Nitto 555R or BFG Drag Radials

[teedoff00]

Hey Guys, I am looking to get into amateur drag racing this summer at the local strip and would really like to get some slicks for my stock rims (rears). I am considering either the Nitto 555R 245/50/16 or the BFG G-Force Drag Radials 255/50/16. They are comparable in price with the Nitto's being about 30 bucks cheaper. Would either of these be a good drag tire that would be capable of getting me to and from the track? (don't plan on trailering the car there!) Will they fit the stock rim? Should I consider 255/50/16 in Hoosier or Mickey Thompsons instead for about 100 bucks more?
Thanks in advance for all the input!
Trevor

 

[dbsupra90]

the nitto tires will last a lot longer on the street. not sure how far you are from the track. the least grippy of all the drag tires, but if you plan on a lot of street driving its the way to go.

bfg's are pretty decent and better than the nitto's for traction. however, expect about 5000 miles on the bfg's until they need to be replaced. of course, how you drive, if you do a john force burnout, etc will effect this too.

i havent tried the new hoosier drag radials yet.

the mickey thompsons are hands down the best i've had experience with. not going to last a long time on the street, probably about the same as the bfg's.

one you didn't mention, is the new toyo proxes tq. they are ~$150/ea for 255/50/16

no experience with these yet, but will be my next tire. i've seen some testing from several magazines and they get great reviews. they got better launches/quicker 60' than any other drag radial tested in one magazine. also, there was a guy on supraforums that did some testing for toyo as well.

http://toyotires.com/tire/pattern/proxes-tq

hope this helps

 

[frontierguy25]

Mickey Thompson tires hands down!! I have had the Nitto's which are good for the street, ok for the track. The BFG's very poor wear, once finally bald they hook the best. MT descent wear and hooks great at the track!!! By far the best choice!

http://mickeythompsontires.com/strip.php?item=ETStreetRadial

Just look at the drag tire pics thread and you will see what I have and a couple other people have!

 

[woodytsi]

m/t or nittos

 

[Slow66]

Are you 5sp or auto? That has alot of bearing on the tire choice....

 

[teedoff00]

I am 5spd and am about 20 miles from the track. I run 245/40/18 Nitto Extreme ZRs on the back and am very pleased with them on the road, I not really looking for road tires, just tire that will hold up at the track. Then again, I am not a serious drag racer so any tire that hooks better than my current setup would probably be a big difference. I haven't looked at Toyo yet, I will have to do that. I guess the nittos seem so attractive because I can get them for $295 already heat cycled so that would be a plus... Would all these options work well on the stock sawblades?
Thanks again for all the input!

 

[dbsupra90]

yeah any of those will be better than what you have. 18" and a tiny sidewall will not hook well.

yes, any of those will work on sawblades.

here is a pic of mine w/ 255/50 bfg drags on sawblades

 

[svnmpwr1990]

i have a set of 315 nittos on my tt wheels and i love those tires they hook better than my et streets but that might be because those are kinda old and my nittos are only about 2 months old but they are great on the street

 

[FullNelson]

IIRC the TTs are 9.5 wide. A 315 sounds a little large doesn't it?

DB: What were your 60'?

 

[frontierguy25]

Yeah but the Nitto 315's fit more like 295's. The BFG's are wider, I have had both on MK4TT wheels and they are too wide. Get a good 275 and you'll have better contact patch.

 

[dbsupra90]

Yeah but the Nitto 315's fit more like 295's. The BFG's are wider, I have had both on MK4TT wheels and they are too wide. Get a good 275 and you'll have better contact patch.

yep, it will depend on the design of the sidewall. you have to look at the tread width spec, not just width.

fullnelson- 1.8x-1.9x on sturbo 87

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbz_O3M6lLQ

 

[teedoff00]

Hey thanks for all the input guys. I still haven't decided on which to run as of yet. I am leaning toward the Nitto 555r's or possibly the new Toyo TQ's. But I am sure I would benefit from a wider tire hence the toyo's would be a better route. I would go Mickey Thompson but I just don't think I would make it worth it (at $200 a piece) since I will probably only make it out to the strip 3-4 times this year. But all in all thanks for the food for thought.
Trevor

 

[foreverpsycotic]

A MKIV owner was one of the testers of the toyo TQs, according to him, he cut his best 60's on them with a 6 speed.

Just a FYI, the writeup is somewhere on SF

 

[frontierguy25]

If you are only looking to drive it a couple times then why buy a set? The reason I got mine is because I'm going to get 50+passes this year. Another place to look for a good deal on wheels and tires is a Mustang forum. Any 5 lug they have from 92-2004 will work. I got my wheels and tires from a friend with a 2003 Mach 1 and they bolt right up! I wouldn't get nittos for the track, see if you can find a set of MT's online. I know that Suprahero got a good deal on a set up of MT's that he bought online.

 

[becauseican]

I will be gettign a set of the MT DR's, what size would be best for the stock sawblades....actually they only have a 255/50/16, I thought they had a 275 in a 16 rims size. I am currently running some 275/40/17 BFG DR on some mustang wheels. My best 60' was a 1.9x.

 

[suprarich]

MT 255/50 - 16's fit perfect on stock wheels and fit flush with the lip. Great tire and you don't have to burn the hell out of them to get them to hook like some other DR's

 

[dbsupra90]

I will be gettign a set of the MT DR's, what size would be best for the stock sawblades....actually they only have a 255/50/16, I thought they had a 275 in a 16 rims size. I am currently running some 275/40/17 BFG DR on some mustang wheels. My best 60' was a 1.9x.

M&H make a 275 DR they are 28" tho, you would have to have some fender mods to not rub. they are listed as a 10.9" section width, probably a bit wide for a 7" rim

 

[MRSUPRA]

Don't get the Nitto DR's for the track. The Nitto DR's make a good everyday tire because of there long life compared to other DR's, but they do not have enough grip for big power.

I use 255/50/16 BFG's on 300zx rims. They do very well at 500rwhp on a prepped track.

 

[teedoff00]

Yeah the more I hear, I am thinking the Nitto's wouldn't be good for the track which is the only time I will put them on (even though I am probably on at a measly 350-375 rwhp and any drag tire would probably grip better than my streets...). Has anyone tried the Toyo TQ's?
Thanks for the input!