I've searched high and low. The widest decent tires I have found for my 16" wheels is 255/50/16. Anyone know of a wider option ... other than buying larger wheels?

If this is my only option, will 255/50/16 NITTO 555 drag radials give me much more traction than the stock 245/50/16 tires? Or would I be better off with a good strong torque arm for the same money?

 

I dont think a 255 while give you all that much more traction over a 245. Its only a 10mm difference, which is 1cm, which is just over a 1/3 in (2.54cm in 1in). There are wider tires available for a 16" rim, but they require wider rims to fit properly. 255 is probably the widest you should go on a 16x8 rim.

 

i noticed a HUGE difference in traction going from 245/50zr16 Dayton Daytonas(which grip surprisingly well i might add) to 245/50zr16 nittos. exact same size but the tire compund makes them better. i leave at 1500 rpms in a cheaply modded 700r4. last week at the track i made about 6 passes and cut a 1.9 on every pass except for one and it was a 2.0 when i stalled it too much and got wheel hop. the secret with nittos is that you have the heat the **** out of them to make em stick.

 

Exactly. The better tire compound makes more of a difference than the extra 1cm in width.