Lets talk sticky "real" street tires please

[Buick Beginner]

Gentlemen,
Can we talk about real street tires and determine which ones are the stickiest? If I may, can I lay down some ground rules? 1. No drag radials allowed. 2. No bias ply tires, they must be a conventional radial tire. 3. They must have full tread so that when you drive them in the rain, you don't end up facing the direction you just came from too quickly. 4. They've got to give at least 10,000 miles worth of wear. So, basically, what I'm looking for is some endorsements. For example, the Dunlop GT Qualifier, the BF Goodrich Radial TA. Something that we would call a "real street tire". I have to leave and go out of town for a few days, so I would like to let this thread run and see what kind of responses we can get going. Thanks. - BB

 

[Buick Beginner]

No Takers?

Surely there has to be at least one out there! - BB

 

[INEEDAGN]

A friend of mine has a 440 Barracuda and he said that the Mastercraft Avenger GT radial seemed to bite harder than the BFGoodrich Radial T/A's he had on there before that. Purely a seat of the pants type of test though. To tell you the truth I'm looking for the same info because i'll be getting rid of the 10 year old hoosier gt's on my car this summer and I also want the best grip possible. I hope others chime in.

bob

 

[tom h]

Originally posted by Buick Beginner
... real street tires and determine which ones are the stickiest? ...

Seems an oxymoron ... if you're comitted to this path, probably avoid the long life rated treads, because the rubber tends to be harder & less sticky...

 

[Slow91z]

I'll tell you what I have some Pacemark tires right now, and they really surprised me...I pulled a 1.97 60' with them and I could have launched it harder (ran out of runs)...Just as long as I put some heat into them they do ok.

Some of those pep boys tires (Futura's??), have had before and they hooked pretty decent, but you almost had to melt them to get them hot enough.

 

[BoostKillsStres]

Go out to tirerack.com and do a full search on the size tire you want to run and look for the ones with the lowest treadwear rating then post back and see if anyones running that brand and how they hook....at least that way you can get a better idea whats out there that might hook better.

 

[Pitbozz]

You're not going to get a conventional radial tire to hook well enough to hold any boost off the line. With that being said and going by your guidelines, might I recommend you again look at the Nitto's. They will last 10,000 miles if you aren't lighten' them up every time you drive. And as far as rain goes, I have been caught in some nasty weather with my Nitto drag radial equipped GN and it was fine. Do you think an Aqua-tread would hold traction if you punched it around a corner in the rain? I wouldn't recommend driving around town in the rain with them, but if you aren't acting a fool, you won't have any problems.

 

[Buick Beginner]

Excellent

Good discussion gentlemen! I'll try to revive this when I get back in town. - BB

 

[JDSfastGN]

I second the Nittos, i know they are a D/R but I love mine, been out in the rain many times in them, and with a 1-2 pound launch ive pulled a 1.83. I know they can pull 1.7s but haven't pushed them yet. They should last 10,000 miles and and work really well over all. Just be careful when its cold, they don't bite well until they get warmed a little.

 

[salvageV6]

I'd have to agree with the Nittos out back and what you like up front.

I use Michelin Pilots which are a good all around tire available in 235/60/15 size I like to use.

I wouldn't use them out back however.

Winter I use Blizzaks which aren't all that great in the rain and sand either once they get worn a bit.

You really need to take care in the rain and bad conditions.

I think I will see 10K out of mine too.

If you are stuck on a conventional tire I'd look at the SP8000-9000 series Dunlops over the Qualifiers.

I used to use the D40M2's which were a good street tire back in the early 90's.

Didn't hook like the Nittos however.

Just my .02.

 

[Darth Fiero]

I have had decent luck with the BFG Comp ZR's but they are not as good as the Nitto's. I have heard that the BFG G-Force KDW's are better than the ZR's but stay away from the KDWS's because they don't grip as well as the ZR's.

 

[rons 00z]

road huggers

 

[RobR]

I'd give a nod to the Nitto Drag Radials. I've been running Nittos on my last two cars. 96 WS6 and 89 TTA. They are great all around tires even in the weather. Although they suck in the snow

The WS6 tires lasted 15K miles. The first set on the TTA lasted 13K but had plenty of tread left. Caught a nail in the sidewall. WS6 was a 6spd with 4.10 gears and went 1.7x for short times. The TTA has 3.27 gears and goes 1.6x for short times.

Nitto also makes a regular tire that looks just like the DR you can use on the front so it would match.

 

[IrvJr]

I like the Nittos, but can only get 2-3k out of them. I have Dunlop GT Qualifiers now and they ride very well and have good traction, better than i would have thought anyways. No track time, but they feel like they grip very well. They have a nice tread design and 60k tread wear rating to boot. Thumbs up from me. I will let you know in 10k mile though.

Scott

 

[CopGn]

A couple guys that run at the track have stated they saw no improvement when the went to the Nitto from a Sumimoto. The Tire Rack has them. I never tried either thou. I am running a Goodyear (forgot which one) 275/40/17 and it won't hook for anything with any type of boost.