Which is better: M/T ET Street or ET Street Radial?

Payton

Registered User
Hi, guys. I am thinking about getting a pair of tires so I can go to the track and practice a bit, see how good can I do on a 1/4. I have a dilemma which tires are better: M/T ET Street or M/T ET Street Radial?
Also, what is the best place to buy them?
 
I would get mine from Jegs, I think they have free shipping. Now I've been contemplating the same thing. ET Streets have been on the market for a while now and I know a lot of SC owners who use them. The ET Street Radials are fairly new on the market.

I was talking to some F-body guys at the track and they were all running the radials and said they like them better than the ET Street Bias tires because they hook better and are much more streetable. Drive to and from the track with them. Some people drive ET Streets on the street on cruise night but you can always tell they are the street racers.

Look closely in the picture they are ET Street Radials. Look like they hook good to me.
 

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Scott Long said:
Some people drive ET Streets on the street on cruise
night but you can always tell they are the street racers.
Also, is it legal to run them on the streets?:eek:
 
Technically yes, they have two small grooves for tread and they have a DOT approval number. ET Drags don't have the grooves or DOT approval. I wouldn't want to drive in rain on ET Streets. I hear they wiggle on the highway. ET Radials are slightly better but not good in rain either.

ET Street Radials also have DOT number.
 
Payton, I might need some correction here from more of the EXP drag racers in our club but this is what im going on.

ET Streets=best for 5 spd cards, the give in the side wall helps to not break things, and gives you great times, I've pulled off 2 1.83 60 foots with them.

ET Street radials= good for auto cars, still chance of snapping half shafts, but less likely then with a 5 spd car of breaking something.
 
There are Micky Thompson ET Streets, and Micky Thompson ET Street Radials. Both of these are DOT legal street tires. The ET Streets without the Radial designation are a bias ply tire that can be run with low pressure and get slightly wrinkley sidewalls. They are also not allowed in the street class for the SC Shootout.

ET Street Radials are a radial design and have stiffer sidewalls. They give a more sure footed feeling going down the track and would be more appropriate if you want to drive to the track with them on. The non-radial ET's are very wiggley and will make some nervous going down the track, and certainly can make driving on the street interesting. ET Street Radials would be allowed at the Shootout.

You may want to check with your local track to see their restrictions for the NHRA Street Legal nights if you want to participate in those. Some tracks may not allow either drag tires, or limit you to radials.

I haven't tried anything other than the MT ET Streets. I run them at about 15psi cold, which is 19psi hot. I do a longer burnout than most people next to me to get them hot. And I get zero wheel spin on the launch. Now granted I have an effectively stock car, but that is a big improvement over a street tire. We'll see how they do when I upgrade to a Lentech Street Terminator valve body.
 
Scott Long said:
Technically yes, they have two small grooves for tread and they have a DOT approval number. ET Drags don't have the grooves or DOT approval. I wouldn't want to drive in rain on ET Streets. I hear they wiggle on the highway. ET Radials are slightly better but not good in rain either.

ET Street Radials also have DOT number.

There are actually more than 2 grooves in ET Streets, but yes they do have a DOT approved number.

I drive to the track on my ET Streets, but getting caught in the rain is not laughing matter. I'm not sure if ET Street Radials are any better in the rain.
 
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Payton said:
I am leaning towards the Radials, just wonder if the hook as well as Streets

Either will be fine at our power level. I'm actually using a set of ET street drag radials for street tires on my turbo car (275-40-17). With about 20 psi they are very stable at high speeds and have seem to have nearly as good of traction as the ET streets.

I use ET Drags for racing my 91 because with the nitrous it comes off the line real hard and was spinning the ET streets. Haven't tried the drag radials on it yet, but I doubt they would work as well as the ET Drags.

David
 
I've used both effectively and they both work on these cars, even on the stick shift cars I've seen use them!!!!

I've also managed to break half shafts and rear Differentials with each as has Mike Siska. Mine is an automatic.

Neither are worth anything in the rain although the radials are certainly more adapt at handling the rain (If not worn out) than the biased E.T. Streets.

I have pulled 1.5 & 1.6 60 fts on each. Its all preference and what you choose to use. My preference has always been the 275-60-15's radials on mine and the 27-10.50-15's E.T Streets Bias. Currently and at the shootout this spring I'm running the 28 X 9 X15 MT Slicks. Most of you use the 16's-17's so you would size yours accordingly.

There are cars here and elsewhere that have run in the 8-10 second zone on each. The size, preference, choices are all yours.

Most all tracks that I have been at and are NHRA mandated allow either of those in all street classes since they are both DOT approved. The only exception is if it is a true Radial designated class whereas the radials only are allowed. You'll mostly find these type events at NMRA/NMCA or FFW classes.

Hope this helps clarify some things.
 
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Thank you all for your helpfull advice! I am going to be running 15" rims that came off a Thunderbird LX. What's the widest tire can I fit without any rubbing issues- 255/60/15?
 
I've run as large as 275-60-15, 28 X 9.5 X 15 on the stock 6.5" wide rims. That is about as large as you'd ever want to go and then only for the track.

I had no rubbing issues but they are huge on the cars. Not sure if they would work on a lowered car or not. I do know Mike Siska has used 29" rubber under his both on Drag Radials and Biased plys but he has the Stang bolt pattern and the wheels are wider and offset corrected to help fit.

If it were me I'd shy away from anything wider than 9" on the stock wheels.

There is a pic of the 275-60-15 BFG Drag Radials on Mine just check any of my posts on TCCOA.
 
1MTNCAT said:
...
27-10.50-15's E.T Streets Bias.


I'm running the above on the LX wheels. They bulge a bit which adds to their wiggle and about 1/4 of the way from both edges doesn't really contact. But I got them used for a good price so I went with them. The wider tire on that wheel isn't really gaining me anything. My 60' times are usually around 2.1xxx.

Haven't found a DOT steel wheel that's wider that will fit on the stock bolt pattern of the sc yet.
 
Payton -- give Ed a call, I picked up a pair of cosmetic defects at a fair price from him. He was able to order them through Fines.

I don't know how well they hook up yet though:(
 
Kurt K said:
I drive to the track on my ET Streets, but getting caught in the rain is now laughing matter. I'm not sure if ET Street Radials are any better in the rain.


hell driving in the rain with street tires in my S/C can get pretty hairy.. first week i owned it car was bone stock and i went to pass somone right after it stopped raining and flooring it from 60mph on wet pavement it broke loose scared the crap out of me.... Gotta love the tourque...
 
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