Traction on the street

Now i've got the 429 running I'm finding a major problem with traction. I have 15x8 Magnum 500s with 235/60/15 BFG Comp T/As. The tyres are around 15 years old but have only done about 1000 miles. Rear suspension is stock leaf spring with an extra main leaf added so it's quite stiff. I have KYB gas-a-just shocks. The axle is 3.5:1 with a torque biasing diff. I have some traction bars but have not installed them yet.

I really think I need bigger & stickier tyres. I could put a 255/60/15 on the 8" rims or buy some 15x10 magnums but what to put on them? Choices seem to be BFG Radial T/A (what happened to their better models?) in 255 or 275 /60/15 or maybe Hoosier Quick Time in various sizes. Another alternative might be Avon who make some 15" street legal rain tyres intended for 60's racers. Are the BFG G-force tyres any good?

The other alternative is moving to 17" rims & some modern tyres, which would be expensive but at least I could go round corners faster too, which I do enjoy.

Anyone got experience care to express an opinion?

definitely use a 28-30'' tire with the widest you can fit and a 15x10 is a must! calvert suspension will work great with our cars if you have a automatic transmission but not so much if you got a stick shift ( don't ask me how i know :dodgy: )

our car's are super nose heavy so you must transfer that weight to the rear. you must at a minimum use 90/10 drag shocks that will let that rear raise up quickly. MATTER OF FACT, I JUST REMOVED MY OLD CALVERTS AND ARE FOR SALE!!! people says its not good to drive on the street with 90/10 shocks and i will say bull$shit on that one. but if you are worried about it, keep your swaybar connected then. the nose rising is key with our car.

with the rear, a 5 leaf is a MUST to stiffen up the leaf springs and not let them "s" up. better yet, calvert mono-leaf springs. also use an adjustable shock back there too.

if you want cheaper and more reliable shocks for weight transfering, then buy calvert stuff and i have the fronts. don't buy anything else unless you get more serious like me and get varishocks. single adjustable shocks will cost you 398 for the front and 398 for the rear. yes, thats expensive but you need them with big block power. the calvert stuff will help greatly but are less adjustable but will only be like 350 for all of them or so i think.

e-mail me if you want more details. if you are running a c6, then traction will be easy. i can hook up my car on the street with a 26x12.5 DR on the street with my 521cid motor.

Now i've got the 429 running I'm finding a major problem with traction. I have 15x8 Magnum 500s with 235/60/15 BFG Comp T/As. The tyres are around 15 years old but have only done about 1000 miles. Rear suspension is stock leaf spring with an extra main leaf added so it's quite stiff. I have KYB gas-a-just shocks. The axle is 3.5:1 with a torque biasing diff. I have some traction bars but have not installed them yet.

I really think I need bigger & stickier tyres. I could put a 255/60/15 on the 8" rims or buy some 15x10 magnums but what to put on them? Choices seem to be BFG Radial T/A (what happened to their better models?) in 255 or 275 /60/15 or maybe Hoosier Quick Time in various sizes. Another alternative might be Avon who make some 15" street legal rain tyres intended for 60's racers. Are the BFG G-force tyres any good?

The other alternative is moving to 17" rims & some modern tyres, which would be expensive but at least I could go round corners faster too, which I do enjoy.

Anyone got experience care to express an opinion?

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15 year old tires are done no matter how many miles are on them..All tires have a shelf life

http://youtu.be/YdgkCezxP0c

As far as handling with a 429 there's some things you can do but your never going to get the car to handle carve corners with the 429 up front..It's really designed made to go fast in a straight line that's about it..Look at my build thread..http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-green-72-fastback-former-429-460?pid=167357#pid167357It's why I dumped got rid of my 429..Great in a straight line..But thats all it was good for besides the wow factor..

I just replaced the 13 year old comp T/As on my 89 GT. They got so hard that the car had no traction at all. After the 1st drive with the new tires I quickly realized how bad the old Comps where.

Thanks for the advice. I was just talking to a friend who said the tyres may have gone hard with age. He had a BMW M3, bought some tyres online & paid someone to fit them. They could not get them on the rims then noticed they were 5 years old stock. He was able to get the suppliers to replace them. It's not something I'd even thought about before.

Hi Olie - my car is stick. I won't be competing on the strip at the moment, I just want my car safer to drive on the road. Maybe next year I might look at more serious mods.

QCode - I'm pretty sure that I will eventually rebuild the 351C & put it back in, I'm just getting the big block thing out of my system at the moment!

I agree with xoliex. If you have the funds put the calvert suspension stuff on, they will put every single horsepower you make to the ground. If you want to hook up on the street get the micky tompson street radials or the BFg g force radial. Again the are like 200 a piece but they hook!! Radial ta's that I had never hooked even with a weak and worn out 351c. As matter of fact yesterday at an event in Georgia a mustang ran 4.11 @ 193 in the 1/8 witha m/t 275 drag radial.

As Q has said, your tires are shot, no matter how good they still look. Rubber turns hard after a while and the tires no longer offer traction.

On your rims you could go with a 275 wide tire or step up to a 10 inch wide rime with a 295/50/15.

But if you don´t mind going to modern size rims that is definitely the way to go. A nice modern 17 or 18 inch tire gives you all the traction you can wish for and then some.

I have a hard time spinning my 285/40/18s on the rear, even on wet roads. They grip like crazy.

As Q has said, your tires are shot, no matter how good they still look. Rubber turns hard after a while and the tires no longer offer traction.

On your rims you could go with a 275 wide tire or step up to a 10 inch wide rime with a 295/50/15.

But if you don´t mind going to modern size rims that is definitely the way to go. A nice modern 17 or 18 inch tire gives you all the traction you can wish for and then some.

I have a hard time spinning my 285/40/18s on the rear, even on wet roads. They grip like crazy.

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DO NOT GO WITH 17'S!!!! that's the size of my street rims and trying to get 28'' tall tires is a nitemare. with BBF power and a stick shift, its a nightmare trying to hook up on hte street, TRUST ME!!!

go with 18's if you want the WOW factor. but in all honesty, for traction you need that sidewall flex, but isn't great for trying to carve a corner. i would recommend a 15x10 at least and a 295/55/15 tire . make sure the BS is 6.5.

you need to find out what you want out of the car! i've gone all the way around the block with my mach 1 with rims n tires for traction for the track and the street.

Ok here's my plan: buy some new 235/50/15 for the front & put 255/60/15 on the back. Sometime later buy some 15x10 Magnums for the back (5.5" bs as that's what I can get) & go to 275 or 295/50/15 if they will fit.

There are not many street tyres available in these sizes over here. There seems to be BFG Radial T/A, Hercules HP4000, Cooper Cobra, Hankook Ventus H101 in 295/50/15 (surprise!) and maybe Goodyear Eagle. You can't buy MT drag radials as they are supposedly made from 'dirty oil'. I believe you can get the full Hoosier catalogue, can anyone recommend any of them?

Also are SUV tyres worth considering? You can get General Grabber HP, Toyo 600 & Bridgestone HTS686 at the right size, some with good speed ratings, at a good price.

i wouldnt drive a car with 15yr old tires. The 15's are original and provide for a nice ride. going to a 17' provides more tire choices, but stiffer ride and better cornering. Take yer pick.

Ok here's my plan: buy some new 235/50/15 for the front & put 255/60/15 on the back. Sometime later buy some 15x10 Magnums for the back (5.5" bs as that's what I can get) & go to 275 or 295/50/15 if they will fit.

There are not many street tyres available in these sizes over here. There seems to be BFG Radial T/A, Hercules HP4000, Cooper Cobra, Hankook Ventus H101 in 295/50/15 (surprise!) and maybe Goodyear Eagle. You can't buy MT drag radials as they are supposedly made from 'dirty oil'. I believe you can get the full Hoosier catalogue, can anyone recommend any of them?

Also are SUV tyres worth considering? You can get General Grabber HP, Toyo 600 & Bridgestone HTS686 at the right size, some with good speed ratings, at a good price.

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i don't think you are getting it, the trick wth a BBF and a stick shift is taller tires at the widest you can get them. and yes 325/50/15 will fit cuz i've tried them before and i know somebody with a convertible who runs that tire on a 1000hp 71 convertible. and i've already stated you need 6.5 backspacing.

do things right the first time. if not, don't do nothing until you do it right the first time. you'll be money spent ahead.

Unless you go with a "drag" type tire you'll be hard pressed to get traction. You have 2 major things against you, front end weight and the massive torque of the big block. Yes, you can improve things with a set of Caltracs and some good double adjustable shocks along with a good bit of tuning. A street tire is going to be your biggest detriment, a good drag radial will help but you sacrifice tire life. Like with everything it's a compromise. You need to define what you want from the car and make the compromises in that direction.

Unless you go with a "drag" type tire you'll be hard pressed to get traction. You have 2 major things against you, front end weight and the massive torque of the big block. Yes, you can improve things with a set of Caltracs and some good double adjustable shocks along with a good bit of tuning. A street tire is going to be your biggest detriment, a good drag radial will help but you sacrifice tire life. Like with everything it's a compromise. You need to define what you want from the car and make the compromises in that direction.

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Amen Jeff!

i've been dealing with the heavy nose weight of our cars for a long time now and i've been around the block trying to get traction at the track and on the street. to be honest, BBF and a stick shift combination, they really don't like radial tires to begin with. all drag radials are designed for automatic transmissions, especially when you load and unload suspension between shirts. to get good traction with a stick shift, you must or more than likely should go with bias-ply tires. also, don't ask me how i know this one.

its super complicated i know, trying to run radials on the street and then run bias play slicks at the track. and yes, i could use DOT bias ply tires for the street but therea are really none for a 17. so what did i do? went back to a automatic since i didn't want to break my tko600 and the 521cid motor of mine hated the 2.87 1st gear and the .64 overdrive.

my 521cid motor is loving the c6. and hell, since my stuff is setup to hook, i can dead hook on the street with a 17x11 315/35/17 tire thats only 25.7 inches tall. and i'm talking about a 3200rpm transbrake launch on a regular road. however, it didn't take me over night to get there and being cheap!

28x12.5 m/t et streets (street legal slicks, not drag radials) fit in the factory well, with a 15x10 with 6.5 bs. Calvert suspension works well, split mono leafs, caltrac bars, 50/50 shocks or better yet adjustable shocks... Gotta play around and see what works for your setup

28x12.5 m/t et streets (street legal slicks, not drag radials) fit in the factory well, with a 15x10 with 6.5 bs. Calvert suspension works well, split mono leafs, caltrac bars, 50/50 shocks or better yet adjustable shocks... Gotta play around and see what works for your setup

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amen! but the caltrac's take alot more tuning than some people want to do. especially with a bbf and a stick shift. the bias ply tires help alot with a clutch car. now with a stick shift trans, caltracs, you will more than likely need more than adjustable shocks than a 50/50. more like at least a 16 way adjustable.

We are doing tons of chassis and rear suspension work this year on the stock eliminator car. We have installed new subframe connectors, driveshaft loop and are currently building new shock mounts to bring the new double adjustable shocks closer to vertical. With a stick shift drag car, any shock mounted in the original location is nearly worthless, there is too much shock angle which reduces the effectiveness. With Cal tracs the car is very violent on the starting line and needs much more control of the shock extension, then the goal is to get the rear suspension to return to normal ride height down track.