I'm planning on using my 295/30/19 Michelin PS2's for everyday driving, or If I want to corner well, but on weekends when I go out to kill some vette's or mustangs, I'll throw on a set of 17" wheels on the rear with some 315 BGF DR's No tire/wheel combo can do it all!

 

Hey luder, I dont think anyone is suggesting that you run drag radials all the time. We have another set of 18inch wheels that we switch to when racing.

For street purposes, and assuming you are running 19inch wheels, I would find the largest tire that you can tuck inside those rear fenders. I have 295's back there now, and next set will be 305's. Some have even tucked a 315 in the rear, with a 30mm offset or higher.

 

Yes you are definately missing something... DRs for street use. It's mandatory. While S03s are a good rain tire and cornering tire, they are not any good at straight line acceleration. My friend is also in chicago and has 460rwhp in his Z and his S03s were a joke. He got DRs and he can hook 1st gear when it's over about 50 degrees with no need to heat the tire. Tach it up to 4000rpm, fast slip the clutch and it's gone.

If your Z is your only car and it must be driven in the rain and what not, then you are yeah, basically SOL. You've got to make a decision really. Great traction in the dry and none in the wet, or mediocre traction in both.

Guys who say that DRs totally kill your cornering ability I personally think are exaggerating or haven't havent even driven on a DR. They are a little more numb than the S03s will be, but it's nothing that is going to make you say "oh my god I hate how this car handles now." I've driven a particular Z very hard both with and without the DRs and there is a difference but it is small, and a small price to pay for being able to hook in 1st gear.

 

I agree....Dr's don't handle as bad as everyone thinks...and in the rain drive normal and you'll be fine...

 

i disagree. if you dont think that DRs dont handle as good, then you may not drive fast or corner / exit ramp fast enough to notice. I also think you would be less likely to notice the difference if you suspension is more stock.... when you get rid of ALL the slop, any at all stands out a lot.

I drive my Z very hard on the highways and push it to the limits of traction while turning on a regular basis. On the S03 (which of course suck for straight line traction) the car is rock solid over 175mph (ok maybe not rock solid, but solid as heck). I wouldnt dare that on the DRs as it starts to feel like a magic carpet ride around 100mph.

the corning stability and predictability goes out the window on the drag radials. if you dont drive like a maniac then you will probably be fine... but there is no doubt in my mind that they do not remind me of driving on a light truck tire when it comes to handling. IMHO its that bad. Somewhat reminds me of how my S10 pickup feels when I try to corner fast.

but a DR just does NOT offer supercar stability. I only use my drag radials for their intended purpose, drag racing. Even when I let off the gas and go into the brakes after the traps, I am holding tight .. ready for anything. Because transitional stability from full throttle to braking feels very nervous to me and I am used to a very rock solid feeling.

For my next road tire I am going to the BFG G-Force TA KD. This has been my favorite tire for a long time. Its a performance tire that forgets about rain... which is fine with me I dont race in the rain. I have had very good luck with them on previous cars. The only reason I didnt buy them for my volks is because they dont come in 19s. I am going down to 18s now so I can run better tires and loose some weight.

 

I agree with you on this...I was just saying they can be daily driving and you can take corners at a good rate now going all out around corners or going over 100mph is different story I agree with you...

 

Yeah I'm not one for doing cornering at 100+ except when I'm on a road course which is someplace I wouldn't have DRs on. But for non-insane driving on the highway they are just fine. Braking is a little more floaty as I've been in briguymax's car when we've had to brake from 170mph and he commented on it, but that is a blue moon situation and not something you normally have to worry about unless you drive like a complete maniac. The difference is there but its hardly noticeable under normal/sane driving conditions. Under conditions where extreme handling is necessary you don't want to be on DRs.

 

Exactly. Some basic cornering is fine, but those DR's get VERY squirly even in a straight lines at 120mph plus. My car feels way too unsafe to use them as a street tire, especially the way in which a take most corners.

A lot of guys are running 19inch wheels, which means you have to get yourself a rear set of 18's, and you are going to look mis-matched anyways.

 

I know u werent suggesting driving on drs all the time althought it isnt that uncommon. I am considering those pirellis and possibly putting drs on my stock rims. but then id need 2 sets of tires and swapping em is kinda a pain in the but. But like you say there is no all around perfect tire. I was running 275 35s on my 19s need to go bigger. those pirellis come in 285 35s that should help. But this thread wasnt supposed to be a traction thread there are plenty of those just curious who was going big just for the bragging rights and how many of you thought the power was useable? OH and Ive driven with Phunk and he does drive at the limit.... Trust me! oh and does anyone have those traction rods? Ive driven a car with them but he had em before he had traction issues so there was no before and after comparison..

 

so DRs arent good for Hight speed.........do i have this right..i mean they are Drag radials or is ther more to it

 

DR's are designed for short bursts of high speed, such as running down the 1/4 mile track at 120+ for a few seconds. They are NOT intended for sustained high speed driving or extreme cornering.

 

Even with 30psi of pressure, they get a bit squirly at 120mph+. At 15psi of pressure, at the track...HOLD ON.
Most DR's have much softer sidewalls, and they are run with lower pressures at the track. This results in reduced high speed stability, due to the sidewall flex. But it also allows a much better transfer of power to the ground, as the sidewalls flex a little bit.

 

To Show off to supercar owners!!!!

 

So how wide of a tire can i fit with my 19s? I have 275 on there right now... think i can go 295 or 305?

 

It depends on your wheel width and the offset. Let me know what those are.

 

um yea i guess that would help

19x10.5 off set is +22

assuming that Black Z is yours...hehehe.. you sure don't want to trade for a Redline?
They look about identical .. i want a black one sooo bad

That Vid from your web site was great!

 

Interesting topic 5thgenluder I wondered the same, then realized overtime that the guys running those hp/numbers used it at the track, at 80-160mph runs and for adv. reasons. Any shop talking about 500+ Z is going to grab the attention of us little HP guys, looking for perf. products

Mazx6,

Your going to be limited with your setup... @ +22. If you want to run a 10.5" rim, it's got to be +28 or higher, that is if you want to run wide rubber and still come out flush with the fenders.

I'm running 10.5" rims @+29 on 295/35/19s and they protruded when I was stock height. I then dropped it on RS*Rs 5/8", had to trim the fenders, and now the tire sidewall is dead flush with the fender. I believe there is a guy running 11.5" rims, but his offsets like +43 and he's slammed.

If your looking for a wide tire at an economical price I would look to the Conti 2s (295/30/19), at 25.9" dia. and 12.2" wide. You'll see them on 911 turbos most often. They're usually around $305 with a 100Y speed rating. As an example, the PS2s @ 305/30/19 w/102Y rating will run you around $450... huge difference.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....SportContact+2

The conti2s will most likely be my next tire, just for looks...
For FI guys, maybe running a 295/35/19 isn't a bad idea, considering the tire dia is 27". Should be able to hit 60 in second gear with no problem.

Zquicksilver

 

Well, I know that 285's and 295's will fit. You "might" need to roll the fenders, which is really easy to do. I am about to put on 305/30/19's on my LE37's 10.5 22 offset rears, but the wheels wont be here till the end of the month. I will report back later.

 

DR's are absolutley horrid in the rain. any decent amount of standing water will cause them to hydroplane. be very careful with them. however in the dry, they work great.

 

i hear that you can fit a 305 on atleast a 10 so they should(might) fit a 10.5