DOT Drag Radial feedback for street/strip

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BradH
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DOT Drag Radial feedback for street/strip

Post by BradH »

I used the old M/T 275/60R15 ET Street Radial when my car was last running and they seemed pretty effective at the time. The original version was discontinued years ago and has been replaced by the S/S model w/ far more grooves and far less hookup, from what I can gather. There is also an R version which is still technically street legal, although it doesn't have much more grooving than the DOT Pro version which M/T says not to actually use on the street.

Just by virtue of less grip, I've pretty much ruled out the S/S for my dual-purpose use. I do know someone who uses the S/S on a mid-12 sec car and really likes them, but his ride is about 2 seconds slower than mine.

The original ET Street Radial was actually driveable on wet roads, if you got caught in the rain going to / coming from the track. The R version might as well be the Pro version from that perspective. What about other DOT Drag Radials, such as the M&H and new Nitto 555R2?

Sorry, this is sort of rambling, but I think y'all will get my question. I don't have any current contacts at the track to tell me what works or not, so the other options are unknown quantities to me. Thx
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Re: DOT Drag Radial feedback for street/strip

Post by steve cowan »

BradH wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 1:21 pm I used the old M/T 275/60R15 ET Street Radial when my car was last running and they seemed pretty effective at the time. The original version was discontinued years ago and has been replaced by the S/S model w/ far more grooves and far less hookup, from what I can gather. There is also an R version which is still technically street legal, although it doesn't have much more grooving than the DOT Pro version which M/T says not to actually use on the street.

Just by virtue of less grip, I've pretty much ruled out the S/S for my dual-purpose use. I do know someone who uses the S/S on a mid-12 sec car and really likes them, but his ride is about 2 seconds slower than mine.

The original ET Street Radial was actually driveable on wet roads, if you got caught in the rain going to / coming from the track. The R version might as well be the Pro version from that perspective. What about other DOT Drag Radials, such as the M&H and new Nitto 555R2?

Sorry, this is sort of rambling, but I think y'all will get my question. I don't have any current contacts at the track to tell me what works or not, so the other options are unknown quantities to me. Thx
i have run the 255/60/15 MT radial for several years now and i run un prepped tracks
running consistently has always been a issue until a couple of months ago.
i have never run lower than 16 psi and they turn an inch or so on the rim from day one but i stopped worrying about that-
anyway i was talking to a guy with a really fast rotory with same size tyre as me and he runs 12 psi with no issues,my streeter is 3650 pounds with 500hp SBC
i tried 12 psi and wow dead hooks really well now
1.52 60ft
7.0s @ 97 mph
11.1s @ 120 mph
looking at photos the bottom of tyre is kinda flat on the launch but it works ..
i ordered a set of 255/60/15 MT (R) tyres in January and got them 2 weeks ago at $900/pair AUS.will be using these next year as new engine under way at the moment.
i also do a pretty big burnout to with older MT,i have tried all sorts and found they need some heat in my opinion.my car footbrakes from 2000rpm but flares to 6000 rpm on launch.i have not tried any other brands apart from M and H bias ply street tyre which was a grooved slick basically - they worked well.
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Re: DOT Drag Radial feedback for street/strip

Post by BradH »

Steve - Are your "old" tires the S/S version? I wonder if that's typical of the S/S series to work with that low of pressure. All the radial stuff (DOT and full slick) I've used "way back when" needed in the 17-18 psi range to keep from squishing the sidewall too much.

I also read recently that one of the differences between the S/S and the R is that the S/S has steel belts; the R and the Pro don't and use a different sidewall design. They share the same compound, but it's more than just a simple tread pattern change. Might mean for your new tires that you'll need to up there pressure, FWIW.

I don't know what to expect for 60-ft times w/ all the new stuff. The car would pull mid-to-high 1.4s before on a good track, but was pretty sensitive to track prep for any consistency. Thx.
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Re: DOT Drag Radial feedback for street/strip

Post by steve cowan »

BradH wrote: Sun Sep 12, 2021 6:37 pm Steve - Are your "old" tires the S/S version? I wonder if that's typical of the S/S series to work with that low of pressure. All the radial stuff (DOT and full slick) I've used "way back when" needed in the 17-18 psi range to keep from squishing the sidewall too much.

I also read recently that one of the differences between the S/S and the R is that the S/S has steel belts; the R and the Pro don't and use a different sidewall design. They share the same compound, but it's more than just a simple tread pattern change. Might mean for your new tires that you'll need to up there pressure, FWIW.

I don't know what to expect for 60-ft times w/ all the new stuff. The car would pull mid-to-high 1.4s before on a good track, but was pretty sensitive to track prep for any consistency. Thx.
Brad,
you are correct on all fronts in my opinion,the R have a nylon belt so to speak.
i am going to start at 16psi and increase from there.
i am curious if the R series is faster or slower as people have told me that a radial tyre is quicker and faster than a bias ply slick,if it dead hooks.
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Re: DOT Drag Radial feedback for street/strip

Post by BOOT »

I liked the old M/T ET streets, had a set on my 68 camaro and then on my Fox.

Anyways my first set of drag radials was BFG which are no longer made, I liked the fist set but 2nd was too soft and didn't last very long. Soft like do a burn out and there was piles of rolled up rubber like spaghetti. Don't even remember the mileage that I got on that set but it wasn't much.

Then I tried the new M/T SS at the time when they just came out. Those didn't last 2k w/o even any burnouts, honestly idk if I got a bum set like the BFG since I had some of the first ones. But I put some old all season tires on one car and a set of smaller summer tires on the other n those worked just as good on both the cars that I tried the SS tires. So I'd say the suspension changes made more a difference than tires on those two cars.

The ET streets and first set of BFG drag radials lasted a lot longer than the M/T SS, I don't know the mileage but I know that I drove the cars a lot more and did burnouts with the ET Streets.
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Re: DOT Drag Radial feedback for street/strip

Post by BradH »

I used the BFG DRs when they first came out, but the original M/T ET Street Radials totally out-performed them on the track.

I don't even remember what sort of lifespan either of those had, so I don't have any expectations now. If they stick well, I ASSume they're gonna wear fast.

Thx - Brad
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Re: DOT Drag Radial feedback for street/strip

Post by BradH »

steve cowan wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 2:57 am i am curious if the R series is faster or slower as people have told me that a radial tyre is quicker and faster than a bias ply slick,if it dead hooks.
From my experience, a radial is about .1 ET quicker and 1 MPH faster in 1/4 mile comparisons between 29.5" x 9" bias-ply slicks vs 29.5" x 9" radial slicks.
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