Weld Draglite W/ M T Drag Radial

[PaulRV6]

I'm thinking of going with a 15" x 8 Weld draglite with MT drag radials. Will the 275x50's buldge more causing a fender lip problem than with 275x60's? I would rather use the 60's for the look but also don't want any rubbing. What do ya think?

What do you do about the speedometer being off and correcting it, also the VSS signal, won't that screw up the computer?

Thanks, paul

 

[turbojimmy]

The 275-60s will probably rub - they did on my car. I have 15x8 Draglites and MT Drag Radials in 275-50s on it now. They're a perfect fit IMO.

Jim

 

[tim87tr]

Originally posted by PaulRV6
I'm thinking of going with a 15" x 8 Weld draglite with MT drag radials. Will the 275x50's buldge more causing a fender lip problem than with 275x60's? I would rather use the 60's for the look but also don't want any rubbing. What do ya think?

What do you do about the speedometer being off and correcting it, also the VSS signal, won't that screw up the computer?

Thanks, paul

275/60s fit good with a fender lip roll or cut and 4" bs on 15x8s. Weld only offers 3.5 and 4.5, but Centerlines and a few others have the 4" bs. I think the speedometer is a few mph off and 50 mph is actually around 55....there's a formula on gnttype.org

 

[PaulRV6]

But with a taller tire doesn't it screw up the VSS signal? Thought I remember this from someone.

paul

 

[dsa87gn]

Originally posted by turbojimmy
The 275-60s will probably rub - they did on my car. I have 15x8 Draglites and MT Drag Radials in 275-50s on it now. They're a perfect fit IMO.

Jim

JIM,

did the 60's rub on the frame or wheel well ?

]Originally posted by PaulRV6

What do you do about the speedometer being off and correcting it, also the VSS signal, won't that screw up the computer?

Paul,
The speedo will read about 7% slow with the 28" tires.
If speedo says 60, your really going ~64.
You can correct it by changing a gear in the tranny.
I did a search on this subject a couple weeks regarding the ECM
and i think the difference is so minimal no one worries about it

 

[turbojimmy]

Sorry - I should've been more specific: they rub on the wheel well lip. Every car is different - mine rubbed more on the passenger side (to the point where the lip cut into the tire), but both sides rubbed.

Jim

 

[PaulRV6]

I just thought the 50's would buldge more on an 8" wheel causing more rubbing problems. I was leaning toward the 60 series DR cuz I didn't want to car to look akward with 60's on the front.
But I also don't want rubbing problems. Thanks

paul

 

[turbojimmy]

I'm not sure if the 50s bulge more or not, but in my opinion the 60s look awkward and the 50s look okay. The 60s are tall and look like truck tires. The 50s are the right height (26") and look "normal" to me.

I went from 275-60 BFGs (28" tall) to 27" tall Hoosier QTPs and now to 275-50 MT drag radials. The MTs stick better than anything I've tried and the 26" height looks and feels better.

Jim

 

[XLR8]

Originally posted by turbojimmy

I went from 275-60 BFGs (28" tall) to 27" tall Hoosier QTPs and now to 275-50 MT drag radials. The MTs stick better than anything I've tried and the 26" height looks and feels better.

Jim

Don't mean to Hi-Jack the thread, BUT, are you saying the MT drag radials stick better than the QTPs? What was the difference in your 60' times? (I am currently running the same QTPs as you were with an average low to mid 1.6 60' on a well prepped track)

 

[turbojimmy]

Originally posted by XLR8
Don't mean to Hi-Jack the thread, BUT, are you saying the MT drag radials stick better than the QTPs? What was the difference in your 60' times? (I am currently running the same QTPs as you were with an average low to mid 1.6 60' on a well prepped track)

I didn't have great success with the QTPs (low 1.8s, high 1.7s), but my posi was burnt up too. I haven't run the MT's yet, but on the street they're definitely stickier. They may be different at the track, tho. We'll see in the spring.

Jim

 

[PaulRV6]

So are you saying there is less chance of rubbing by using the 50's instead of the 60's?
Someone in another thread suggested the 50's look wimpy. Thanks for the help.

paul

 

[turbojimmy]

Originally posted by PaulRV6
So are you saying there is less chance of rubbing by using the 50's instead of the 60's?
Someone in another thread suggested the 50's look wimpy. Thanks for the help.

paul

In theory the 50s will bulge more because of the shorter sidewall, but they are fine on my car. As far as wimpy, that's a matter of opinion. I think the 60s are too tall and make the car look goofy. Here's a pic of the 50s.
http://www.turbojimmy.com/MT_radial.jpg

Jim

 

[PaulRV6]

Thanks Turbojimmy, I hope to be using those same wheels with stock axles. Do you know what lug nuts I would need? Does weld sell them?

paul

BTW, that combination looks good!!

 

[turbojimmy]

You need longer wheel studs for the Draglites. The center sections are pretty thick. Mine are GM 3". You need to remove the C-clips and pulle the axles out to the them installed. I think others have gotten away with 2.75" and not had to pull the axles. Search on wheel studs and you'll get tons of info. I posted the P/N for the GM ones a while back..

Weld sells the open-ended lug nuts.

Good luck!

Jim

 

[mygrain]

I have 275/60 MT drag radials on Weld prostars on the GN. They rub unless you have no passengers and an empty trunk. The next set of tires I get for it will be 275/50 Nittos. The MTs suck in the rain when they start to wear down.

 

[PaulRV6]

I'm still trying to figure out if I can use the stock studs with longer shank lugnuts with the draglites?
I want to be able to change between my stock wheels/lugnuts and draglites with the long shank lugnuts?
Will this work?
If so what is P/N for weld long lugnuts?

paul

 

[turbojimmy]

The GM P/N for the longer studs is 22551491.

I think it might be possible to use longer shank nuts with the stock studs, but it wouldn't necessarily be safe nor legal at the track.

Jim

 

[turbojimmy]

I dug the GN out of storage over the weekend and have been terrorizing Northern NJ for the past couple of days. I didn't get much time with these MT drag radials before I put the car away back in November. These tires are amazing. They are NOTHING like the BFG drag radials I used to have. Even in this relatively cold (mid-40s) weather they stick like glue. They can even withstand a mild-boosted launch with just a chirp. Everything else I've every tried goes up in smoke after rolling about 20-30 feet. I even nailed it immediately after going through some water - they dry out instantly and stick. No spin.

I went on a 50-mile highway drive today and they're smooth as glass and predictable. I really love these tires.

Jim

 

[TwinyTwin]

My draglite's and 275-60 MT drag radials just came in today and I will be installing them tonight. I'll try and get some pictures up tomorrow so you can see what they look like PaulRV6.

 

[PaulRV6]

Hey thanks Twinytwin, that woud be good. Where did you get yours from? How much?
What did you do for mounting, longer studs or long shank nuts with stock studs?
I am going to order 275x50 but still want to see pics of yours.

Thanks, Paul