Best street strip tire for 16x7 pony wheels?

[jh25]

Got my capri motor finished and the rear tires are shot, i get no traction at all off the line and was wondering what the best size for pony wheels would be to run, the two sizes i found were 225x50x16 and 245x60x15, also found hankook rs3 tires for cheap there 225s but says mainly setup for track racing. Anyone run track tires on the strip too or know of any good tires in those sizes?
Motor is a mildly built 306 with tfs1 cam and flotek aluminum heads

[PaceFever79]

Any size regular street tire will fail at the strip with a manual trans.

I would go with the Mickey Tompson ET Street in 255/50/16 for serious Street/Strip duty. Or you can go with the Nitto NT555R 245/50/16 for good traction at the strip and slightly better on road manners. The Mickey Tompson will bite a little better, the Nittos are a little more street friendly and can last a little longer. Either tire will require you get a second pair of wheels for regular street tires if you do lots of cruising or drive in the rain.

[Saturn V]

Any size regular street tire will fail at the strip with a manual trans.

I would go with the Mickey Tompson ET Street in 255/50/16 for serious Street/Strip duty. Or you can go with the Nitto NT555R 245/50/16 for good traction at the strip and slightly better on road manners. The Mickey Tompson will bite a little better, the Nittos are a little more street friendly and can last a little longer. Either tire will require you get a second pair of wheels for regular street tires if you do lots of cruising or drive in the rain.

PaceFever79, not to hijack, but along the lines of the OP's question ... I agree with your comments about street tires at the track, especially with mods. I've been thinking about getting the Nitto's that you mentioned above for an occasional trip to the track. My 84GT never sees rain, unless I happen to get caught out in a sudden cloudburst. Other than poor wet traction, what is it about the Nitto's that you don't think are good for street duty? I don't want to get the Nitto's and then be disappointed with a squishy feeling rear tire when cruising on the street. I'd rather mount the Nitto's to my street rims and drive them all the time, though I do have some other 16x7 wheels that I could use for strip duty. Tire wear isn't really a concern for me, as I only put about 1000 miles a year on the car.

[PaceFever79]

PaceFever79, not to hijack, but along the lines of the OP's question ... I agree with your comments about street tires at the track, especially with mods. I've been thinking about getting the Nitto's that you mentioned above for an occasional trip to the track. My 84GT never sees rain, unless I happen to get caught out in a sudden cloudburst. Other than poor wet traction, what is it about the Nitto's that you don't think are good for street duty? I don't want to get the Nitto's and then be disappointed with a squishy feeling rear tire when cruising on the street. I'd rather mount the Nitto's to my street rims and drive them all the time, though I do have some other 16x7 wheels that I could use for strip duty. Tire wear isn't really a concern for me, as I only put about 1000 miles a year on the car.

I have used both on my cars and either tire can be driven on the street with some caution. The ET Streets have a softer sidewall and are a little bouncy squishy so you have to watch the cornering speeds and pot holes. They can be driven in light rain but they are very slippery when wet and hydroplane very easily. In other words, pull it over until it stops raining, then you can tip toe it straight home. The wet traction of the Nitto is just a little better, and the dry street manners are better. The sidewall and tread isn't as soft and the tread will last longer than the ET Street. If the car is going to get driven a lot on the street then I would go with the Nittos. They only give up a little bit (tenths) at the track to the ET Streets. All in all they are a better compromise. The ET Street is the better Strip/Street tire. They are fine for the trip to and from the strip, or the occasional fair weather cruise, but you have to remember you have them on and drive accordingly.

[4eyedfoxdriver]

I have the above listed Nitto's, on pony's. Haven't had them to the strip yet, but will say they provide much better traction then my street tires, 225 Firestone Firehawk Wide oval 500, on the street, and I really didn't notice anything to bad about driving on them.

[jh25]

Ill definitely check into the nittos considering its gonna be on the street a lot more than the strip so if there more streetable that would be better for what im looking for.