Drag radial test

[Hammer]

Interesting article on drag radials.

http://www.superchevy.com/technical/chassis/wheels_tires/sucp_1004_nitto_nt05_drag_radial_test/index.html

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Interesting article on drag radials.

http://www.superchevy.com/technical/chassis/wheels_tires/sucp_1004_nitto_nt05_drag_radial_test/index.html

John,

Thanks for sharing. Good reading and I might try those Nittos...........

[Hammer]

No problem Buddy. Wish I had seen this a lttle earlier. I just bought some of the Mickeys for the Nova.

[sammy]

i have had a set of nitto nto5s in 315x35x17 for over a year and like them alot better than the mickeys. i have found with the 315 size that 19-21 lbs works best going below 17 seems to spin the tire on the rim and make the car a handfull on the big end . also a 2-3 sec burn out seems to heat them just perfect any more and the car seems to bow the tires off . nitto says the perfect tire heat is 192 after the burn out . jmho

[USAFPILOT]

I have those tires on my A-Molds and really liked them until I took them of when upgrading to 18" Shelby Rims. They hooked like glue, but I didn't consider them a drag radial. As I read up on them it seemed to me they were designed to be a street tired intended for occasional track use, as in a road course rather than drag strip. It is cool to know how well they perform on a drag strip. One reason I went with them though was after reading a thread in which a C6 Z06 owner was launching on the NT-05's and his half shaft twisted into pieces due to them hooking so hard.

[sammy]

i should correct the tire designation its nto5R. its a dedicated drag radial ..

[HAWAIIZR-1]

These sound perfect to put on the Dymags that I found.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

i should correct the tire designation its nto5R. its a dedicated drag radial ..

Brad,
I'm getting close to ordering tires for my Dymags and I remember you mentioning some tires that also was recommended by Marc H and I can't remember of find what it was. I'm still on the fence because I'm not really sure how often I will be drag racing and will be driving to the track and not bring them to change there.

Thanks,
Craig

[sammy]

craig , hi buddy hope everything going well over there . the nitto nto5r drag radial is a great tire to use even in every day driving as long as it isnt in the rain . if youn are planning on doing some corner racing the nitto nto5 is a great street track tire . bill boudreau has them on his car and just loves them .. the nice thing about the nittos on the street is they dont get squirrel y when you make a fast lane change ,like i found out with the mickeys . to me the nitto drag radials launch my car better , with more tire pressure , but thats just my opinion . if i can ever help you in any way please just let me know have a great week .:handshak:

[HAWAIIZR-1]

craig , hi buddy hope everything going well over there . the nitto nto5r drag radial is a great tire to use even in every day driving as long as it isnt in the rain . if youn are planning on doing some corner racing the nitto nto5 is a great street track tire . bill boudreau has them on his car and just loves them .. the nice thing about the nittos on the street is they dont get squirrel y when you make a fast lane change ,like i found out with the mickeys . to me the nitto drag radials launch my car better , with more tire pressure , but thats just my opinion . if i can ever help you in any way please just let me know have a great week .:handshak:

Hi Brad,
I know you have a lot of track experience so thanks for the reply. It was a different post that I remember seeing that Cliff mentioned NT555R rears and NT555 on front from Marc H. I heard a lot of good things about the NT05R too and the NT05 for road track/street. I'll be going to Twin Ring Motegi Street Shootout (September) to see if I can qualify for the Quick 8 so looking for a good tire for the drags, but have to drive 3 hours if all goes well. This track is a 1000 foot track so not quite quarter mile. I'll order an air tank to take with me just in case I play with air pressure, but they might have air there and will have to check.

http://www.twinring.jp/shootout_m/

I'll have to decide between the NT555R or NT05R on the rear and run the same in the front minus the R.

I will also have to get my headers back on with new X pipe and Dynomax mufflers with a dyno tune to get this car running right.

Thanks and take care.

Craig

[HAWAIIZR-1]

John/USAFPilot/Brad/Cliff,

After my phone call to Discount Tire Direct technician, I think I am leaning towards the Nitto NT05 (front) NT05R (rear). I'm not too worried about the rain and wet looking for the ultimate traction to hook up 500+ HP. These cars don't have traction when stock so you can imagine how it is when power is bumped up. I could not place the order online, but they have the 555R and the 05R and both are cheaper than the regular 555 and 05. Just a few more searches for info and epinions to confirm before pulling the trigger and placing the order.

Thanks for the input.

Craig

[sammy]

craig , i drive around daily on the nt555s and for a street tire they are very nice . but after reading what you are doing i would go with what you last wrote . that combo i feel would be a great set up for the motegi event and still work good for street driving .. they are a very well thought out tire to me .

[HAWAIIZR-1]

craig , i drive around daily on the nt555s and for a street tire they are very nice . but after reading what you are doing i would go with what you last wrote . that combo i feel would be a great set up for the motegi event and still work good for street driving .. they are a very well thought out tire to me .

Brad,
Thanks for the reply and thoughts. I can see how dangerous the NT05Rs could be in the rain and usually never take the car out if raining so it might be the way to do even though I really love the 555s I have on my stock wheels. I never use those either unless when I ship the car or while testing now for emissions because I have to have stock wheels. I figured on a 1000 ft track I will need all the traction help I can get.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Holy toledo Batman, the NT05Rs left me speechless when I opened the boxes today!!!! I have not put them on and tried them yet, but will this weekend. That is a friggin drag radial alright! I don't know what I was expecting, but not like this. Now I am wondering if I am going to break something going from one extreme of no traction to this. I have NT05s for the front as noted earlier so curious to see how this combo works. I have NT555s all around on my stock wheels and love them, but still not enough traction for the rear.

Brad, please share any tips and tricks with these babies. Thanks!

Craig

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Thanks for the info Cliff:handshak:. I did not have a chance to try them out yet and still messing around with center caps for my Dymags Gen IIs these are mounted on. I'm not sure how much difference between the NT555Rs and NT05Rs, but more concerned about the weakest link in the drivetrain of our cars. I did also find this article that helped explain a few things too:

http://www.corvetteonline.com/tech-stories/wheels-tires/dot-drag-radials-101-what-you-need-to-know-about-drag-radials/

Craig

[Hammer]

Hi Craig,

I run my Nova to the track and back with MT ET Streets. They rock.
My 60 ft times are as good as with the Hoosier Quick Time Pro's.

The Nova is now running 1.90 60 ft times with a best 1/4 of 12.52 @107.

I think your 1/2 shaft u-joints will be the weak links, then the rear spindles. Talk with Frank (FU) about that, I think he had that problem and Jim Van Dorn fixed that for him. He could tell you what spindles he used.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Hi Craig,

I run my Nova to the track and back with MT ET Streets. They rock.
My 60 ft times are as good as with the Hoosier Quick Time Pro's.

The Nova is now running 1.90 60 ft times with a best 1/4 of 12.52 @107.

I think your 1/2 shaft u-joints will be the weak links, then the rear spindles. Talk with Frank (FU) about that, I think he had that problem and Jim Van Dorn fixed that for him. He could tell you what spindles he used.

Hey John,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Next week I'll try to get them tested at my work place where I have some nice areas on the base where I can launch it and test. At least if I break something it is a short tow home or can store in our warehouse for a short time. I heard about the spindles and will do some research about this. I ended up with NEAPCO heavy duty U joints that the 4X4 guys have good luck with so we'll see.

Craig

[Hammer]

The only problem I see Craig, is you won't be launching on a prepared surface. You will see a better launch than you have on the street, but not close to a prepared dragstrip, especially if the launchpad is concrete.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsFHhP7kQIk

I love these Nitto NT05Rs on all around. I don't think I want to drive them in the rain even though others have. After I did this burnout and returned to park I noticed how soft they were and can't wait to do more testing with air pressure and variation of launches to find the sweet spot. I think I'll get one of those G-Tech pro meters or something like that to play with until I can get to the track. I was not able to make the Street Shootout a few weeks ago.:handshak:

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Very stable....and good thing with the concrete on the drivers side ;)
Sounds like that Z is smooooooking :thumbsup:

Thanks Cliff! I'm still really amazed at how stable they are and so glad I put those beam plates in too. You were right about the Nitto drag radials and you can't go wrong. I was also surprised about the squealing sound of them. :dancing

[sammy]

craig , after the 60 runs i have made on these tires , i have found them to work the best at 23lbswarm. before your first run do a good 5 sec burn out . then every run there after you will only need a 2-3 sec burnout .any longer and the tires get oily. perfect temp according to nitt0 is 190 deg. enjoy . of also a good starting line rpm is 3000 .if you have a fidanza flywheel. do a controlled release of the clutch off the line .

[XfireZ51]

craig , after the 60 runs i have made on these tires , i have found them to work the best at 23lbswarm. before your first run do a good 5 sec burn out . then every run there after you will only need a 2-3 sec burnout .any longer and the tires get oily. perfect temp according to nitt0 is 190 deg. enjoy . of also a good starting line rpm is 3000 .if you have a fidanza flywheel. do a controlled release of the clutch off the line .

Good crib Brad!

[HAWAIIZR-1]

craig , after the 60 runs i have made on these tires , i have found them to work the best at 23lbswarm. before your first run do a good 5 sec burn out . then every run there after you will only need a 2-3 sec burnout .any longer and the tires get oily. perfect temp according to nitt0 is 190 deg. enjoy . of also a good starting line rpm is 3000 .if you have a fidanza flywheel. do a controlled release of the clutch off the line .

Thanks for the tips and for sharing your experience with the tires, traction, and driving techniques.