Next month our local drag strip kicks off a new King Of Street series. I would like to run in the true street tire class. That class is limited to a 28x10.50 tire with no less than a 240 wear rating.

I have 15" wheels on the Cuda and after a bunch of calling and checking, it seems that virtually all the 275/60-15 tires have a 440 rating. But there are hi performance 275/40-17 tires that have ratings in the 280 range. Example; Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3

Now I know that the tread wear ratings do not correlate between brands, but it would seem reasonable to expect that a 280 rating in one brand would be softer than a 440 in another brand.

So here's the question; does anyone have any idea what 275 tire is stickiest for the drag strip? I would buy some 17" wheels and tires just for this competition if they would have noticeably better hook.

Any help on this subject would really be appreciated.

I've heard mention of the cheap Wal Mart tires (Primewell???) being good for this.

Something on here maybe?

http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/strip/

Google M&H tires.

They have some very good tires like that.

Cooper tires work pretty well.

I've had decent luck with Mickey Thompson S/T 275/60/15's

Tips are:

Soak tires with WD40, wrap with saran wrap
Lower psi to 20-ish
Put lots of weight over rear bumper in trunk
Leave in 2nd gear if you have a mvb

I didn't soak mine but pulled off the win in my true street tire nostalgia class last year...

I recall guys running Futura tires from Pep-Boys in true street tire classes....unsure if they are treating them... Know of guys running 9.0's on them.

Thanks for the tips. I called MT and it doesn't look like the STs are available anymore. At least not in 15". The Coopers are just more 440 hard tires.

The only 275 street tires that I can find that are any softer than any others are the hi performance 17s and 18s. Mickey Thompson tire tech said that their 275/40 hi performance tires have a 300 wear rating and should have approximately 20% more bite than standard street tires. If that's true, then it would be worth it to make up a pair of 17" or 18" wheels and tires for this class.

But it would be nice to hear of some real world experiences before I start this direction.

Did you look at the M&H tires? I think they make the tire you want. Check it out.

M&H muscle car tires have 0 for tread wear rating. They recommended the 17" or 18" hi performance tires, too. But then, they do not have any experience with them at the strip.

http://www.mandhtires.com/M-H-Racemaster-Street-and-Strip-Drag-Slicks/P275-60-15#.WL3VJm_ythE

I did not see any tread wear ratings on the site. Calling M and H Tires has always been a fun learning experience for me.

Who comes up with this stupid sh!t?

I agree that the rules suck, but we're stuck with the suck. If I can't find a tire that meets the rules with some semblance of traction, I don't have a chance. Regular 275/60 street tires are absolutely dangerous on the Cuda.

I gave up trying to get a hold of M&H, so I called Coker and they went out and looked at a tire while I was on the phone. Cool!

McCreary tire in Ohio, not sure if they were bought out or changed names(maybe now American tire?????), have some soft treaded race tires that races use at the strip.

Yea what he said, If I remember right they were called roadstars? They were dirt track tires that worked very well on the street as long as you didn't boil the life out of them. I had a pair of L60's and when they changed too P-metric sizing 275/60/15, same size tire.

might be something to look at http://www.americanraceronline.com/tires/dot-street-stock/

What are the F.A.S.T guys using ?

Reproduction bias plys.

I don't think a Mcreary or M&H will be legal for this class. They are trying to make it for regular HARD street tires. If it's like the ones around here, if you show up w/ Mcrearys they'll tell you you can't run.

since the FAST guys run reproduction tires, and those are best when they are almost used up, maybe you can obtain a well used set of 275-60's ? just a thought.

I am still doing research and trying to get a few more specifics from the promoters. They say 28x10.50. But I have asked if the 10.50 is the side wall measurement or the tread measurement and haven't gotten an answer yet.

It looks like the late model guys that have 275/40s on 17 or 18 inch rims might have a real edge with much softer compound tires readily available.

I am not sure how much I can make up for the harder 440 rated tires that are available in 15". I have Cal Tracs and can hook Drag Radials pretty good. But I can't get street tires to get enough bite to even start working the suspension. I might be able to with enough testing. I am just not sure I have the time to do that.

Crap!