Whats the best racing tire and wheel combo?

[Motorhead350]

I wanted to know whats the best way to run. I finally found some street slicks for an 18 inch wheel. You can find it from Jegs. By Kumho tires. Or should I get cheap 16x8 wheels and put on a MT street slick. I kinda wanna keep the car a sleeper and am leaning toward the 18 inch slicks and buy two used marauder wheels. The wheels are easy to find on ebay. Whats the best bet and keep in mind I want to drive on these tires to the track on weekends. Thanks :banana2:

[Rider90]

"Cop Lights?"

[jgc61sr2002]

Check with Sgt Mac. He will have some excellent info. :D

[CRUZTAKER]

Your choice depends on what your ultimate goal is. I personally wouldn't buy the Korean made Kumho. Most folks using a 'drag radial' are using Nitto which require an expensive rim widening process. Living in the NorthEast where the weather has the potential to change for the worse, and the possibility of limited financial resources, permantly mounting drag radials to your OEM rims will be a major problem during winter.

You will also discover the OEM BFG's are lousy in the snow as well.
Get through this winter, and see how your car behaves, and match your financials with how you will using the car.

Occational to frequent visits to the track? Get a separate set of rear wheels. Money's ok? Get a set of drag radials on a separate set of 18's and widened.

Want the best hookupp, better than the expensive drag radials? Get the M/T'S

Want best hook up, the best look, the ability to drive on them all summer? Get the Nitto.

The M/T'S I use are 28 x 11.50 16 ET Streets, and stick like no tomorrow!:cool:
They must be mounted at the track, I cannot run on them TO the track.
They are mounted to 16" wheels with a 5-5/8 backspacing.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

I also use a set of Pirelli p-zero street radials on matching powdercoated rims for race competitions that require a true street tire. They are bald as a baby's behind! (not pictured)

http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/503/627scan0002-med.jpg
http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/500/627Slicks-med.jpg

[BillyGman]

When I decided to go w/the P305/45/18" Nitto drag radials, I also bought two factory stock Marauder mags to be widened especially for the big 12" wide P305 Nitto tires. it's an expensive option, but I wanted to still have the option of running the stock oem tires on the street if I so chose to. So far I've run the Nitto's on the street and at the track. I like them, but like many soft rubber compund sticky street tires (such as the Pirelli's) the Nittos don't last as long as standard radial tires will. So there are always trade-offs. You can't have it all, so as Barry has implied, it depends what you'r priorities are, and what it is you want to do w/your car, and how often.


I've thought about trying some slicks at the track, but there are two reasons I've chosen not to:

#1. My goal for my Marauder is, and has always been to make the car very fast, while keeping it in legitimate street trim. And what I mean, is to have the car run at the track as fast as possible, while doing so, exactly the way it is driven every day on the street back and forth to work. For me that means, no removing the back seat for weight reduction, no running a dual position chip, nor even using 100 octane race gas. And no removing accessory drive belts for more HP, nor removing the driver's side headlight for getting cool air into the intake. And I even use the same tires on the street as I do at the track (which are the Nitto drag radials). The only thing that I do to the car to race it, is drive it to the track, and remove the spare tire. And that's it. That's simply my preference.

#2. I've heard a number of the Impala SS guys talk about how they blew universal joints as well as rear ends when they began racing their cars w/the slicks. Running slicks will get you better 60' times, but will also put more stress on the drivetrain. They grab the pavement so well, that it transfers more shock into the drivetrain. And for me, I already have obtained the best 60' times out of anyone on the board by simply using the drag radials, so my veiwpoint is, why take more of a risk breaking parts than I already do, by using slicks?

That's just my two cents. There's no right or wrong w/this issue since it's all about choices, and trade-offs. You can't have it all, so it depends what your individual priorities are for your car.

[Motorhead350]

Thanks and I basically had the same idea in mind. Also thank you for mentioning that the drivetrain might break. I didn't know that and wouldn't want it to happen for my daily driver. I have till summer to decide what to do, but I wanna do a few little things like gears, chip and maybe headers.