Best Drag Radial "Overall"

[99JDMHATCH]

I was wondering if I could get some insight on what some of the fellow H-T members believe is the best OVERALL drag radial. I've been using BFGs for the past 3 months but their done and seem to wear pretty fast. What I want to make aware to the members is I will NOT be using them at the track. I'm getting station back home in FL and living in 4 months, so I don't want to risk breaking anything at the track. I'd like to base these tires on how they wear, the traction, and the pricing. Thanks for the help now lets hear some opinions.

[pgpbubble]

Nittos seem to last a bit longer then the BFGs sue to the compound.

[nsxtasy]

If you're using your tires on the street, you're better off using street tires, rather than drag radials. As you've already found out, drag radials - ALL drag radials - wear rapidly and they are also expensive.

They're great for the dragstrip, of course. Get a spare set of wheels and swap your drag radials on for dragstrip use, and stick to your street tires on the street.

[racebum]

you can get up to 10k miles or so out of the nitto 555R, they also handle really well. i've actually done an autocross event in a corvette with the 315 35 17 version of the 555R out back and falken 615s in the front.

they aren't nearly as sticky as something like an M/T but then again, you can't really drive those down the road like you can the nitto

[nsxtasy]

10K miles isn't a whole lot.

Besides, the Nitto NT555R drag radial doesn't come in any sizes that would fit most Honda/Acura cars. So using it as an example is rather pointless.

[damndan23]

Originally Posted by nsxtasy

If you're using your tires on the street, you're better off using street tires, rather than drag radials. As you've already found out, drag radials - ALL drag radials - wear rapidly and they are also expensive.

They're great for the dragstrip, of course. Get a spare set of wheels and swap your drag radials on for dragstrip use, and stick to your street tires on the street.

X2 i recently mounted a new set of 205-50-15 BFG's on my hatch about 3 wks ago and have been driving on them since. i have about 500 miles on them and theres probably a hair less than half tread left. i did 4 small burnouts @ the track, some street pulls and the rest is normal daily driving. i was told they are decent for the track up to about 400hp . ME , i didnt hook for ****... on the street i dont hook good till 4th gear...the BFG'S are very soft and do wear very quick. your better off buying a set of FALKEN AZENIS r615's from what i hear they will give you the best bang for your buck. they are cheaper and will last alot longer! drag radials for the street is a waste of money IMO!!!

[99JDMHATCH]

^^^ definetly check out the FALKEN AZENIS r615's. I decided to go back with BFGS radials since their not to bad on the wallet and since nitto doesn't make anything that fits a honda/acura like another member mentioned.

Question: My friend always says with the power I'm making that if I don't have radials that the car want be able to stick as well in the street. In my opinion I believe thats garabge because I can break any tire regradless if radials or street tires. Now whats your opinion on the power level and the correct tire?

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by damndan23

your better off buying a set of FALKEN AZENIS r615's from what i hear they will give you the best bang for your buck. they are cheaper and will last alot longer! drag radials for the street is a waste of money IMO!!!

I agree that for the street, drag radials are a waste of money. However, there are now supersticky street tires that will give you better bang for the buck than the Falken Azenis RT-615. That tire has been out for a few years and in the past year or two, several competing tires have been introduced that are significantly stickier than the Azenis: the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec, Bridgestone Potenza RE-11, Kumho Ecsta XS, Yokohama Advan Neova AD08, and Toyo R1R. All should last a bit longer than the Azenis (15-20K miles vs 10-12K). The Star Spec and the XS are priced about the same as the Azenis; the others are more expensive. So these other tires will give better "bang for the buck" than the Azenis, as well as better traction.

Originally Posted by 99JDMHATCH

Question: My friend always says with the power I'm making that if I don't have radials that the car want be able to stick as well in the street. In my opinion I believe thats garabge because I can break any tire regradless if radials or street tires. Now whats your opinion on the power level and the correct tire?

Well, there are different levels of traction. The group of tires in the previous paragraph are the stickiest street tires you can buy. Drag radials such as the BFG will give you even more traction during acceleration. However, they are designed for that, i.e. strictly for acceleration. The Star Spec, XS, and others will give you better cornering capability.

As for which is the "correct tire", you yourself said that you'd "like to base these tires on how they wear, the traction, and the pricing." You know how many miles you get from the BFG drag radials (I'm guessing around 5K miles?). These sticky street tires will give you 15K miles, maybe 20K if you rotate them and watch the pressures etc, with the exception of the Azenis which will give you 10-12K. The Star Spec and XS are significantly less expensive than the drag radials or the other tires.

I assume from your username you have a '99 Civic. You don't mention what size wheels you have, but for that car, you can use 195/55-15 or 205/50-15 on 15" wheels, 205/45-16 or 215/45-16 on 16" wheels. Here are some prices, from lowest to highest:

15" wheels:
Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec 195/55-15 $91 with free shipping at Discount Tire Direct
Kumho Ecsta XS 205/50-15 $97 with free shipping at Discount Tire Direct
Toyo R1R 195/55-15 $104.17 plus shipping at tiresdirect.net
BFGoodrich g-Force T/A Drag Radial 205/50-15 $120.25 after rebate with free shipping at Discount Tire Direct
Toyo R1R 205/50-15 $115.98 plus shipping at tiresdirect.net
Yokohama Advan Neova AD08 205/50-15 $118 plus shipping at the Tire Rack
Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 205/50-15 $120 plus shipping at the Tire Rack

16" wheels:
Kumho Ecsta XS 215/45-16 $95 plus shipping at Tire Rack
Toyo R1R 205/45-16 $127.59 plus shipping at tiresdirect.net
Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 205/45-16 $158 plus shipping at the Tire Rack

(Shipping generally runs around $15/tire so you can use that number to make apples-to-apples comparisons between dealers who offer free shipping and those who don't.)

Remember, tires wear out, and sticky tires wear out quickly. That means you can try something, and if you're not happy, you can try something different when it wears out. Just remember that no tire can do everything the best, so you have to make trade-offs.

So those are the trade-offs. The decision is yours.

[clean rice]

You can "break a tire loose" in a 92' Geo Storm if you're trying, you're not the only person here on the boards with those #'s. it sounds to me like you want the best of both worlds, tread life AND traction. Simply put, you're not gonna get it. It's one or the other. When people run drag radials on the street, I can't help but think that they are doing it for street racing....not cool. Not to mention how much they lack in wet traction(if you were to get caught in a rain storm), and I have no idea how they are at braking distances. To me, no matter how you look at it, it's not safe and not practical.

[99JDMHATCH]

nsxtasy thank you very much for your input and for the info. Also went with a 205/50r 15 wish I could of went with a 215.

As for as clean rice not to be an ignorant but you did no more then state the obvious. I know what radials can do and I know how fast they wear. At the moment I just wanted some tires that where decent for traction on the street and would wear well(read the first post). Not sure if you ever had drag radials but there not as bad as most state they are in the rain. As far as why I want them is because I'm not going to lie I boost from time to time and we go on cruises in the back roads. So as far as your post it was pretty useless and by your second to last sentence it seems like you've never had radials aka don't use others opinions or assumptions.

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by 99JDMHATCH

nsxtasy thank you very much for your input and for the info. Also went with a 205/50r 15 wish I could of went with a 215.

10 mm difference in treadwidth won't give you any significant difference in performance. And as you've already found out, the only tires available in 215/50-15 are crap.

[clean rice]

Originally Posted by 99JDMHATCH

So as far as your post it was pretty useless and by your second to last sentence it seems like you've never had radials.

I use radials on my Civic, and my Passport. My parents, sister, cousins-aunts-uncles....pretty much everybody I know drives on radials. Not many drive daily on bias-ply tires anymore.

[ebp 99 si]

Originally Posted by idrivesideways

they aren't nearly as sticky as something like an M/T but then again, you can't really drive those down the road like you can the nitto

i used to drive my hatch on the street a good bit, and i had the m/t et street radials 255/50/16 but then again i got less than 1k miles on them

[Froth]

I've seen BFG Drags go bald in 600mi of street use, granted it's a Turbo car but still. 600mi from Brand new down to the cords with no burnouts or track passes is crazy, The car does make 500whp but it isn't driven all that hard...Alignment was dead on as well. As far as tires go I can't say enough good about the Dunlop Star Spec, Phenomenal tire in ALL aspects which is a real treat and fairly hard to come by, Remember...Wider does not mean better! Take a 225/45/15 All-Season and a 195/55/15 Dunlop and there will be ZERO contest.

-Froth

[clean rice]

I wish Toyo made the TQ in a 205/50 =(

[418whpturboD]

best drag radial for hooking at track i wud say is the m/t.. and if you are gonna drive on them all the time i would use nittos.. i drove on mine for 2 summers and could barley see any tread loss

[99JDMHATCH]

^^^nittos are out of the picture. To big of tires for hondas unless you have a 14in rim.

[llslick]

RT615 are the best for driving and track. Ive had the best traction with Toyo proxes RA1those suckers hook on any surface and they are honda wheel size friendly. Ive been buying my tires from www.discounttiredirect.com better prices than tire rack no tax and free shipping on any purchase

[clean rice]

The 615 is not a drag race tire, neither is the RA-1.

[Dark_Teg]

The new MT ET drag radials in a 205/50R/14 suck!!! they hook slightly better than any other regular old tire.

Not impressed.

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by llslick

RT615 are the best for driving and track.

No, they aren't. A few years ago they were the stickiest street tire you could buy. Not any more! In the past year or so, other manufacturers have introduced tires that give better traction than the RT-615, last significantly longer, and the first two of which are priced about the same:

Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec
Kumho Ecsta XS
Bridgestone Potenza RE-11
Yokohama Advan Neova AD08
Toyo R1R

Originally Posted by llslick

Ive had the best traction with Toyo proxes RA1those suckers hook on any surface and they are honda wheel size friendly. Ive been buying my tires from www.discounttiredirect.com better prices than tire rack no tax and free shipping on any purchase

As clean rice correctly notes, the RA-1 is designed for the racetrack, not for the dragstrip. Road race tires like the RA-1 feature stiff sidewalls to permit hard cornering, whereas drag radials feature sidewalls that are designed to deform with the low tire pressures used at the dragstrip. Different tires for different purposes.

Also, the tire dealer you mention does not sell Toyo tires.

[whiteGSRt]

I am having trouble finding a radial that will fit my stock blades... 195/55/15? any help?!? please i would appreciate it!!

[NirVTEC]

You guys that are getting super-low miles form your DRs are doing something wrong or abusing the crap out of them w/o admitting it.
I am at ~1/2 tread with my BFGs after 4yrs/10,000+ miles, 300whp Nitrous runs, 200whp N/A runs and fairly beefy burnouts....Probably about 35-40 passes to date.
These is this thing called TOE that will affect this.....Maybe check your alignment next time you spring for $150+ tires.......
The Sticky Street tires suck for launches, they need time to heat up.
Maybe look into the new MTs? ET Street Radial II iirc

Personally I could never understand the people that would swap form a Street Tire to a Drag Radial at the track....at that point[since you're swapping] why not use a Slick? I drive my DRs on the street and just deflate a bit at the track.
Methinks there are a lot of BAD DRIVERS in here.....

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by whiteGSRt

I am having trouble finding a radial that will fit my stock blades... 195/55/15? any help?!? please i would appreciate it!!

You can get BFGoodrich Drag Radials in 205/50-15 that will fit your wheels and car just fine.

[racebum]

Originally Posted by nsxtasy

10K miles isn't a whole lot.

Besides, the Nitto NT555R drag radial doesn't come in any sizes that would fit most Honda/Acura cars. So using it as an example is rather pointless.

205 55 14 fits many of the hondas in my neighborhood