Street legal slicks w/ white lettering on side walls

[MxRacer855]

Hey guys,

I want to keep the classic muscle car look. I'm going to be purchasing rims and tires within the next few weeks. At first I wanted to run 18x'10's in the rear and 17x8's in the front (to run big brakes), then 17x10's (rear) & 17x8's (front), but I really like the classic 15" look.

I'm going to be putting a good amount of power to the rear wheels and am looking for the most grippy, street slick tire I can find that still has white lettering on the side walls like the BF Goodrich T/A Radial and the Dunlop G/T qualifier...

Any ideas on anything closer to a Mickey Thompson E/T street radial?

[moparnation74]

http://www.jegs.com/i/Hoosier/522/17500QTP/10002/-1?CAWELAID=1710574141&CAGPSPN=pla&catargetid=230006180000848204&cadevice=c&gclid=CN_txMz9w8ICFc1_MgodUGoAXA

Radial version but no wl:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hoo-17330?seid=srese1&gclid=CL-ppPX-w8ICFcyyMgodJUIAfg

States vary on laws, so check to see if they are DOT approved for your state.

[MxRacer855]

Thanks Moparnation. That's as close as we can get, huh? I was hoping for raised, classic lettering, but I guess you can't win them all right? I just know that the BF Goodrich T/A Radials only have speed ratings of 135-140mph for a very short amount of time. I was hoping to find some 15" tire that would handle a much higher speed for a good amount of time. Pretty much a 15" wheel on a pro-touring style autocross car.

[moparnation74]

I had a 71 dart I built as a nostalgic street racer.  I was in your position as to very few choices out there with the white lettering. I t had a slant 6 with tons of machine work done to it.  I had 4.30's in the rear and had the hoosier quick times on the steelies.  I ran them with tubes.  Performed great but it felt spongy on the rear when cruising.

You can purchase the paint to do the lettering yourself.  As long as they have raised black letters of course.
http://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/tire-letter-markers-sticks?SortBy=Default&SortOrder=Ascending&mbid=SRE103025

[RECHRGD]

Diamondback Classics sells drag radials in red lines.  I'm thinking of going that route to keep my stock look.  Don't know about raised white lettering though......

[MxRacer855]

Hmmmm... the redlines are definitely a cool look, but not a direction that I want to go (even though it's definitely classic). Moparnation, sounds like it was a great build. That's the exact direction I want to go with mine a "Nostalgic street racer", well said. Going that route really does give you a very limited selection to choose from. I know that they sell the markers to do the lettering yourself (granted you have the raised surface as you mentioned). I guess I'm just going to have to mix and match front and rear wheels.

Outside of the slicks you posted a link to, any suggestion on good 15" street tires with a high speed rating? that's a tricky one right there. Usually the "skinnies" are the route everyone goes these days in that department.

[moparnation74]

Outside of the slicks you posted a link to, any suggestion on good 15" street tires with a high speed rating? that's a tricky one right there. Usually the "skinnies" are the route everyone goes these days in that department.

Thats is a tough one to answer at the moment.  To stay nostalgic, check coker tire, I think those are S rated tires though.  Next best is probably BFG's TA's.  The 15" is the challenge, they are almost non existent these days.

[MxRacer855]

That's what I've been finding. It really sucks that they couldn't have put technology into the 15's. I'm going to spend a good portion of the rest of the night investigating and searching for all possibilities. I'm going to be putting at least 600hp/ftlbs of torque through a Dana 60 with 3.73 gearing.. do you think a 15x10" rear BF Goodrich Radial T/A could hold that substantially without staying permanently "lit up", haha?

I know a lot of the slick/DOT approved slicks would definitely do the trick, it's just not a route I would want to go if I have a choice...

[440]

Try finding normal 235+ tires for 14" rims.

[myk]

I ran 15 inch BF Goodrich radial T/A's on my Charger for 18 years.  Believe me when I say those tires are fine for rolling around the streets and easy cruising, but they're hard as hockey pucks and have ZERO traction and stickiness for "spirited" driving...

[moparnation74]

That's what I've been finding. It really sucks that they couldn't have put technology into the 15's. I'm going to spend a good portion of the rest of the night investigating and searching for all possibilities. I'm going to be putting at least 600hp/ftlbs of torque through a Dana 60 with 3.73 gearing.. do you think a 15x10" rear BF Goodrich Radial T/A could hold that substantially without staying permanently "lit up", haha?

I know a lot of the slick/DOT approved slicks would definitely do the trick, it's just not a route I would want to go if I have a choice...

Unfortunately, in today's market 15's, 16's are not worth the product and development cost/profit for tire manufacturers
600 on the ground.  The widest 15" TA is 295 I believe.  You would have to adjust your pedal(foot) for your setup at that point.

DOT slicks will greatly improve that of course.

[MxRacer855]

I ran 15 inch BF Goodrich radial T/A's on my Charger for 18 years.  Believe me when I say those tires are fine for rolling around the streets and easy cruising, but they're hard as hockey pucks and have ZERO traction and stickiness for "spirited" driving...

I had them on my car for about 500 miles after I bought it and couldn't agree more. I had a very mild 440 in it and they were still screaming. Granted they were in terrible shape from sitting nearly flat for 5 years or so.

I think I really need to reevaluate this segment of my car and just go with 17's. 17x10's and 17x's. I really wanted to run 13" rotors in the beginning, but was willing to compromise with 11's to keep the 15" rims. I think I might just throw the 17" wheels on so I have a lot more options with tires that perform at higher speeds and can run brakes that really bring the car to a halt. 

[HPP]

You will not find a raised white letter competition tire in a d.o.t. race or race only configuration. The reason behind this is that in order to achieve raised white letters, solid or outlined, it is done by putting an additional sidewall layer of white rubber has to be molded to the tire under the black sidewall. This adds weight and reduces flex, both of which are counter productive to competition. This is why all racing tires have painted white letters.

Now if you are willing to accept white painted letters, in 15" d.o.t. approved drag radial construction with a 10" tread face, Summit shows an even dozen offerings from Hoosier and M&H.

If you are willing to paint your own letters, Mickey Thompson SR and Maxxis Marauder MA-S1 both offer H speed rated tires in 15" sizes with a modern carcass design under the tread. But they are both blackwall designs. There also is the Hoosier Pro Street tires that are available in massive widths, but they also come with massive sidewalls as well and again, would need the letters painted on.

If you do go 17" there are considerably more choices available, but the reduced sidewall height of a lot of them will compromise drag strip traction to a degree over a comparable 15" so you want to look at which method you are using; is this a drag car that occasionally sees the street or a street car that occasionally sees the drag strip.

Frankly, I see very little reason to go with 13" rotors on the rear of a car unless you are doing a considerable amount of high speed road racing. For a vast majority of street applications, drums are still more than adequate for even aggressive driving. Haling down from 130mph 10 times in 60 seconds, on the other hand, will benefit from big rear discs.

[Armudster]

 There is a 15 tire that is V Rated, classic looking, competition radial that is fully DOT aproved, that really excels both on dry or wet pavements, hooks good, and is really confortable to ride on, they even have 245, 275 and 295 sizes. They were originally intended to historic racing, and is widely used by Cobra and GT40 Guys, make a search for Avon CR6ZZ, and you will see a lot about them.

The only cons are price (crazy expensive), and the tendency to trow little rocks around ( actually every tire that hooks good has this tendency). And last but not least, check out this killer looks and cool old school thread, I think it would be at home with any mopar muscle car.
Now check a GT40 using a set with white stencils in 245/60R15 Front and 295/50R15 Rear

[moparnation74]

There is a 15 tire that is V Rated, classic looking, competition radial that is fully DOT aproved, that really excels both on dry or wet pavements, hooks good, and is really confortable to ride on, they even have 245, 275 and 295 sizes. They were originally intended to historic racing, and is widely used by Cobra and GT40 Guys, make a search for Avon CR6ZZ, and you will see a lot about them.

The only cons are price (crazy expensive), and the tendency to trow little rocks around ( actually every tire that hooks good has this tendency). And last but not least, check out this killer looks and cool old school thread, I think it would be at home with any mopar muscle car.
Now check a GT40 using a set with white stencils in 245/60R15 Front and 295/50R15 Rear

Thanks for posting that! 

[Armudster]

Thanks for posting that! 

You´re welcome, there was an user in here that told me about them years ago, and I started research on them, I´m currently with no car at the moment, but my next car will surely get a set of them! 

[moparnation74]

Thanks for posting that! 

You´re welcome, there was an user in here that told me about them years ago, and I started research on them, I´m currently with no car at the moment, but my next car will surely get a set of them! 

Well, I surely hope you get one back soon!  I see you are in Brazil.  Is that correct?  What are the Mopar rides there like?

[Armudster]

Thanks for posting that! 

You´re welcome, there was an user in here that told me about them years ago, and I started research on them, I´m currently with no car at the moment, but my next car will surely get a set of them! 

Well, I surely hope you get one back soon!  I see you are in Brazil.  Is that correct?  What are the Mopar rides there like?

Yes, thats correct, we are having a really big scene nowadays, we have our brazilian model Darts, Chargers and Magnums (all on A-Body platforms) but we are having a lot of american cars imported, mainly B and E Bodies.

Our Brazilian Charger is based on the Dart, but with a few changes, and it looks basically like this:




The yellow one is a 1975 and the black one is a 1977, they were made from 1971 to 1979, with little changes between every year.

[MxRacer855]

Thanks HPP and Armudster!!!!   Those were both great posts!   I guess I NEVER put thought into the simple reasoning behind drag/racing tires NOT having additional moldings and raised lettering for obvious reasons. That Avon Cr6zz tire shown on the GT40 does look very "old school cool" . I'm definitely going to look into all of those options. It's the "H" speed rating that's killing me with the 15" tires. 13" rotors in all 4 corners is definitely overkill (I admit), but I think it would look just as badass as it performs, with 17" rims. Again, it's just so frustrating that 15" wheels and tires made for them are on edge and NOT continuing to develop.

When you mentioned that Avon Cr6zz being $$$... how much exactly are we talking, ballpark?

Either way, at this point it's very possible that I may end up going with a 17" rim just to give myself a world of options in multiple categories (brakes, tires, stance, etc.)

Do you guys thing a classic looking 17"  5-spoke rim is too "new school" for our badass cars? I definitely don't want to break away from the realm too much. As odd as 16" rims are, they're really quite difficult to differentiate from 15"s in my opinion. That being said, 18"s are much bigger and stand out like a sore thumb. I can't really decide if 17"s are in the middle or lean one way or the other...

Opinions?

[moparnation74]

What a treat from those pictures you posted Awesome!  I am partial to black.  I would love to have a model like that one!  The engines were small blocks or 6's?

[MxRacer855]

Thanks for posting that! 

You´re welcome, there was an user in here that told me about them years ago, and I started research on them, I´m currently with no car at the moment, but my next car will surely get a set of them! 

Well, I surely hope you get one back soon!  I see you are in Brazil.  Is that correct?  What are the Mopar rides there like?

Yes, thats correct, we are having a really big scene nowadays, we have our brazilian model Darts, Chargers and Magnums (all on A-Body platforms) but we are having a lot of american cars imported, mainly B and E Bodies.

Our Brazilian Charger is based on the Dart, but with a few changes, and it looks basically like this:




The yellow one is a 1975 and the black one is a 1977, they were made from 1971 to 1979, with little changes between every year.

What year is that cool looking ride?

[Armudster]

Thanks HPP and Armudster!!!!   Those were both great posts!   I guess I NEVER put thought into the simple reasoning behind drag/racing tires NOT having additional moldings and raised lettering for obvious reasons. That Avon Cr6zz tire shown on the GT40 does look very "old school cool" . I'm definitely going to look into all of those options. It's the "H" speed rating that's killing me with the 15" tires. 13" rotors in all 4 corners is definitely overkill (I admit), but I think it would look just as badass as it performs, with 17" rims. Again, it's just so frustrating that 15" wheels and tires made for them are on edge and NOT continuing to develop.

When you mentioned that Avon Cr6zz being $$$... how much exactly are we talking, ballpark?

Either way, at this point it's very possible that I may end up going with a 17" rim just to give myself a world of options in multiple categories (brakes, tires, stance, etc.)

Do you guys thing a classic looking 17"  5-spoke rim is too "new school" for our badass cars? I definitely don't want to break away from the realm too much. As odd as 16" rims are, they're really quite difficult to differentiate from 15"s in my opinion. That being said, 18"s are much bigger and stand out like a sore thumb. I can't really decide if 17"s are in the middle or lean one way or the other...

Opinions?

The Avon ranges from 365 each (215/70) to 470 each (295/50), the paint of course is extra lol, in my opinion they are the right ticket, with good performance, good looks, and good traction, they are also actually designed for road racing, so good handling too, but my opinion is biased since I don´t usually like bigger than 15 wheels, an think an 11.75 brakes with gen1 viper caliper are more than enough for braking.

 

[moparnation74]

Thanks HPP and Armudster!!!!   Those were both great posts!   I guess I NEVER put thought into the simple reasoning behind drag/racing tires NOT having additional moldings and raised lettering for obvious reasons. That Avon Cr6zz tire shown on the GT40 does look very "old school cool" . I'm definitely going to look into all of those options. It's the "H" speed rating that's killing me with the 15" tires. 13" rotors in all 4 corners is definitely overkill (I admit), but I think it would look just as badass as it performs, with 17" rims. Again, it's just so frustrating that 15" wheels and tires made for them are on edge and NOT continuing to develop.

When you mentioned that Avon Cr6zz being $$$... how much exactly are we talking, ballpark?

Either way, at this point it's very possible that I may end up going with a 17" rim just to give myself a world of options in multiple categories (brakes, tires, stance, etc.)

Do you guys thing a classic looking 17"  5-spoke rim is too "new school" for our badass cars? I definitely don't want to break away from the realm too much. As odd as 16" rims are, they're really quite difficult to differentiate from 15"s in my opinion. That being said, 18"s are much bigger and stand out like a sore thumb. I can't really decide if 17"s are in the middle or lean one way or the other...

Opinions?

Max, sorry, I didn't mean to hijack your thread.  So I will PM him.

My personal opinion on 17's and bigger on old school b's is there are many that do not look good and very very few that do.  A lot of that is do to the sidewall height of the tires.

[Armudster]

What a treat from those pictures you posted Awesome!  I am partial to black.  I would love to have a model like that one!  The engines were small blocks or 6's?

The black car I posted is actually the one I have my eyes on, lol, and I figured you had a taste for black cars from seeing that awesome 69 you have, lol.

The engines were always 318 with a 2bbl carb, but nowadays there are some people doing 402 stroker conversions and even some big block 440. The transmission offered was a Clark 4 Speed (most of them) or a 727 automatic. Every year they changed the stripes and we had 4 grille revisions and 4 taillight revisions also, they were only available with vynil top and real leather seats, so every black one was a triple black and contained a gold stripe.

I have some plans to send some Chargers to the US, along as eventually I plan on moving there also (I´m applying as a legal investor to obtain a green card).

Now please, put more pics of your 69!

[MxRacer855]

So... would I run the same Avon Cr6zz tire front and back then? Do you know the speed rating on it?