Better traction on the street than track

[BOP4ever]

Why do my nitto drag radials seem to work great on the street and spin like crazy at the track?
2.0 to 2.2 on track and having to pedal on the street she pins you to the seat even when cold....

 

[aminga]

Track Prep? What does your local track use? Do they allow breeders in 4WD's to run during T&T.

 

[BOP4ever]

No just others with street tread and drag radials... I didn't see anything put down on the track prep wise...

 

[aminga]

No just others with street tread and drag radials... I didn't see anything put down on the track prep wise...

There you go. You have to prep the track different for Radials vs Slicks.

 

[BOP4ever]

Still with all the rubber down and stuff it seems like the drag strip would hook better than a stop light intersection. My car ran a 12.41@110 with a 1.96 60 at the track spinning bad in first into second gear leaving at 0 boost. It comes off the line on the street much cleaner and harder it feels like.
Weird to me ...

 

[TT/Ameasap]

Your suspension is likely unloading at the track. My car is a beast on the street, but at the track, wheels up.

 

[TexasT]

Are you driving through the water and leaving a track of water for your rear tires to get into? Drive around the water and back in if you think you need it. I would avoid getting the wheels all the way into the trough. Then spinning as it gets water all up in the wheel well and it drips down getting the tires wet.
You want a hot dry tire at the line. Try to follow some of the slick guys through. Treaded tires wreck the launch pad.

 

[Reggie West]

That is all about track prep. I went to Fontana a couple of weeks ago and did the same thing.

Did a little burn out to warm them up. Staged it and left. Spun like hell and popped to about 400 feet and then it would finally grab and haul ass. Best I could do was 12.80 at 120.

Next time I will be on slicks but prep is still very much needed no matter what.

 

[Chuck Leeper]

Your "butt dyno" needs calibration........

 

[Grand_87_national]

I guess it really depends largely on the tire. What Nitto are we talking about? I'm using the new NT555R Extreme Drag radial in a 275/50/15 and it hooks like mad everywhere. Based on my track time, it seems very close to the Mickey Thompson E.T. Street. Now, to be fair, I had the Mickeys on a different car, but it was within a tenth of my GN (7.6 to a 7.5 1/8th mile). Also, it was a 275/40/17, so less sidewall flex. However, the best I could get out of that tire was a 1.73 60' in my cammed ls1 Camaro. I tried a bit harder launch than that, and I smoked them. My GN has gone 1.75 in each of the only 2 passes I've made with it. Little wheelspin launching at 5 psi of boost, and I was unable to deflate because I had a 40 mile drive home and no way to reinflate. So, at 35 psi of air, they did spin a little, but pulled real hard off the line, and I'd imagine at 18ish psi and a better burnout, I would see low 1.6's, or better. Very impressed with these so far. This is also at a track that's notorious for being a bit slippery compared to others here in the midwest. My car also has full Trz suspension arms front and rear with Competition Engineering 3 way adjustable shocks, so that makes a big difference as well.

 

[Pronto]

Your 0 pound launch is the problem I believe. You need to hit the tires harder so they will flatten out and extend the roll out. There is a sweet spot for every car depending on the trach, tires and suspension. I've found for me the harder the hit, the better the bite. Looking at your mods, you are never going to get a good 60 without leaving on boost. Now if they are lacking prep then it's more difficult, but a decent lunch still can be had.

 

[bison]

I have never seen a drag strip worse than a street but I have seen some torn up drag strips. Especially when they let idiots on street tires tear it all to hell.


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[Mr.Spool]

Why do my nitto drag radials seem to work great on the street and spin like crazy at the track?

track driving and street driving are 2 different worlds.as a driver you must learn to manage the power for the conditions your driving on and know how the car your driving in put down power.

 

[ITSAV6]

My local 1/8th mile was like that years ago. 1.8 on M&H Cheaters leaving at 8-10#. Another track and I pulled 1.90's over and over leaving at 4# on 235/60 Radial TA's Left at 4# on the same tires on the street. And the crazy thing was the good hookin track had 4wd drives dropping dirt on the track and let ANYTHING go down the track. They never scraped the rubber buildup, sometimes the fast cars would tear pieces of it up and folks would get hit with it. Straight outlaw track then.

 

[TurboTnZ06]

I've been to some slippery tracks, dew or water/oil downs that weren't cleaned up. In Denton, TX, I was sideways with a Chevelle next to me at the top of the 1/8. I called it a night. Is the track always that bad or just this once? Try more or less air and see if it helps. I have always spun drag radials, yet rarely can I spin real slicks. The slicks give you more room for a street suspension to hook at the track. I run both stock sway bars, stiff KYB shocks, yet I can 1.50 60 ft off the footbrake almost everytime.