What tire pressure for drag radials?

[eliot22]

I just ordered a pair of Nitto drag radials at 275x40x17. I was wondering what pressure the tires should be set at for drag racing. What is the lowest pressure that is safe to run?
And since I heard these tires work for autocrossing as well, what psi would work in that situation?

This car is my daily driver, so what psi for the street? Should I just fill it to the number on the side of the tire, or is that just the maximum pressure rating?

 

[jb89coupe]

The number on the tire is the max pressure. I run 20-24# on the street with bfg comp t/a's. If you're going to regularly drive on the highway you'll want more than that. At the track it's kinda trial and error (weather, track prep, car weight, wheel/tire size, etc) but generally 12-16# will give good results. I keep 30# in my fronts all the time. It's going to be tough to get enough flex or footprint with 17" wheels, but they'll be better than regular street tires.

 

[MistaMadMike]

For Street use I stay with 30 psi front and back. Sometimes I let the back out to 28 or 25.

For Drag use I would start off with 15-20psi and some guys run as low as 12psi but I would ask around since theres a wide wide range of personal preference. You pretty much have to mess with it and get it to how you want by adjusting it in .5 increments at thetrack till you start feeling your rear grabbing good and your times getting better.

 

[millhouse]

My best 60's are with the rears set around 18psi. Because they have somewhat of a low profile, your not going to be able to get away with running lower pressure (like the guys with the 15" wheels).

 

[eliot22]

Thanks for the replies. Hopefully they will be worth having to spend $400 every year on new rear tires!

Has anyone used these tires for autocrossing?

 

[MistaMadMike]

For Autocrossing you want to use a tire that can handle cornering and has good sidewall support and strength. I'm not the tire selection guru but I wouldnt use Nittos for an AutoCross tire. I corner alot in my Camaro and I use a Yokohama ES 100 and that tire works very well. I would also look at the Dunlop and I think its the Sport, I forget the entire description. Call Americas Tire company since they carry everything and tell them you want a list of tires that have excellent sidewall rating as a high performance tire.

 

[BelueLX]

i run 30 psi on the street and 15 psi at the track. my best 60' on them is a 1.74 which matches my best on et drags bc my converter only stalls to 1900.