Anyone using these tires?

[streetknight]

Been out of racing for a while. I noticed that Mickey Thompson is making a drag radial. Is anyone using these? How do they work?

Thanks, I need a set of tires for my TR, but tossed up between these and the ET streets.

 

[strikeeagle]

I can only see 2 scenarios for which DOT legal "race" tires, bias ply or radial ply, might apply:

1. When the cop writes you after your street race, you'll only have 10 violations, instead of 11. No matter, they'll still crush your ride.

2. If you drive to the track, but can't be bothered with slicks, and are willing to go slower. None of these pretenders matches slicks. Especially as consistency goes, so if you like or have no choice but to bracket race, well... Besides, TRs are a handful to launch to begin with - a little too much boost and away go those DOTs.

The ironic thing about DOTs is that they wear out in a few thousand miles, making them just as illegal as a slick. So, why???

Also, they are useless in bad weather - so if you get caught in the rain - you're dorked.

And at the rate they wear out, you'll be reaching into you wallet plenty to keep your ride legal.

Oh, I forgot to mention, they pick up every little pebble, every little piece of crap on the road and throw it on your quarter panels - can you say paint job?

Those tires are for guys with limitless $$$ who run DOT classes at the strip, in their "street" cars (having parachutes), and that's about it.

 

[KEVINS]

I think they are better than ET Streets but I don't think they are that street friendly. In Orlando this past weekend Rick Head went 7.66 @ 187(?) on a pair. The word is that they are more like a slick than the BFG's and I just read that FFW will spec BFG DR's for 2005 b/c they are too much like a slick in performance.

ks

 

[strikeeagle]

There's only 1 reason I can think of for FFW to spec ANY tire - $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

 

[Dusty Bradford]

The M/T DR is better than the BFG and seems to be better than the ET Street.

There's only 1 reason I can think of for FFW to spec ANY tire - $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

He's right. BFG spends a lot of money on sponsorship for street tire classes but the M/T's are dominating everywhere now------you will see BFG back out of sponsoring events or the M/T will be banned from that orginazation. It goes both ways though. The M/T is a better tire but the BFG is a equalizer for the slower cars. The M/T allows the cars with more $$$ and power to put it to the ground. In a way the BFG keeps the little guys in competition.

 

[azgn]

they are not slicks, but the MT DR's are the best DOT legal drag tire out there including ET Streets and Hoosiers.....

I haven't gotten mine exactly figured out, but they definitely hook better (and drive 10X better than ET Streets) one local guy, got his all time best 60' (1.53) with 'em (he ran ET Streets before)

this on a car he trys to keep to 12.00 (no bar), but his 60's are so much better, he has to turn things down.........

they have limited value, but the times I don't feel like changing tires, these will do (have run 10.9's on 'em with 1.6 60's.....lots more in them I feel)

 

[turbojimmy]

Mickey Thompson ET Street Radials

They are absolutely awesome.

I put a pair on over the weekend - 275/50s. I just rebuilt my posi, too, so I may not have a true apples to apples comparison but here goes.

My first "DOT" tires were McCreary "dirt" tires - G60s. They hooked decent but weren't radials. Made highway driving interesting. Best 60': 1.80

Second set was BFG Drag Radials - 275/60s. I couldn't get them to hook to save my life. Handled decent on the street but still felt like a big tire. Best 60': 1.91

Most recently I had a pair of 27x11.5 Hoosier QTPs. The right side rubbed a bit and they stuck better all around than the BFGs (a lot better) but my best 60' was still only a 1.71. Street manners are not good and I always had a vibration that I blamed the 9x11 TC for (it was installed at the same time). Highway rides are white-knuckle all the way. I could still light them up at will, like the DRs and the McCrearys.

Now the Mickey Thompsons. With a stock diameter they look nice and they fit well on the 8" Draglite. My mystery vibration is gone (was the Hoosiers) and the car handles beautifully on the street. I had forgotten how nice these cars can ride. Even with the cold weather (more HP and less sticky tire compound) these Mickey's REALLY REALLY hook. I can't believe it. Launches are reminiscent of my AWD Typhoon (1.7 60's all day long). Great on the highway, great around corners.

Again, I just fixed the posi a week ago so that might have a lot to do with my prior experiences.

As to why use a drag radial? I drive my car mainly on the street. I only put 2k a year on it and get to the track a few times a year. I really like to run the car at the track like I do on the street. Bolting up slicks is a pain in the ass and doesn't really provide a good indication of what the car is like at the stoplight drags. Once in a while I'll bolt up a pair of slicks at the track to see what kind of ET I can get, but I'm really mostly interested in my MPH anyway. Otherwise, my time in the car is spent cruising around town looking for victims. I do take longer highway rides on occasion too. For this type of use, the drag radials are a nice compromise. I might give up a little 60' time at the track, but the street manners I get in return more than makes up for it. I don't have "limitless $$" to spend on tires, but since I don't put many miles on the car it's worth it to replace the DRs every other season or so. It's all about how you use the car.

Jim

 

[Tony87gn]

Used my 275/50 M/T's two times now in the rain and they were fine. Were not squirrly at all. But they are brand new so we will see how it goes when they get some miles on them.

 

[turbojimmy]

Here's a pic if anyone is curious as to what they look like on a (dirty) GN. The rubber stuck to the tailpipe is NOT from the M/Ts - that thar's Hoosier rubber.

M/T Drag Radial

Jim

 

[dsa87gn]

Originally posted by turbojimmy
Here's a pic if anyone is curious as to what they look like on a (dirty) GN. The rubber stuck to the tailpipe is NOT from the M/Ts - that thar's Hoosier rubber.

M/T Drag Radial

Jim

look great Jim...
curious as to what you have on the front???

 

[turbojimmy]

Originally posted by dsa87gn
look great Jim...
curious as to what you have on the front???

I have stock sized (215-65) Sumitomos on 15x7 Draglites. The combination of the steel belted radials up front and the poly belts in the back, I'm told, gave it its "loose" feeling on the highway. The radials all around feel much better, even though the rears are "drag" radials.

Jim

 

[TurboSlacker]

turbojimmy

Do the M/T throw little rocks onto the rear quarter panels like all the other drag radials?

 

[turbojimmy]

Originally posted by TurboSlacker
turbojimmy

Do the M/T throw little rocks onto the rear quarter panels like all the other drag radials?

Probably. It's been cool here (50s) so the tires aren't as warm as they could be. They haven't been throwing as stuff like the Hoosiers did, but I expect they will when they're warm.

I've literally sandblasted the clearcoat and in some cases the paint from my 1/4s by using sticky compound tires as my "drivers". There's not really any way around it (other than not using them).

Jim

 

[TClassic]

It looks like I'm going to be the FIRST on using a set in the 7" T-Type
wheel friendly 235 size. And Next weekend at our Maple Grove Test & Tune whe'll see how THAT size hooks!!!

I HATE that Big & Little "Lets Race" look,
so if I have to sacrifice a 10th for a Stock apperance, then so be it!!

 

[TClassic]

It looks like I'm going to be the FIRST on using a set in the 7" T-Type
wheel friendly 235 size. And Next weekend at our Maple Grove Test & Tune whe'll see how THAT size hooks!!!

I HATE that Big & Little "Lets Race" look,
so if I have to sacrifice a 10th for a Stock apperance, then so be it!!

 

[turbojimmy]

Ran the car today for the first time with the Mickey Thomsons on it. I only got 2 runs in so I didn't have a lot of time to experiment.

First run the tires were at about 29 PSI. I just spun 'em a little to get the big stuff off of them. No water, no big burn out. Got a 2.1 60'. The car spun pretty much half the track 'til they hooked.

Second run dropped the pressure a couple pounds (to like 26 PSI). I backed it into the water and did a burnout. Not as long or as fast as I would with slicks, but enough to heat them up. Got a 1.80 60' time. They felt great out of the hole. I think with some practice they'd do as well as my 27" Hoosiers. The MTs are trickier to launch, theoretically, because they're stock height (easier to break loose). The street and high-speed track experience on the MTs vs. Hoosiers can't be compared. The Hoosiers have very poor street manners and are a little scary at speed IMO. The MTs, without exaggeration, are like driving on regular radials. So I'm willing to sacrifice some 60 time for the better street manners, but I don't think I'll have to. The car ran decent for not having really made any attempt to tune it since I brought it out of hibernation. Boost was at 20 PSI. Ran 12.5 @ 112 and 12.0 @ 114 (second run turned the boost up to 20 - didn't know it was so low but didn't get another chance to run at higher levels).

My brother had the same tires (275/50s) on his Turbo T today, too. Both runs he just rolled up to the line. First run was a 1.9 60, second was a 2.1. His car is a mid/low-13 second car (as of today, actually. It ran really well). He had the tires at 28 PSI.

Hope that helps someone.

Jim

 

[Jeasen]

I've got a set of the ET street radials, and they are great. Pulled a 1.63 60' with 20psi of pressure in them. I do not use them on the street just because they are really soft, and I think that they would be worn out in no time flat.

 

[Jeasen]

Should of also said that mine are a 275/50-R15 on a stock set of t-type wheels. I do have to use a 1/4" spacer though.

 

[evil666]

These tires hook great, won't buy anything else in the future. I did my best 60ft with these which is a 1.52 on 9lbs of boost launch, and 16 psi of air in the tires. These are the tires I use for the car all summer long but I only put 1000-1500km a year on the car. I could tell you they seem to use up pretty fast but I can't tell you how fast because it still doesn't make a year I have them. I love using these tires on the street because I want my car to run the same on the street as at the track. I could only compare them to my M/T et streets (26 11.5),and they ride much better than those. My best 60 ft time with the et streets is 1.62 but I didn't have thdp when I did this. I never use the car in the rain so I can't tell you how good they are when the streets are wet, but I have read that they are pretty bad in the rain and dangerous. Hope this helps.

Marco

86 Grand National t-top (59000km)

stock long block,stock suspension, red stripe convertor, te44, smc alk injection, 24lbs boost, 94 octane, hooker cat back with dyno max ultra flow muffers, tomco 30lbs injectors, dynotech stage 4 street chip, thdp, mease 24 row IC, MT drag radials (275/50/15) 3800lbs race weight with driver.

best ET

60FT=1.52

1/8= 7.38

I/4= 11.74

MPH=113

BEST MPH= 114

 

[turbojimmy]

Sounds like I need to let some air out of them. 1.5x sounds good to me.

That's another thing I noticed a the track yesterday. EVERYONE has the MTs on. I guess once something works well, word travels fast.

With 30 PSI in them on the street, they're decent in the rain. Better than the Hoosiers and BFGs I had. You just have to use your head and adjust for the conditions.

Jim