QuentinBenac

Hey guys,

I've been looking into buying some DRs/slicks and rims (just rears) for the track. I'm wondering what size would be optimal for my car. Im pretty certain I have 3.73 gears from what I remember researching off my door jam. If not 3.55. 6 speed Manny MT-82 special lol

Suspension mods: It's lowered on eibach springs 1.5 rear 1inch front. After market adjustable panhard bar and double adjustable rear lower control arms.

On the front itll have 19 inch after market wheels and 255/40/19 tires.

I'm somewhat open to either but leaning towards slicks. DRs would be nice convenience wise to drive to the track but they don't handle much shock on the piece of crap mt82. They also cost more. Slicks require a shaft loop but they rarely check for these at my track.

Thanks

Stangbass

First hand experience, Bias slicks on the rear and a wide radial up front is recipe for butt puckering on the top end.

P51C

Personal experience with both on this car and others. You definitely want a slick tire with the MT-82. Much easier on the driveline for those 4500+ rpm clutch dump launches that work on this platform. You will need to fly the ship all the way down the track but, the payoff where it counts at the front end is huge.

I've got a set of '00 16" wheels and a 10X28" slick that are left over from my 2012 car. The offset is a bit wrong but nothing hits in my case. I picked 28" to keep my 3.73 car under the limiter in 4th. That setup made the full weight, fully optioned car into the 11s on the Procal tune.

Stiffler's loop is reasonable to buy and very easy to install.

808muscle

Yeah nothing like that back end floating feeling at the top end at 110 mph to scare the sh#t out of you!!! I have done slicks and drag radials. I prefer DRs but to each his own. 15s would be your fastest wheel with some slicks but DRs will get the job done too. If 15s are more than you want to spend you can fit 17s with some 295s that will work good.

Stangbass

With the clutch I'd recommend a slick. I've done both also. The problem I ran into with DR is they don't like to spin, and manuals don't like to dead hook. So you either hook and bog, or spin and blow the run. The only way I could muster a decent launch on DR was to slip the clutch out of the hole.

Slicks give you the cushion of getting a controlled, recoverable spin off the line to get the wheels up to speed and keep the engine in a decent torque zone.

I'm running a Hoosier stiffwall 28x10.5 on a 15, but I may try a 8" wide slick next season. I wouldn't run a slick with a wide street radial up front. Been there, done that, got the stained underwear to prove it. I read about people doing this successfully, which is why I tried it, but the car was just too unstable for my liking. I'm running a 15x3.5 skinny on a radial up front. The car can still be a handful, but it's nowhere as bad as it was with the wide street tire up front.

QuentinBenac

Guys.... Awesome info. I think I'll be going with a 15x8 inch rim if I can find cheap ones that'll clear and a 28x9 Mickey T slick. Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't feel like forking out 600CDN for drag star rims I'm only a weekend warrior the cheaper the better. Thanks for the laugh I think you may have me convinced to buy some skinnies hahaha

P51C

I'd use Hoosiers because they offer a full 10" wide contact patch and a really aggressive rubber compound.

As I said, I'm using some 7" '00 v6 Mustang wheels that I got for free and factory BBP up front. Made over 100 passes like that on my old car. Tires are still good and I didn't die.

QuentinBenac

More great info, thanks P51C

QuentinBenac

What I was doing the past few days was looking at cheap 15 and 16 inch rims on jegs/summit racing etc. with similar offset to the 15x8 drag stars because I know they'll fit well. I have no idea the limit before something whacks/bangs/becomes an issue.

P51C

A 15x8 is fine and will clear everything. The issue with cheap rims is they are often unilug, which means spacers for the bolt pattern. Those suck and introduce a failure mode over direct drill. Cheapest of the cheap is a steel dirt track wheel or similar. Relatively light, available in decent widths and usually in the hundred buck range.