TURBO6.0L

iTrader: (1)

Good info, thanks for all the replies. Anyone else use the 555R's? Sounds like it may be a good tradeoff. I take the car on too many day trips to have a tire that does not last at leat 7k miles, but I do still want decent traction so the the car feels safe. I do realize that if I want max traction I will have to go with a full DR and i may do that on a 16" or 17" wheel.

chavez885

iTrader: (12)

From what my buddies have told me, the BFG drag radials are a good middle ground between nitto 555's and mickeys. Not sure about this at 600rwhp though...

Photochop

iTrader: (74)

What are you looking for exactly? Everybody's on here and talkin about what they've heard and what the latest buzz is. If the tire HOOKS, then you shouldn't care about blowing thru them super quickly unless you're being very careless with burnouts and stupid driving.
There's a few DRs that are an 'R' compound have decent tread if you're worried about getting stuck in the rain - Nitto 555R, BFG DRs, Toyo Proxes TQ, 2nd generation Mickey Thompson ET Street Radials - in order from least traction to most. The others mentioned - INVO, NT01, NT05, Toyo T1R, R888, etc are road race tires. The sidewalls will be stiffer, and they won't dead hook from a stop/low roll with 600rwhp.

I'm in the same boat you're in. If the sun is out, I'm taking the Trans Am. It drives like stock til its in boost, why wouldn't I get it out and enjoy driving it on a nice day?
I'm happy with these Toyos for a good pretty sticky tire. They hook better than a Nitto 555R - I know this for a fact, these handle the 616/634 this car makes better than my Nittos on my h/c Z28 with 555Rs did with 430/395. The compound doesn't REALLY stick til theyre warmed, so thats a good thing for just normal driving (same is true for the 555R, but they take more heat to make stick at lower rolls/a dig).

Next year I'm planning on putting an auto in this car, and will be stepping up to the 295/45/17 MT radial. The taller sidewall and stickier compound will help hold the power much better, the new tread design will last longer (takes a lil heating to hook from a stop/low roll unlike the older style MTs that are a bit stickier even when not warmed), and the new tread design does much better if caught in the rain (had the MT radials in a 315/35/17 on my last turbo car - 450/550 and could dead hook them from a stop, and they seemed to wear better than my friends BFG radials as far as wear is concerned).

If I were you, based on what I've experienced, and heard from friends first hand, etc. I'd be between the Toyo Proxes TQs and the MT ET Street Radials. If your main concern is wear/mileage, go with the Toyos. If you wanna hook and be confident knowing you can from whatever roll if called out by someone that wants to do a '20 roll', but get 2-3k miles less on a set, get the MTs.

TURBO6.0L

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the detailed reply, much appreciated. what do you thing is a realistic mileage for the MT's and the Toyo's? I like the toyo's but looks like they have a better selection of sizes in a 17" rim. Could I get the car to hook up with a smaller tire? I was planning to run a 315/30-18.

Photochop

iTrader: (74)

My toyo's are a 275/40/17 and they'll hook like I mentioned. I'd guess them to last 8-10k miles (they have a bit more tread depth than the MT's do). I'd guess the MT's to last 6-8k miles, all depends on track visits/driving styles.

Twotonefreak

iTrader: (11)

I've run the nitto's and now I have m/t's on it. Night and day difference. This car is my daily so it sees all kinds of weather. They seem to be holding up as well as the nitto's did, but they hook SO MUCH BETTER. Where I could spin the nitto's on motor. I can hook the m/ts from a 30 roll with a 175 shot now. They do just fine in the rain (have to use your brain and not be stupid) I'm probably around 1,500 miles on mine now and 4 passes at the strip.

TT632

iTrader: (3)

M/T if you want to hook. Good Year just came out with a tire to compete against the M/T that looks interesting. The Japanese and Korean tire manufacturers don't seem to want to make a tire that hooks like a M/T..Go figure

allbaugh_04

iTrader: (6)

You don't need traction for drifting...

TURBO6.0L

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for all the info. Funny stuff about the drifting. I will probably end up getting the Mt's. If they are not holding up as well as I would like I will just get another set of wheels with some street tires. I like the toyo's but they only have the one tire in 18". Thanks again.