I told myself I wouldn't get into drag racing again, but my son--an avid participant with his '86 and '04--convinced me to go last week. My Goodyear Eagle F1s, an amazing street tire, just wouldn't hook up and I barely made it into the 13s. Bah! Ok, so I'm addicted again after a 25 year hiatus. Thankfully the tracks around here close next week and this will let me plan things properly.

I have the stock 17 x 8 inch rims, still with the original Pirellis, and new 18 x 9 inch wheels with Goodyear F1s at 275/40R18 all the way around. I started doing the usual search engine poking around for wheels and tires, but I'm having trouble finding something acceptable for the rears.

I'd prefer to find a drag radial wheel/tire combo that will just require spending for the rears only (slicks are ok, although that means bringing a warm body and the truck and a jack everytime), but will consider new stuff for all 4 corners if necessary. Everything I've found has a smaller diameter than the Pirellis. I've already got about $5k invested in this beast, with another $1500 coming over the winter months (including BMR LCAs for the wheel hop), so I'm not crazy about dumping big bucks into the wheels/tires if avoidable at all. We're still working on the 86 over the winter too.

Any suggestions? All are appreciated.

John

 

Get 4.10s, 2 spare stock rims and get some Mickey Thompson 3743 biasplys for the rears and you will run high 12s with the mods you have. You can dump it at 5000 rpm and not break loose. The tires run for about 180 each from Jegs. Whole setup shouldnt cost more than $1000

Bring one of those crappy $20 jacks to swap your tires out at the track. The M/Ts won't last long with everyday driving. If you take your spare out (you should be anyway), you can fit both tires in the trunk

 

"...2 spare stock rims". I just looked the tires up. Those will fit on the 17 x 8 inch stock rims? Or do I need 17 x 9 rims? Or larger?

 

they fit on the stock 17X8s, I've seen 2 people doing it. It says a minimum width of 9", but they fit fine on the 8s.

 

They might fit on 8", but are they safe? I saw 275s mounted on an 8" wheel, and it was scary.

jwgroovin, I went with the MT Drag Radials, 275/40-17s (on 17x9 chrome bullitts to match my other wheels): http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/strip_e...eet_radial.html

I live about 20 miles from the tracks around here. So I can swap the tires at home and just drive to the track. I take it easy and don't try any WOT right turns on the way , and everything is fine. However, I sometimes have my wife and son with me at the track, so we can then bring a pickup truck too and throw the tires/floor jack in the back.

EDIT: BTW, the two tires and extra wheels cost me about $750 total.

 

I'm doing the math in my head, but from the sizes in your sig, it appears the rear tires are a little over an inch SMALLER in diameter than your front tires, right? 255/50 on the front, 275/40 on the back? No problems with that?

John

 

Nope... no problem at all. I went with the smaller rears for the track hoping to improve on my 60' times a little. On the street, I run 275/50-17s in the rear and they are bigger than the front (and stock too). No problems there either.

 

With the M/T's comes the added expense of a new clutch. I ran the Mickey Thompson 3743's on the stock rims and made 13 passes before the stock clutch took a dump. I had no issues with those tires on the stock rims. They are a little rounder than I would like but no issues.

 

I think the bottle you're running had more to do with the clutch problems

 

Who is going to watch his tires and jack while he is racing? I go to the track alone and would not want my gear ripped.

 

Even though a lot of guys swap tires and just leave them and jacks laying around at my local tracks, I'm a little nervous about doing it myself. At one track, I just slap on the MTs in my garage, and make the 20-mile drive to the track. At the other, I usually have my wife drive a pickup truck, so I can swap at the track and keep everything in there.

I'm even going to try something new this weekend. I'm going to the local 1/8-mi track on Friday night (driving on the MTs). I won't get home until around 12:30am. Then at about 6:00am, I'm making a 90-mile drive north of San Diego to run on Fontana's 1/4-mi track. And I will be driving on the MTs... no support truck this time... and not a lot of sleep either.

 

Man, I wish I lived out in San Diego. I want the one on the left (uh, referring to your avatar.). Oh, and the year round track access...

 

San Diego is awesome, but I have to say the tracks around here aren't great. But, as you say, at least they pretty much run year-round.

Oh... the left one was my favorite too. (I assume you saw the larger pics in the photo gallery).

 

I lived there way back in my younger days. Use to hang out a three biker bars. Was great place fot boozing and chasing women but the cops were nasty then.

 

My son almost always accompanies me, and we're getting a truck this weekend, so I think hauling around wheels/tires and a floor jack won't be an issue. Worse case, I can put the 17" wheels back on the front at home, and a tire in the trunk and another in the back seat and do it myself.

 

bah that's more than enough sleep

 

HAHA... not at my age!!

As it turns out, the weather didn't cooperate, and I didn't race either place.