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Road Race Drag Radials?

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Old Jan 5, 2007 | 02:44 PM
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Default Road Race Drag Radials?

I need to buy tires (had my 18" Z06s cut and widened to 12.5" so I can take a 345/30/18 tire). The only two tires I can seem to come up with are:

BFGoodrich g-Force T/A Drag Radials

and

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup



I HAD 295/35/18s BFGoodrich g-Force T/A Drag Radials on the car and overall was very happy with them (though the car had yet to become a dedicated Road Course car). The hooked well off the line, held well in corners (again, around town/back roads/etc.), and didn't cost a fortune.

So I'm thinking of going that route again but would like some input.
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Old Jan 5, 2007 | 04:48 PM
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The sidewalls on those BFG DR's won't offer much support for lateral loads. They're designed to twist for max grip on a straight launch.
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Old Jan 5, 2007 | 04:49 PM
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doesnt nitto offer road radials?
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Old Jan 5, 2007 | 08:24 PM
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Ok, looking at going to a 335 instead (more options).

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...t=All&x=70&y=6

people seem to be pointing to the Hooser R6s but keep saying "they won't last long." How long is "won't last long"?

what about the Kumho ECSTA V700?
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Old Jan 6, 2007 | 05:08 PM
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I don't know your experience level, but you really want to learn first on a Extreme, Max or Ultra High Performance street tire, then move up to competition or R compound as your experience level increases.

Here are some more options for you..
http://www.edgeracing.com/tires/3353018/
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Old Jan 19, 2007 | 05:40 PM
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Drag Radials and Road Race tires are in almost different ballparks. For comparison, I've got a set of Nitto Drag Radials and they have only 2 polyester sidewall plies. The Toyo RA-1's I ran on my old racecar had, I believe, 4 or 5 rayon and steel plies. Needless to say, the only thing making the RA-1's hook, straight-line-wise, is it's sticky compound. Like what was said above, if you're not racing and you're not driving hard enough to chunk and throw tread blocks off of a good set of sticky street tires, R-compounds are quite a hit to the pocketbook to have.
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Old Jan 20, 2007 | 03:23 PM
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You can buy "scrubs" for cheap if you look around roadracing boards.
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Old Jan 22, 2007 | 05:58 AM
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i use drag radials in the rear and directionals up front and am pleased! don't get the M/T radials b/c I took a sharp turn and slid on dry pavement.. they are way too soft and wore out quicker than the BFs
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Old Jan 22, 2007 | 06:12 AM
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Originally Posted by FU_I_AM_UltraZ
i use drag radials in the rear and directionals up front and am pleased! don't get the M/T radials b/c I took a sharp turn and slid on dry pavement.. they are way too soft and wore out quicker than the BFs
Where did you use this combo?
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Old Jan 30, 2007 | 10:15 AM
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It makes sense that DRs aren't set up for cornering.

On the flip-side, how good are road course tires (e.g. Pilot Sport Cups) at straight-line drag racing? Better than high-end summer tires?
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Old Jan 30, 2007 | 10:36 AM
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Originally Posted by jmf003
It makes sense that DRs aren't set up for cornering.

On the flip-side, how good are road course tires (e.g. Pilot Sport Cups) at straight-line drag racing? Better than high-end summer tires?

RR tire compound has lots of grip. RR sidewalls are generally stiff (to deal with lateral loads of left/right transitions).
DR tire compound has lots of grip. DR sidewalls are generally soft (to twist for the straight launch).

If heated up well, a RR tire's compound will provide plenty of grip for a launch in theory- it's just a matter of how much grip will overcome the stiff sidewall's structure which will want to make the tire break loose.
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Old Feb 1, 2007 | 07:33 PM
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Thanks for the info!

Originally Posted by SouthFL.02.SS
RR tire compound has lots of grip. RR sidewalls are generally stiff (to deal with lateral loads of left/right transitions).
DR tire compound has lots of grip. DR sidewalls are generally soft (to twist for the straight launch).

If heated up well, a RR tire's compound will provide plenty of grip for a launch in theory- it's just a matter of how much grip will overcome the stiff sidewall's structure which will want to make the tire break loose.
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