Looking for a drag radial for my daily driven 9.1 compression 30r integra. I'm tired of losing traction. The wheels are 16x7x42 Volk Te37 and I have adjustable coils so I can raise or lower as needed to make room. What are the largest fattest tires I can fit? I am willing to sacrifice rain traction for dry traction. I come from a awd world and am not used to this ff stuff .

Thanks in advance for your opinions / flames.

 

if you dropped to a 14" wheel you could use the nitto 555R drag radial, other options are dot R autocross tires like the toyo 888, nitto nt01 etc. i know nt01s come in 205 40 17 and 205 50 15. at full pressure there is virtually no difference in traction between the nt01 and 555r in a straight line. it's when you air down the 555R shines since the sidewall is softer.

i think the 888 comes in a 205 45 16, it might be a tire to consider.

 

Thanks for your opinion. I should mention currently I'm using a Bridgestone Potenza RE01R.

 

There's not much selection of drag radials in 16" sizes. If you can use 15" wheels, BFG drag radials come in 205/50-15.

If this is for street use, you don't want to use drag radials; they'll wear out quickly and they're quite expensive. Similarly, track tires like the R888 and NT-01 won't give you great grip on the street; they're designed to grip well after a couple of laps on the racetrack, and you'll never get them up to temperature on the street. And besides, like drag radials, they are very expensive and fast wearing.

Your best bet for street use is to get a set of "extreme performance summer tires", which are the stickiest street tires you can get. Those come in 16" sizes; the best are the Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 in 205/45-16, Kumho Ecsta XS in 215/45-16, and Toyo R1R in 205/45-16. The XS is less expensive than the RE-11 and R1R. All of these will give you about the same amount of grip as your current RE01R - maybe slightly better, but not like night and day or anything.

These two sizes, 205/45-16 and 215/45-16, are as big as you can go on an Integra without rubbing. Oh, and don't make the mistake of thinking that wider gives better grip. A 10 mm difference in treadwidth won't make any significant difference in performance. If you're looking for the best grip, concentrate on getting stickier tires, rather than wider tires.

 

I figured a larger contact patch would do me well... My RE01Rs are 205/45/16 I've seen some guys running some tires daily that look like straight up drag slicks. I'm not worried about tires wearing out fast. Thats a small price to pay for traction imo, and I'm willing to pay it.

 

Wider tires don't give you a larger contact patch. The size of the contact patch is exactly the same, although the shape is different (wider side to side, narrower front to back). The size of the contact patch depends only on the amount of air pressure in the tires, and the weight of the car, as long as the tires are normally inflated to support the car's weight. If you have a 2640-pound Integra and you inflate all the tires to 33 pounds per square inch, the size of the four contact patches will total 80 square inches (2640/33), and that will be true regardless of whether you're rolling on 175-treadwidth skinnies or 245-treadwidth steamrollers.

If you want to use drag radials, then go for it, no problem. But you may have a tough time finding them in 16" sizes for your car.

 

Understood I'll see what I can do with smaller wheels. I just wish I could use my TE37s

 

I believe Mickey Thompson makes a radial for your 16" rim. I'm sure BFG does as well. Both of these brands are "vouchable" if that's a word. Stay away from nitto as I have only heard complaints from people whom are making real power. Good luck!

 

didn't you have a set of nt01's nsxtasy? i'm surprised you didn't think they gripped well cold. i was actually impressed with there cold tire performance, especially on summer days. same goes for mileage. between 7 and 10k miles can be had on the street which is really good for what they are. i just am worried the op won't really see any difference since he's told us what he already has if he moves to an xs, star spec etc. at least with nt01's, 555R's and 888's you have a soft rubber to start with. i mean, i would run an nt01 against an XS any day of the week with 80-100deg tire temps, even cold they are significantly more aggressive.

 

Yes, I do. And no, they need a good lap or two on the track to be really effective; they're not all that great when cold, and they're terrible if you get caught in rain - all the usual downsides of track tires for the street. I don't think they're a good choice for street use. And I really, really doubt you can get 7-10K miles on a set. You're taking a tire that is not only extremely soft, but comes with only 6/32" of tread depth when new (that's Nitto's spec; if you measure it, it's slightly less than that) - and for street use, it's illegal to use them with 2/32" of tread or less. There's no way you can get 7-10K miles and only use up 4/32" of tread on those R compound tires.

 

true if you don't take them all the way down. if you go to 2/32nds you would get maybe 5k miles. i agree they work better warm but...... actually, on second thought, i suppose it's hard to argue any point with a street tire when you have a tire life that's similar to an oil change.

 

I would get some inexpensive 15x7s or 15x8s and get a pair of MT 225/50R15 radials. Stay away from the Nittos, unless you have less power than a stock B16.

 

Nsxtasy how do you feel about the Bfgoodrich G-Force T/A KDW 215/40/16 for a street tire

 

225/50-15 will rub on an Integra.

You can get BFG drag radials in 205/50-15 and they won't rub.

For one thing, 215/40-16 is too small for an Integra. Stick with 205/45-16 or 215/45-16.

For another thing, if you're looking for summer tires for the street, the KDW is awfully expensive, without any huge benefit over other, less expensive tires. If you're looking for a daily driving type summer tire with decent performance, you can get the Yokohama S.drive in 205/45-16 for a whole lot less money, and the performance is reasonably similar to the KDW. And if you want to step up in performance, you're better off getting one of the "extreme performance" summer tires, such as the Kumho XS in 215/45-16, the Bridgestone RE-11 in 205/45-16, or the Toyo R1R in 205/45-16.

 

Well, going by the fact that the OP has stated that he has coilovers, I would say that they would fit. They fit on EG civics as long as they are not lowered much. Not only this but this is the only tire listed that will stand a chance of maintaining traction. It's the "largest and fattest" tire that fits, if only barely fitting. Im guessing a 15x7 +38 would "fit" the best.

I'm a fan of BFGs, I always have been, but they can't compete with the MT. 205/50r15 BFGs break loose on low boost B16s.

^^No disrespect intended.

 

A tires contact patch is NOT a constant, linked directly to load x air pressure.
This is a myth that has run rampant on the internet. Although load and air pressure is a variable, it is mainly carcass construction that dictates contact patch. Tires are much more complex than you're (nsxtasy) making them out to be.

What you're talking about could maybe be applied to basic allseasons or winter tires but when it comes to any sort of performance tire (even the cheap ones) tire construction takes priority over the other two variables.

Here is a link I think everyone should look over.

http://www.performancesimulations.co...on-tires-1.htm

 

Yes, it is.

The top technical folks at the Tire Rack even proved it. They took two high-performance tires of the same make/model, in significantly different treadwidths, inflated them to the same pressure, and measured the size of the contact patch (from underneath, with the tire on a glass plate). The total size of the contact patch was exactly the same, within their measurement error (which they calculated as under 2 percent).

You can also refer to this article, which was written by a respected automotive publication from Australia. Not just by some idiot who knows how to create a web page.

 

From your own link:

This has been found to be almost exactly correct for most tyres (the exceptions being so-called run-flat tyres, or tyres with extremely stiff sidewalls

This applies to most Rcomps and high performance tires on the market these days (Re-11's, Kumho XS, etc.) most of these tires have extremely stiff sidewalls that can negate the simple balloon equation. Also even in that post the author recommends a wider tire, "albeit for heat management not for the wider contact patch", which might apply to anyone desperate enough to go look towards drag radials because for the street.

 

Based on your suggestions I bought a set of 215/45ZR16 Hankook Ventus R-S2 from Tirerack these are being closed out and on sale $45.00 a tire. What do you think?

 

No, it doesn't. (You really don't know anything about tires, do you?) They're talking ONLY about run-flats, not street tires.

Funny how you conveniently ignore the fact that the Tire Rack measured the contact patch and found it exactly the same, on high-performance street tires.

Seriously - if you don't know what you're talking about, please don't post here.

The R-S2 is nowhere near as sticky as the XS, RE-11, etc., but $45 is a great price. If you're happy with them, that's all that matters.

 

http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/s...ETStreetRadial


MT street radials, 2nd to last P255/50R16. Is that a no go even with adjustable coils?

*puts on the flame suit*

 

Found a better size, Hoosier DOT drag radials 225/50 16 thoughts on fitment?

 

Neither one will fit. Both 255/50-16 and 225/50-16 will rub big-time on an Integra.

 

K thanks, I have tons of room on my 205/45 x 16 but I guess I didn't understand how much larger 225/50 really is. Althought I am willing to roll my fenders if that'll do it, and raise my coils.

 

It may look like tons of room, but the clearance is reduced when the suspension is compressed (such as during braking) and also when turning.