handyandy

I don't get why street tires with hardly any tread, almost bald, don't get any traction, when drag radials with even less tread get more traction.... Is it because the rubber is softer on drag radials? or is there more to it?

geetee03

yes, much softer compound. street tires need the groves to grab the road, drag radials have little tread so more of the rubber is on the ground.

Colorado_Mustang

The rubber in a street tire also changes as the tread wears. The rubber when new is the softest during its life. As it wears, the rubber is of a harder compound.

Some manufacturers have changed this idea (such as the Uni-T tires) to allow for better performance all through the life of the tire.