Many of my friends are extremely passionate about street racing but are not really sure about the ability of their cars to pull that race out perfectly. So for racers like my friends, we are here with the list of the top 5 best tires for street racing along with detailed buying tips and answers to frequently asked queries.
The first and foremost thing you need to understand is, tires play a very important role in successful street racing. Powerful yet lightweight vehicles are suitable for street racing and tires with good traction and durability are best for these vehicles. So for great tuning with your high-performance car, you need to purchase the tire after doing some research.
Our recommended options have been picked up by both our experts and our customers. Choosing the best drag racing tire requires more knowledge than just knowing about the products. That’s why we are presenting the buying tips along with the answers to some frequently asked questions.
Top 5 Best Tire for Street Racing Review in 2023
1. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S Tires
Our first and favorite pick is the pilot sport 4S from the house of Michelin. Blessed with the smartest modern engineering and acoustic technology, this product is loved for holding perfect traction and incredible tread life. Based on the design of the legendary Michelin Pilot Super Sport, these tires will ensure a smooth drive.
One of the best summer tires on the market, this drag racing tire is engineered with the best dynamic response technology. This technology adapts to the road for ultra-precise steering, outstanding cornering power, and remarkably good trade life for summer tires.
The tires have already been proved to be excellent for street racing because of their multi-compound construction to deliver unmatched levels of dry and wet grip. This multi-compound technology of Michelin offers drivers grip when accelerating and cornering.
Functional elastomers and silica give excellent wet grip and braking performance. Ultra-reactive tread patterns increase the grip of the road, giving you a ride with precise control and road holding.
While dealing with reviews and comments from the customers, we found these pairs of tires to have almost no negative comments at all, which is a record in itself.
Most of the users complimented the tires as the “best tires ever made”.
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2. Bridgestone Potency RE 71R Summer Tires
The tires from Bridgestone’s potency series are famous for both their dry and wet performance along with providing comfort to riders. Unique tread compound and hydro evacuation surface will make this product absolutely fit for your most competitive races.
Focussed on maximum grip when braking and cornering, the RE 17R tires are ideal when hitting the road on the track. Receiving all the love from the racers for being one of the best drag tires has become one of the most popular ones in the USA because of its extreme grip and unique construction.
Because of the tread compound, the tires can provide maximum contact and grip when braking and cornering. On the other hand, the hydro evacuation surface ensures effective drainage in wet conditions. A wide center rib here promotes an agile steering response. The shoulder hydro evacuation system allows for extreme cornering.
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Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R Tire Video Review
3. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2
Another finely engineered product from the house of Michelin is their pilot sport cup 2 edition. This product is specially made for those who make the most of their sports cars and need strong tires that can race against time with durability. For drivers who demand high performance and precision handling on track, these tires are perfect.
Developed in partnership with AMG SLS Coupe Black series, Porsche 918 Spyder and 911 GT3, and Ferrari 458 speciale the tires are continuous tracking and street racing day after day. The tires are built for passionate drivers seeking high performance on track days, making them one of the best racing tires.
Bi-compound technology uses two different rubbers on the tread; a high molecular chain elastomer for excellent grip when cornering, and a rigid compound for optimized steering control and wet grip when cornering. Thus you will feel the best dry lap times.
Michelin track longevity technology 2.0 uses a highly abrasion-resistant compound on the reinforced external shoulder for improved track endurance. The tires are designed for experienced drivers looking for the best-in-class consistency of lap times. With 20% more tread depth, the tires let you push your high-performance car for longer.
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4. Falken Azenis RT615K+ Tire
The Azenis RT615K+ edition from Falken Tires is loved for its perfect traction and grip that any racer with a sports car will fall for. Developed for maximum performance-minded drivers, the Azenis RT615K+ is derived from the original competition-winning RT615K model of the same house.
The plus (+) in the name encompasses a digitally engineered nanotech-formulated compound enhancement for superior grip and excellent handling. On the track, RT615+’s confidence-inspiring straight line and cornering traits encourage drivers to push their vehicles to the limits in safe, closed-course environments.
On the street, high-tension carcass construction provides added durability ensuring this DOT-approved tire is capable of road-legal daily use. Built for performance compacts, sports coupes, sports sedans, and muscle cars, the Azenis RT615K+ is the enthusiast’s choice for competition-proven performance, from the track to the street.
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Falken Azenis RT615K+ Tire Video Review
5. Toyo Proxes R888R Dot Competition Tire
From the legendary brand Toyo, this pair of tires are manufactured and has been a bestseller in the market ever since. The Proxes R888R Dot competition tire is an evolution of the race-winning Proxes R888. But it delivers even faster lap times and better dry handling.
The credit of making this pair of drag racing tires a great one goes to a new tread design and an improved contact patch that puts more rubber on the track. Racers will also appreciate the predictable handling and how quickly the Proxes R888R reaches the optimal operating system.
The users love the product for both its dry and wet performance as well as braking and tread life. You will enjoy a maximum amount of lateral grip as well as improved stability and excellent traction. This universally fit set of tires is also fit for light rain whereas most other tires can’t stand rain or wintry weather.
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Buying Guide for Best Tire for Street Racing
Tires are probably the most important ingredients that you are going to need for your track making the process of purchasing an utterly important one. That means you cannot mess this up at all. That’s why we are here with the best buying tips for you that will come in handy.
To get a smooth ride, better quality tires with the best traction and grip are a must. Compatibility with your vehicle, environment, weather, etc are some of the necessary matters that you must take care of.
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Skinny or Wide Tires
Lightweight and thin tires are better than the front tire on the vehicle. This adds better acceleration, grip, and control. But not all skinny tires are good. You have to understand which skinny tires have enough height to allow you to use wide tires on the back of the racing car.
But wide tires are needed for stability in cornering and also better traction. So getting skinny tires for the front wheel and wider ones for the back (which is also called staggering) can be a wise decision.
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Stickier Tires
A set of sticky tires are better as you are going for competitive races. They are made of soft compound and they are slick. They don’t cost that much but are useful in many ways.
Sticky tires ensure better contact patches with the ground in all circumstances and all types of driving conditions. This betters the cornering ability as well as enables the car to stop at shorter distances easily and enter the corners superfast.
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Tire Category
For every season different categories of tires are available. If you are buying it for competition and racing, you may need to choose accordingly. Check how the tires perform in both wet and dry weather. There are tires good for winter or rainy season or summer days.
But in recent times, some brands are manufacturing tires for all seasons. Tires good for the dry season tend to suffer in wet performance. Tires made for rainy days are quiet and durable but hard to find. So according to the weather and race track, choose your tires to meet the best street tire for your drag racing competition.
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Compatibility
The fitment of the tires with your car is the most important thing to check and recheck. The size, format, depth, and material of tires are crucial for racing competitions. Having smooth tires without tread is a must for race tires as well.
FAQs About Tires for Street Racing
Are street tires durable?
As street tires made for racing are not meant to last forever, usually the manufacturers don’t put the effort into making them durable. That’s where the difference between road tires and racing tires lies. Usually, they survive 10-20 heat cycles but sometimes they can go 15-30 heat cycles.
Usually drag racing tires run for 40000 miles of distance.
Why do we use tires without tread in racing?
For racing, smooth tires are needed and tires with deep tread cannot fulfill that purpose. Smooth tires ensure better traction for your car in dry conditions.
How many types of racing tires are there?
Based on performance and structure, racing tires can be divided into two kinds – drag radial tires and summer performance or high-performance tires.
What kind of tires should I not buy?
First of all keep your car away from “all-season” tires. Though it might sound like a good thing, it really is not, especially when you want better traction. Always look out for summer tires.
Why are racing tires different from normal road tires?
Road tires are not so slick, stylish like drag racing tires but they beat in longevity and survivability. They are not made of soft compounds like drag racing tires and they are not used for achieving crazy high speeds so the day-to-day rides don’t take a toll on their material and they stay durable for a long time.
Racing Tires 101: Durability Issue of Racing Tires
Drag racing tires wear out fast – this is known to all of us dealing with tires, either as sellers and experts or as users.
It is inevitable that the centrifugal force makes your car run so fast but at the same time, this force damages the tires. Your tires will generate a huge amount of friction along with excessive heat. The heat weakens the rubber tires eventually, damaging the tires.
We know that rubber with other metals make up racing tires. When the heat starts to damage the tires, the rubber in them starts wearing out and breaking down. More heat is produced because of the breakdown and more rubber is broken down.
In this way, the rubber is damaged to such an extent that it can’t take the weight or pressure anymore. Thus, comes the decay of racing tires. Usually, street tires can serve your car for almost 40000 miles before getting damaged.
How to Install an Inner Tube in a Drag Racing Tire
Final Words
We hope now you are comfortable to purchase that desired set of high-performance drag racing tires for your car without any second thought. One thing that you always need to remember is high-performance street tires will cost a fortune but the prominent products from renowned brands deserve it. So you may decide carefully.
Thus our review of the top-rated street racing tires will open the door of automotive knowledge related to racing street tires for you. Choosing the right performance tires is a tough one but now you are ready to do it! Happy racing!
Reference:
- https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/drag-slick-tire-tech/
- https://www.tirerack.com/images/pdf/warranty/HO0914.pdf
- https://www.hoosiertyre.uk/drag-faqs
- https://ls1tech.com/forums/wheels-tires/
You made a good point that it’s important to also consider the firmness of the rubber when buying race tires. I’d like to find a good shop for that because I want to start learning more about drag racing. Upgrading my car to be able to perform better for that would be ideal.