Forrest Gump 9

I'm relative new to this tires game, but wouldn't it be wider is better? Then why do people stick to the 265 DRs? Because they worked, not for me.

My last track outing I got whooped by a GT500. He had less whp and torque than me, yet he had massive rear DR. On a day when me and other cars struggle for traction, the GT500 just dead hooked. So why can't we run fatter rear tires on our car?

I looked at Jegs and they have this

http://www.jegs.com/i/Mickey+Thompso...3785R/10002/-1

Looks like the diameter is ok for our car. Will they fit? I'm thinking about getting them and mount on my 18x10 Forgestar rims. Bad idea?

tbal

I dont know about a 305 fitting... I know the mustang guys can rock these, but for us, it maybe pushing it. Almost everyone does the 265/40/18

Im trying these toyo tq 275/40/17s out... apparently they hook hard, and their cheap. 550+ whp z06s can launch off them and get 1.5-1.6 consistently. They must make a 18" DR as well...

AKnight55

Not a bad idea, IF you can get them to fit.. Drad radials arent always about width though. Having a thick sidewall allows for the tire to wrinkle.

Forrest Gump 9

I had BF Goodrich 275-35-18 and the best I ever got was 1.69. I know I sux at driving that's why I want to cheat with the fattest tires I can fit. The one time I tried the MT 265-40-18 I just lit them up in smoke.

AKnight55

A 1.69 isnt too bad at all

tbal

One more, I tried to do a 275/45/18 was too tall lol

Forrest Gump 9

the tires I listed above is 26.4" in height. It's actually shorter than the 265-40-18 most people use.

juicee63

The height on a 305/18 will likely rub on launch as the airmatic causes problems . when the car squats it will rub which will likely have an effect on your launch.

While the tire can easily be wider than a 265 you must make certain it is not significantly taller than your stock tire. Usually 26 inches is max....

I would stay as close to 26" tall as possible , but yeah a 10" that flexes to 12.5" is gonna launch you harder than a 9" flexing to 10.5 or 11,

Forrest Gump 9

Not gonna happen!!

Just put my BF 275-35-18 on, the inside barely clear. it' like 1-2mm before touching.

AMG_RL

Was this on the stock wheels? You might want to try a smaller 16" wheel. As aknight stated the wrinkle of the walls really helps to hook up at the track. My Toyotas putting down 640whp and running 255 M/T and still hook once warm. Also, you gotta remember the stangs have ancient solid rear axle and can handle the torque load of a monster tire in back a lot better then most modern rearends.

LOCO 05' E55

That stang hooked more than you because he doesnt make as much power as you ..Dont care how good someone can launch their car, if the prep sucks you aint going anywhere. Enough Sidewall and room to squat is key for these cars

skratch77

That 305 mickey is the setup I was trying to make with custom offset wheels to clear our cars.

That tire is not that tall but you would need to bring the wheel in as fas as you can to make it fit.

Forrest Gump 9

You'll need to have the the rear wheels stick out the fender about 2" to make those suckas work.

skratch77

or get a custom offset made to pull the rim 2 in closer to the brakes

Max.H

Wider is not always better. Because, you don't want to overtire the car. Ideally you want the smallest diameter and narrowest tire that will "still hook up."

You only need to go wider when you're not hooking up anymore no matter what you do.

I honestly think the 265 or 275 drag radials are great. There are some other options that work even better but, for something simple that's all you really need. Adding more tire is not going to make the car leave any harder. Unless, your spinning like crazy out of the hole or when shifting into 2nd. Which I doubt. Good luck!

MRAMG1

You have that backwards

Go look at a TRUE slick, and you will find that the sidewalls are paper thin, TO allow them to wrinkle. Hence they need an inner tube for support.

THICK sidewalls, or more importanly STIFF sidewalls are for handling. They prevent the tread pattern from rolling over while corning and to try and keep as much contact patch as possiable on the ground.

Edit: a little tire 101


As indicated by their name, drag radials have a radial carcass designed to maximize off-the-line traction by using a soft compound and a reduced tread depth. Unlike slicks, drag radials maintain a stiff sidewall that ensures stability at high speeds, making them the most streetable of the three types of drag tires. While offering superior traction compared to ordinary radials, we’ll focus on slicks as they require a different approach to care and feeding.

There are several D.O.T.-legal slicks available and they all share some common features—a soft compound and a two-ply wrinkle-wall construction, just like their cousin the drag slick. These tires are virtually slicks, but with grooves so they are legal for street use. (That doesn’t mean, however, that they are suitable on rain-slicked streets.)


Drag slicks are racing tires which offer uncompromised traction. As the name implies, slicks have no tread so as to maximize the contact of the tire. Like the D.O.T.-legal slicks, drag slicks feature a soft compound and a soft, two-ply sidewall designed to wrinkle on launch. These tires should never be used on the street. If you were to get caught in the rain or drive through a puddle, they would instantly hydroplane. Also, due to their soft construction, slicks are prone to punctures, and handling is compromised.

chawkins2001

Best setup out there for a relatively cheap cost is clk320 rims, hoosier QTP tires around 15psi or drag radial 255-50-16. Those will get you in the 1.5xx range and dead hook. I know someone who is selling his set for a sick price, and are basically new with the above mentioned setup. Luis is da man mang

AKnight55

I meant having a higher sidewall aspect ratio.. Shouldn't have used the word "thick", no need to murder me

speedpeddler

Just to add my two cents, if you can't go wider, go taller. Assuming there's a gear change that will compensate for the taller tire, you can gain a lot of tire foot print by using a tall tire. There are 10" and 12" tires available in diameters up to 33" that will put a lot of rubber on the road. They won't fit our cars but you get the idea.

As a long time Drag racer I can say that when we ran a class car, we always used the smallest, lightest tire that would get the job done so as to not waste any HP turning the tire instead of moving the car.

When bracket racing, always use the biggest tire that will fit, even if it's too big, to completely eliminate wheel spin and be more consistant.

1.69 sixty seems respectable to me for these cars.

KLR CLS

Well another consideration is net effective gearing due to the profile height. If you run a taller tire, your effective gearing is taller and has a proportional affect on acceleration. It's also not about how tall a tire is, it's about sidewall flex to allow for some shock dampening from the instant torque load of launch to not roast the tire. The only real restriction is overall diameter to avoid bottoming out needs to be around 26.5" or less. For width , go as wide as you can fit on your rim. My hoosiers Dead hook, and wrinkle wall nicely, but I have a 10" rim, so might try something wider for tires one day.