFGs)


Its not a huge deal, and im far from losing sleep over it, just curious of the opinions of some of the guys with much more experience than i.
s294.jpg


how i managed to tag this as a FUEL topic is beyond me :doh:
 
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I have been pondering a similar question. I switched to 555R's back in the spring, which was a huge improvement over all season tires, but still leave alot to be desired at the strip. I actually have been wanting to compare the slicks to the ET Streets. I, too, like the ability to be able to drive the car on the tires if needed. I do think there will be a big difference between the ease of traction between the two you are looking at. What I mean is I think the radials will take a little more dialing in than the slicks would.

Here are the ones I'm considering vs. the slicks. They would be mounted on a spare set of wheels and used for to and from track if I bought them.

et_street.jpg


Joe
 
ive heard good things about the tire you posted but dont fully see the point of them considering they would still be an unusable nightmare in the rain and wear quickly on the street like a slick without actually BEING a slick. But depending on how often and where you drive your car and just looking at the DOT legality of it, those might be the ticket :shrug:


edit: i see you just want to mount them seperate but still swap them before you drive to the track. So yeah i could see that. saves dragging another set of wheels on the trip and keeps you legal on the way over.


but me being difficult me, im looking at the two styles on the opposite ends of the spectrum.

the radials will require a lot more finesse at the strip at first, where the slicks will not. but like you said, its the versatility im after. thinking ill most likely mount the 28x10.5 slicks on my prostars and get a set of wheels for when im feeling more streetable. just hard to get motivated to take a car like mine out when theres that many steps before its drivable.
 
Go to TireRack and look at their various drag radials. If you're driving to the track and haven't installed a driveshaft loop, put a power cut off switch on the back or bought extra wheels you plan on changing twice daily it's the only way to go.

I used to trailer my "setup" car to and from the track as a serious racecar that liked to earn it's keep. Didn't drive it on the road ever. If you are a weekend mostly stock fun driver then save the money on a trailer and the truck to haul it. Put some 10" rims on the back and leave them there. My 2 cents.
 
Go to TireRack and look at their various drag radials. If you're driving to the track and haven't installed a driveshaft loop, put a power cut off switch on the back or bought extra wheels you plan on changing twice daily it's the only way to go.

I used to trailer my "setup" car to and from the track as a serious racecar that liked to earn it's keep. Didn't drive it on the road ever. If you are a weekend mostly stock fun driver then save the money on a trailer and the truck to haul it. Put some 10" rims on the back and leave them there. My 2 cents.

thanks for the input. To answer your questions
wont be driving to the track ever (too far away and car is not set up for any kind of road trip)
driveshaft loop- yes
kill switch-yes
15x10s on the rear already
and the only stock parts left are the block and timing cover

was just trying to get input on whether id get more use out of an M/T ET street pro radial or just the standard 28x10.5
Odds are the 28x10.5s are whats going on the car
 
if you have any question on radials just PM me... you'll be fine on a radial for the most part. they just require a lil more know how then a slick