are drag radials basically DOT approved slicks...MTs#1Customer can prolly answer this sinces ur in in state w/ me..the reason im asking this is cause there is a high school challenge and i would like to use them but i am kinda uneasy for the category they fall under

 

Their not D.O.T. approved slicks, but tires designed to hook up.

I guess Mickey Thompson ET Streets are basically DOT approved slicks, but they still have like 2 lines of tread to them. The Mickey THompson ET Street Radials are very popular for a street tire / drag radial.

 

Slicks are not DOT approved. Drag radials ARE DOT approved. They are completely legal on the street and will pass inspection so long as there is enough tread. There is not much treat to begin with, so they become non-legal pretty quick.

DR's were essentially designed to give a racer a tire that he/she could legally drive back and forth from the track and still use at the track. They were never intended to be used as a daily tire they way many use them.

DR's do hook better, but a good street tire is just as good. DR's are more consistent for the most part. But, there are other considerations such as tire size.

For example, an average set of 315's should hook better then a set of 245 DR's. Think about it, besides being softer, DR's have less treat so there is more contact on the road. You get the same result if not better by going wider.

Also, air pressure, side wall characteristics, and wheel size play a large part too. These things are often forgotten and it the exact reason why some complain about DR's not performing the way they thought they should.

 

the Nitto drag radials were designed for a street/stripe car by the way.

And drag radials as said before are not a slick at all they are a drag radial and have tread with grooves to remove water while you drive. unlike a true slick not a cheater slick or the like.

 

so they dont even fall into any type of slick category?

 

nope


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They are a street radial (hence why we call them drag radials) tire that has very soft tread (like a slick, but not a slick) and softer sidewalls to help the car hook.

They are street legal and work great, i just finally wore out my set i bought over a year ago got 14,200 miles out of them and replacing them with another set of nittos i got a off a freind with a only a few miles of use.