Tires

[keithZ28]

Alright my tires now are start to get really bad, i want a tire to hook up good at the drag strip, but i want a good tire for the road. Any suggestions on what kinda tire i should get?

[thevolvoguy]

A nice low priced tire is the Khumo 700 series.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....CSTA+Supra+712

^Should fit your Z28

Only like 90 bucks a piece, and they were good on my Volvo Turbo (taken to the track here and there, and driven like hell) for 50k miles.

Ride is noticably harsher than the stock Michelin Pilots that came on the car, but handling, and longevity is nearly identical to the $140 Pilot.

[TortoiseAWD]

You might also check out the Falken Azenis:



If you're strictly interested in straight-line performance, they may not be for you, as they're quite heavy (the sidewalls are OMG beefy - this tire does not roll onto its shoulder during hard cornering). But, they're also quite sticky, gobs of fun on the road , and surprisingly good in rain. They are a bit harsh and noisy, but that's not surprising given the sidewall construction. Pricing is around $100/corner for 17" (at least, that's what I paid several months ago).

If you're willing to live with the short tread-life, you might also check into "DOT approved" drag radials. I don't know how they'd fare as a daily-driven tire, though . . .

Tort

[4DSC]

Check out what Tirerack sells, and also check out the selection from "smaller" companies like Kumho, Nitto, Toyo (T1-S is pricey but highly praised), Sumitomo, Falken, etc. and see if they offer a streetable drag radial or something like it. Like Tortoise said you could also go with a hardcore DOT drag radial too.

If you're mainly looking for a dragstrip advantage, you don't necessarily want to get a "Max performance" or Autocross tire. Those are sticky, but optimized for handling. A drag radial is optimized for good launching, but might handle OK. Because of their soft rubber compounds though, they will wear awfully fast.

A compromise between stickiness, handling, and treadlife (and cost!) might be just a UHP (Ultra HP) tire like the Kumho 712.

[02 t-wrex]

I have the Toyo T1-S on my WRX at the moment and I like them a lot. Very sticky and decent wet performance. They've only lasted 12,000 miles, but I did (2) two-day track events with them. Kinda expensive though, at $150 per tire in my size.. so this next time I'm going to try the Kumho V712.

I don't know that you'd want to drive around on those DOT drag radials... don't they make the sidewalls on those really soft? Squishey sidewalls would make for scarey cornering! :scared