looking to get some slicks in the future. here's some about my car

94Z M6 tranny
230-236 112 XE cam
p/p heads/headers
upgraded fuel system with 33# injectors
4:10 gears in an 8.5" rear

roughly the car should put down close to 400hp at the wheel

would i be better off running a 26" or 28" slick? once the car is butttoned up and tuned i may spray it. but if i spray once i'm probably done at the track till i get a cage.

 

I went to the 28" after I upgraded to a stroker. I did it primarily to slow down the launch (60 foot times) to stay above my ET break.

I suspect with a bolt on configuration your performance will be better with a 26" tire, however depending on how much and how often you spray you may want the 28".

The best advice I can give is to get the right size rims to match either a 26" or 28" tire so you can easily make the change in the future.

The bottom line is if you are not going quick enough for a bar or cage, as a rule of thumb, the 26" is a better bet.

I had MT Et Streets at 26 x 11.5 x 15 which worked just fine for me on 15 x 10 rims with a 6 inch offset but if you want to keep them tucked underneath you will need a seven inch offset (I believe). I had my fenders flared out an inch to cover it up and the extra spacing allowed me to utilize the 28 x 12.5 x 15 ET Streets when I switched to the taller tire. The 11.5 and 12.5 numbers are sidewall widths. Footprint is 9.8" on the 26" and 10" on the 28"

 

With that cam you should be spinnig it up pretty good. I'd say the 26" would be a good starting point unless you plan on spraying it a lot.

 

I've run both 26" and 28" slicks. With a high HP package you'll have much better and more consistent ETs (60ft times in particular) with the 28" slicks.

I'm currently running Goodyear (PN 2001 D3) 28x10 on a 15" rim. The Goodyears give me consistent 1.50 60fts.

WD

 

Tire height depends on a few things. You want to stuff the tallest tire possible under the fenders. Then select the best gear ratio so that the car crosses the finish line at or a little above the shift point while in 1:1 gear (no overdrives).

A tall tire gives a bigger footprint from front to back. This will give better straight line traction than a smaller tire that's wider.

Since you already have your gear selection, what are you currently doing in the 1/4 mile? What rpm do you shift at? What rpm are you doing when you cross the finish line? What gear are you in when you cross the finish line? You want to be in high gear, 1:1 at the finish. OD gears are small and weak and shouldn't be used on the dragstrip. If fourth gear is 1:1 and you're crossing while still in third then you need more gear before needing more tire. If you've shifted into an OD gear before crossing then a taller tire will help you stay in a lower gear.

Increasing the powerband of the engine means you'll be in each gear for a longer time as the rpm's increase. A taller tire or deeper gear will help that. Instead of shifting at 5500, you do changes to shift at 6500 and the gear/tire combination will change. Giving a hit of NOS will also do that.

 

ok, first of all this is a street car, i just want to run it and see what the motor has in it.

PROBLEM, i can't get traction with 315 street tires and no VHT down.

so i want to buy some slicks so i can get a solid run in. i'll be pissed if i buy some and i still have trouble hooking, so i'm scared of going too small. at the same time i've seen how a motor can bog out due to wrong hp/gearing

i don't know what the car will do because i spin through first gear.
i just shifted into 4th crossing the 1/4 mile mark, stock T56 tranny

i also noticed my spec 3 sipped a bit while power shifting from 2-3. first time i've noticed that.

i just wanna play at the track and want the best tire for my car. really 400hp at the wheels is nothing at the track with so many forced induction and nitrous cars out there.


so i've been looking around. i want to use my old salad shooters if i can. i figure i'll drill out holes in the rim to bolt the slick in place, i've got like 6 or 8 stockers to play with.

so i'm trying to find a slick in a 16" rim to fit the 8" wide and so far the hoosier's look like the best fit. MT's suggest a 10" wide rim for their 26x10.5x16


input?

 

You may do just as well with the MT ET Street Drag Radials. Although I have not personally run them, all reports point to their hooking as well as the traditional ET Streets in street class type vehicles.

If the track is slippery and poorly prepped, no tire will fix the problem, although in general slick tirs are more "forgiving" at the launch.

On street nights (years back) I gave up going with drag radials simply because the track was too poor to hook up consistently. As my car grew in power I could go on street nights with ET Streets until it reached a point where I spun with them too (as the car got quicker).

Around here, streets nights are best attended when there has been a track rental earlier the same day. The goal is to get to the track early and to find out which lane was used for the track rental (most tracks only allow one lane during a rental test session). That way you can make early passes in a lane that has been well treated and prepped.

If you use drag radials you probably will not have to drill out the stock rims. The goal in terms of rim width is to have the contact patch width of the tire match the width of the rim for maximum traction.

 

MT ET Streets come in either 26-10.50x16 or 26-11.50x16. I have run a lot of both on stock rims. The 11.5s are about 27 inches tall though where the 10.5s are a little over 26".
One thing about going to slicks or "street" slicks is that even if they spin on launch they will grab a few feet out unlike street tires that will just spin until you let out of the gas.

 

yeah, almost everyone there was running true slicks, mostly classic's made into strip cars. but they were hooking. guy next to me got a 1.6 60ft, their cars weren't faster than mine but they got their lead while i was in first gear.

anyway, since these are for drag use only i figured bypass the DOT street types and go straight for the slicks, but since they say they're not intended for highway use i'm assuming its so you can run in street divisions at the track? i guess that would payoff, my street car is as fast as their drag cars, lol. both cars i ran against ran 12.XXX passes and they had slicks, cages the whole nine yards. of course that was test and tune.

ok i guess ETstreets would be my best bet then. wheres the cheapest place to get them from, locally or online?

 

Generally speaking, Street class or street brackets require a DOT approved tire. ET Street and ET Street Drag Radials are intended for strip use.

That said, it is possible to drive them on the road but doing so will shorten the lifespan of the tires and make them not hook as well, plus they get sticky with heat and will pick up rocks and dirt...

I would mount either the ET Street Drag Radials (if you want to change tires at home and drive to the track, race, and come back on them), or ET Street (bias ply) if you want to change tires at the track (they hydroplane at 25mph). Don't ask how I know this...

I had better luck with the traditional ET Streets over BFG and Nitto Drag Radials (MT ET Street Radials did not exist at the time).

I use the approved inner tubes and drilled my rims for rim screws and approved valve stems for my ET Streets. Some people do not use tubes and do not need to drill their rims but MT lists the ET Street as a tube type tire and the last thing I need ais a problem. Plus the sidewall is very thin and wrinkles on the launch similiar to a regular slick and the tube is one more barrier between me and a flat or me and a slow leak that I need to deal with on an ongoing basis.

The ET Street Drag Radials are essentially a similiar compound to the ET Street and as such are very sticky although they do not have the sidewall flex. If your track is suspect and you like to go on regular street nights when the starting line is not as carefully monitored, the traditional ET Street is a better bet.

When at the track, avoid lining up behind front wheel drive cars as they often roll through the water box and avoid any shiny spots at the launch. The best thing to do is to line up behind a faster car running slicks and launch in their tracks until you get the hang of exactly what to look for.

 

Don't know if this will help since I have an A4 with only 370 at the wheels, but the MT street radials hook pretty good for me. Iv'e only been to T+T nights when there is no prep. A couple of seconds of smoke coming out of the water box and they dead hook every time. Consistenent 1.65s and a best of 1.63. This is with 23lbs hot. The tire is a 275 50 15 on a wheel just under 10". I think the tire is a little over 26". Good luck.

 

I have gone 1.45 60ft with 26/11.50/16's on stock TA wheels

 

But probably not on a "street night" following in the water trail of a FWD with a fart can and a thousand pounds of stereo and neon lights on an unprepped track...

 

thanks, i ran some slicks before i borrowed, we screwed those to the rim but didnt' use a tube. i believe they were also rated as a tube tire. man tubes cost alot! how many people run them without?