18 inch drag radials

[ERDOC]

Anybody experiencing with both 17 and 18 inch drag radials. It seems with the taller sidewall, the 17 inchers would perform better. I'm just debating whether it's of any value to get some 18" BFG DR vs stock Pilots vs Kuhmos for the street. BTW, I'm putting down 825 rwhp. Thanks.

 

[bullish]

I have a set of almost brand new BFG DR for sale 345/18 used two or three times.
First $475 takes them

 

[BigCarrot]

The 18" drag radials work VERY well on the street! They corner like crap, but the traction is great!

 

[EA6BPilot]

ERDOC,

I plan on heading to the Fayetteville strip on Sunday, March 13th. I SHOULD have my new Purners in with a set of the BFGs on it. I'll let you know how much it improved my times. Granted, I am only putting down around 440RWHP, but I would think an improvement in the 60' time will show no matter how high your HP is.

Frank

 

[ERDOC]

ERDOC,

I plan on heading to the Fayetteville strip on Sunday, March 13th. I SHOULD have my new Purners in with a set of the BFGs on it. I'll let you know how much it improved my times. Granted, I am only putting down around 440RWHP, but I would think an improvement in the 60' time will show no matter how high your HP is.

Frank

I would join you out there but the finals for the ACC tournament is on Sunday. I have a set of 17" Nitto on CCWs I have run and they do hook up better than the 17" Kumhos I'm currently running in a straight line. I was wondering on the difference going from 17 to 18 if it's going to be significantly less traction due to the shorter sidewall. Plus what kind of psi can you drop them to for track use due to the shorter sidewall. I guess there's only one way to find out.

 

[ERDOC]

The 18" drag radials work VERY well on the street! They corner like crap, but the traction is great!

Thanks for the input! Have you ever run 17s on the same car and how do they compare?

 

[EA6BPilot]

ERDOC,

What size are the Nittos width wise? I think the obvious answer is that the larger the sidewall, the more traction you would get. BUT, I think that would have to apply when you are talking the same width. The BFGs that I have are a 345/30/18. Are your Nittos that size or smaller? I don't know if the one inch sidewall advantage is worth the smaller width. My best 60' time at Fayetteville was a 1.9, so I'll let you know how much it improves me (I am not the best drag racer, so if it improves my time, it MUST be good!) I have heard of guys dropping the PSI to the low 20's, but I don't know if you can go lower or not.

 

[Jack B]

The Nitto's are not in the same class with the BFG's. The latest MT drag radials are close or better then the BFG's and they are 16" (P255/50R16). I just bought a set for the street from Summit at $162 each. One last item, the rumor of a 18" MT drag radial are not in the cards this year.

 

[ERDOC]

The Nitto's are not in the same class with the BFG's. The latest MT drag radials are close or better then the BFG's and they are 16" (P255/50R16). I just bought a set for the street from Summit at $162 each. One last item, the rumor of a 18" MT drag radial are not in the cards this year.

Meaning the BFGs are better than the Nittos? I have 315 Nittos. I just want the best street/strip combination. I don't think I would be willing to go down to 255s.... that would be wierd running smaller tires out back. I would be using these tires for both street and strip. Thanks for the input.

 

[BigCarrot]

BFG's are MUCH better for straight line traction than Nitto's! MUCH! And they make them in a 345/30/18, which is wider than the stock tires.