Best Street/Strip Tire and Wheel Combo 74 Roadrunner

[Colbym]

I am nearing the end of a two year build on my 74 Roadrunner and after all the work this car should make around 600 HP is the goal.

Currently I have American Racing Torq Thrust II 15" wheels with BFG Radials 225/60/15 on all four corners. This was a more stock setup from before the restoration.

I am looking to find the best wheel and tire combo for the horsepower this car will be making. I see a lot of folks like the 225/70/15 radial tires up front and 275/60/15 in the rear. This looks like a good setup, but I'm considering something that's more street/strip based but still drivable on the street to car shows and what not. I've looked into Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S, Mickey Thompson Street Comp and similar others across a few brands.

I realize once I go this route I need to consider different width wheels in front/back and potentially different diameters. I'm fine with that, but don't want to go too crazy and have super narrow tires up front and fat in the back. I want it to be as balanced looking as possible. And here is where I get lost. This is an area I am trying to educate myself in, but there are so many damn options. Also, the rear end has not been narrowed, not tubbed and all 4 fender wells are not modified.

What are some of y'all's opinions on all this? Would really appreciate some ideas and possibly some photos to help me out.

Thanks a lot in advance!!

 

[33 IMP]

Would you be leaning more to street use, with a bit of strip capability, or more for a tire that can really hook up 600 hp, and might live 3000 miles? They are two different tires.
Mostly street, I'd probably get something along the line of a m/t et street ss, a nitto nt555r, or an M&H drag radial.
For more serious, et street R, Hoosier drag radial.
For all out, i-wanna-hook-up-600hp: et street radial pro, Hoosier quick time pro, or et streets (last two are bias, basically slicks with grooves)
Size, backspace, and wheel width should be decided by the room available. Considering the size of your rr wheel wells, I'd probably try 295/55 or 65 x15. (thats a mickey size tire, i dont know if others have them). But the backspace will need to be RIGHT. And YOU will have to do the measurements to determine what will fit.
For fronts? Pick the height you want. Whatever looks good to you after you pick the rear you want.

 

[496 polara]

15x8 with 4.5 backspace should be good for the rear. Front would be 15x7 if it were mine but 15x6 will do fine. I like the wider front wheel on a heavy car.

Figure out what rear tire you are going to run before you pick the fronts. That way you end up with the ride height you want.

Wheels are up to you but they aren't cheap anymore. The off brand drag stars or drag lights at Summit are hard to beat price wise if you don't mind where they are made.

My old 73 Charger ran the Nitto drag radials on the street and at the track making 525hp. Worked fine for me with an 11" converter and 4.10 gears.

My new motor in my Duster is at 620 so I may need a more drag oriented tire to hook.

 

[33 IMP]

496 polara made a good point. You'll need a lot more tire with an 8"converter and 4.10s, than you will with a 11"convetter and 3.23s.

 

[Colbym]

Would you be leaning more to street use, with a bit of strip capability, or more for a tire that can really hook up 600 hp, and might live 3000 miles? They are two different tires.
Mostly street, I'd probably get something along the line of a m/t et street ss, a nitto nt555r, or an M&H drag radial.
For more serious, et street R, Hoosier drag radial.
For all out, i-wanna-hook-up-600hp: et street radial pro, Hoosier quick time pro, or et streets (last two are bias, basically slicks with grooves)
Size, backspace, and wheel width should be decided by the room available. Considering the size of your rr wheel wells, I'd probably try 295/55 or 65 x15. (thats a mickey size tire, i dont know if others have them). But the backspace will need to be RIGHT. And YOU will have to do the measurements to determine what will fit.
For fronts? Pick the height you want. Whatever looks good to you after you pick the rear you want.

Thanks IMP, really good points. To answer your first question, yes to more street use with some strip capability. I like the M/T ET Street. Just not sure how I feel about the look of having a 12.5" wide rear tire with a 6" wide front tire. Something that is new to me.

 

[RemCharger]

My cousins car, not sure of the sizes off hand. But they can handle a lot.

 

[Colbym]

View attachment 1824892
My cousins car, not sure of the sizes off hand. But they can handle a lot.

RemCharger,

I like the look. If you could provide any wheel/tire info that would be great. Thanks!

 

[33 IMP]

Thanks IMP, really good points. To answer your first question, yes to more street use with some strip capability. I like the M/T ET Street. Just not sure how I feel about the look of having a 12.5" wide rear tire with a 6" wide front tire. Something that is new to me.

Bottom line, I think you'll need a LOT of tire to hook up 600hp.
I'm assuming you don't want an extreme big-n-little look, so....
A 15x7 or 15x8 front with 4 plus inches of backspace, and a 60 or 65 a/r tire with the height you want.
If you like the et street, and your car is mostly street, the radial SS is your choice.

 

[33 IMP]

For what it's worth, I run a 10.5/28x15 slick (same size as a 295/55x15 drag radial) on my 62, and either a 315 et street PRO, or a 18/31x15 Hoosier quick time pro on my other car. (tubbed and narrowed rear).