Drag radials for cornering...???

Pretty sure this has been covered before (though elsewhere), but i am too shellshocked to remember the consensus. So, before someone else asks this again...

How about drag radials (BFG, namely) for street-driven corner carvers? I have heard they are anywhere from H to Z-rated, or not rated at all but built the same as good tires. They are certainly sticky enough (too sticky?) and i'm sure tread life would be pretty bad on a daily driven car, but still. Has anyone tried these?

Reason i ask, is that they are the ONLY tires, that I know ov, that come in proper sizing for old cars, for that period look. 325/50/15... 275/50/15, many others i'm sure. Not everyone wants to put 17"+ wheels on their old cars. There IS a need for serious performance 15" tires. Perhaps not as much as 17-19" tires, but it is there. I'm surprised no one has capitalized on this yet...

Anyways... what will 275/50/15 and 325/50/15 drag radials do for my (otherwise well set up) Mopar...???

I wouldn't use plain ole Drag Radials for hard cornering with their wrinkle side walls. I know Nitto 555 IIs are a drag compound with a cornering sidewall. BFG and MT have different spec drag compound tires with a 2 at the end for designation I believe. I would be absolutely sure before I bought them.

sidewalls on a drag radial are very thin and flexible. not good for cornering. look for circle track tires if you're really serious, and don't mind driving a race tire on the street....

Circle track tires would be a nightmare.....

In the world of drag radials, the BFGs do tend to be more street than drag, compared to others, so they do behave better on the street than a comparable M/T or Hoosier. However, they are still desinged with a softer sidewall section and even BFG only rates them average for handling and braking performance.

One of the more extensive and long running topics on 15" tires can be found here: http://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.ph...;highlight=avon

Pickings are slim, but if you flat out refuse to step up the rim size, there are some 15" tires out there. Be prepared to pay though, as a V or Z rated 15" tire is going to cost you upwards of $300 per tire. Plus, while some of these may be d.o.t. rated, they are still designed as a race tire so you have similar wet weather performance issues as a drag radial and life expectantcy is low.

If you are so inclined, Summit still sells the old M/T road race style "I" compound tires in wide (like N50 or 315mm) 15" sizes with 4 ply sidewalls. Only drawback is they are old school bias belted designs and not heavily advertised so you have to dig deep through their search engine to find them.

From personal experience with my Challenger and twisty backroad road racing there is a world of difference in handling with a drag radial and a regular ZR rated tire.

Drag radials are "floppy" and allowed the car to "roll" more when agressively pitching it through the corners, to the point of breaking them loose on certain tight corkscrew turns. Not a great feeling when there is several hundred feet to fall if you leave the road!

My Challenger was wearing them on this excursion: http://waywardgarage.com/201/norms-geezer-cruise/

In the sizes you are after I think these would be the best bet.. http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/street.php?item=SportsmanSR

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In the world of drag radials, the BFGs do tend to be more street than drag, compared to others, so they do behave better on the street than a comparable M/T or Hoosier. However, they are still desinged with a softer sidewall section and even BFG only rates them average for handling and braking performance.

One of the more extensive and long running topics on 15" tires can be found here: http://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.ph...;highlight=avon

Pickings are slim, but if you flat out refuse to step up the rim size, there are some 15" tires out there. Be prepared to pay though, as a V or Z rated 15" tire is going to cost you upwards of $300 per tire. Plus, while some of these may be d.o.t. rated, they are still designed as a race tire so you have similar wet weather performance issues as a drag radial and life expectantcy is low.

If you are so inclined, Summit still sells the old M/T road race style "I" compound tires in wide (like N50 or 315mm) 15" sizes with 4 ply sidewalls. Only drawback is they are old school bias belted designs and not heavily advertised so you have to dig deep through their search engine to find them.

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I was talking about the BFG's mainly. The other brands pretty much look like modern-looking drag tires, and even the ones mentioned in the post just above, that look all good and modern, are just too big a tire to have a serious sidewall i would imagine.

I'll have to check out that link, when i have some time.

As for price... i would pay upwards ov that ($300) for a good 17-18" tire, so why not a specialty 15" tire? as long as it was in the same league as the 17-18" stuff. And i would actually consider running and even daily driving on slicks, if i didn't live in the rainforest. I'll skirt the law, no biggie, i'll slow down for the occasional rainy day, but with slicks i'd have to stay off the throttle 200 days a year here...

Heh heh... and anything made by MT is out in my books. They make drag tires. I've had those 'I' tread tires on my older cars, and they handle like they're made ov wood.

ALL i want is a set ov BFG G-Force KD's in 295/50/15 and 325-345/15 sizes... Not so much to ask...???

Actually, i'm beyond wanting to race on 15" tires and my Mopar steelies. I'm fully committed to using 17 or 18" rollers on my car. I was only asking about the drag radials again because they occasionally come up VERY cheap, or used, and are readily available. That would let me run my stock-ish rims for nostalgic events or moods...