Bogart or Weld, with DOT tires, but drag set up in mind

[Extreme454]

We're kickin around the idea of running a set of Bogarts or Welds on our shop car, 2010 SS blah blah blah...

The idea is to have the lightest wheel/tire combo, 17", or maybe 18", but with DOT approved and streetable tires.

I know we're asking for cake and eat it too, but we know there will be some trade off, its just how much trade off and what are the results...

All the 28" x ? x 17 or 18 are too short. Yes , I know 28" is a great height, fits well, and might be the best size for performance while still filling the wheel well, but IMHO, 28" is just a little too short. It leaves too much tire to fender gap. Yes, our car is lowered, but still too short IMO.

What I'm really asking for here, is, not opinions, but I'll listen, I want real world experience. Show me or tell me whatcha got.

Ideally:
1. 29" tall tire
2. 17" wheels
3. Drag radial tires, that will still handle well on the street.

Pics would be great too.

[Extreme454]

Does anyone have experience with Mickey Thompson ET Street Radial 305/45-18? , the specs claim 29" tall.... ????

[Ovenmitt]

No one makes a 29" tall 17" wheel skinny. M&H just came out with a 28" radial skinny (if you can find it), I have the 26" on my fronts. My 295/45/17 MT ET streets are 27.6" tall, the 305/45/18s should be 28.8", so that sounds about right. Shorter tires will make the car faster though. Not only less rotating mass, the gear advantage is a winner. This combination is DOT approved, and drives fine on the street, I put 100 miles on it this past weekend with no issues

[Extreme454]

Thanks for the feedback.

The Nitto NT05R, specs say 28.9", I wonder how accurate that is. I might have one dropped off and mount one up and see for myself.

How does your car handle the twisties? just curious...

[Ovenmitt]

It drives fine in corners, but I wouldn't push it very hard with a skinny tire up front. They aren't meant to handle the loads of a car this heavy pushed hard. They're only rated @ 1100lbs/tire.

[PTS]

Bogarts mainly because they fit without modifying or upgrading to different arms.

17x5 with 28x4.5x17 M&H D.O.T. Front
17X10 with 32545R17 M&H Drag Radials Rear

http://www.mandhtires.com/store.php?...on=show_detail
http://www.mandhtires.com/store.php?...on=show_detail

[Merc]

I just ran my Bogarts (front and rear) at the track for the first time last Friday. I have no complaints and Pumpkin is even lowered 1.5".

[Extreme454]

Originally Posted by PTS

Bogarts mainly because they fit without modifying or upgrading to different arms.

17x5 with 28x4.5x17 M&H D.O.T. Front
17X10 with 32545R17 M&H Drag Radials Rear

http://www.mandhtires.com/store.php?...on=show_detail
http://www.mandhtires.com/store.php?...on=show_detail

Originally Posted by Mercuryman

I just ran my Bogarts (front and rear) at the track for the first time last Friday. I have no complaints and Pumpkin is even lowered 1.5".

Ok, guys, most of my research mirrors what you are telling me here. My question is, will the above combo all work together. Meaning, will Bogarts clear the arms, if I were to lower the car 1.5"?(actually BMR 1.4") Biggest reason, is those M&H's are only 28" tall, and I think the 1.4" drop would make up for the tire to fender gap that bugs me.
Thanks in advance.

[Merc]

Pumpkin has everything BMR makes for the Camaro. Although BMR claims I have 1" lowering springs, it has settled more then a 1". I ran the Bogart's last Friday with no issues. You can check my build thread for pic's of Bogarts.

[Extreme454]

Originally Posted by Mercuryman

Pumpkin has everything BMR makes for the Camaro. Although BMR claims I have 1" lowering springs, it has settled more then a 1". I ran the Bogart's last Friday with no issues. You can check my build thread for pic's of Bogarts.

Just looked at your pics. I must say, your car is probably the only car I've seen with 17's and Drag tires, that I really like the wheel to fender gap.

What size are your tires?

Sorry everyone that I'm so hung up on the look, as I usually preach performance way over appearance, but I'm considering running 17's and DR's only, so she's gotta look good sittin in the shop,

[Merc]

Originally Posted by Extreme454

Just looked at your pics. I must say, your car is probably the only car I've seen with 17's and Drag tires, that I really like the wheel to fender gap.

What size are your tires?

Sorry everyone that I'm so hung up on the look, as I usually preach performance way over appearance, but I'm considering running 17's and DR's only, so she's gotta look good sittin in the shop,

Not sure. They are close to the stock 20" diameter. The slick's are 28 by 10.

[Mud]

Ovenmitt,

Love the stance and look of your car with that tire wheel combo. So it drives OK on the street? Would really like something like this and ditch these low profile tires and 20" wagon wheels.

[blazzin1]

Originally Posted by Mud

Love the stance and look of your car with that tire wheel combo. So it drives OK on the street? Would really like something like this and ditch these low profile tires and 20" wagon wheels.

I did quite a bit of research on this Fatty/Skinny type of set-up. I'm not sure what your intentions are with it, but for me, I intended to use it mainly on the street. I'm not really a big drag racer (yet), although I would like to try it. And my car is not a daily driver (3400 miles in 2 years). I wanted to replace my stock wheels and tires, and have this fatty/skinny set-up with Drag Radials as my permanent set of wheels/tires (basically because I thought it looked really BAD ASS!!!). I was quickly educated by some very knowledgeable professionals in the business that this was a really terrible idea. First, because you will basically lose all the wonderful and intended handling characteristics of the car. Straight line performance is fine, but most of your cornering ability will be completely trashed with "skinnies" up front. Secondly, drag radials are considerably dangerous on wet roads, wet traction is horrible. I don't ever plan to drive my car in the rain, but it has happened in the past, and will probably happen again in the future. The only drag radial that I have heard is somewhat decent in the rain is the NT555R. Third, is the short life expectancy of the tires. Your driving distance will be limited to short trips around town. It is unreasonable to expect drag radials to last very long at all if you take a couple 2-3 hour (or more) trips in your car. I was basically told it is a VERY impractical set-up for a street-driven car. If you plan on having these as a "secondary" set of wheels for quick weekend trips to the track or cruise night or something, it would be fine, but to use them as your permanent street-driven wheels/tires is very unrealistic and could be dangerous. Besides....no one makes a 28" radial front "skinny" tire.
I'm not trying to steer you away from the idea, I just want to make sure you know what you're getting in to before you go out and spend a lot of money!!! I still absolutely love the look, and I hope someday to have enough money to buy a secondary set of wheels/tires like this. Until then, unfortunately, I need to keep it a little more practical for the street.

[Extreme454]

Originally Posted by blazzin1

I did quite a bit of research on this Fatty/Skinny type of set-up. I'm not sure what your intentions are with it, but for me, I intended to use it mainly on the street. I'm not really a big drag racer (yet), although I would like to try it. And my car is not a daily driver (3400 miles in 2 years). I wanted to replace my stock wheels and tires, and have this fatty/skinny set-up with Drag Radials as my permanent set of wheels/tires (basically because I thought it looked really BAD ASS!!!). I was quickly educated by some very knowledgeable professionals in the business that this was a really terrible idea. First, because you will basically lose all the wonderful and intended handling characteristics of the car. Straight line performance is fine, but most of your cornering ability will be completely trashed with "skinnies" up front. Secondly, drag radials are considerably dangerous on wet roads, wet traction is horrible. I don't ever plan to drive my car in the rain, but it has happened in the past, and will probably happen again in the future. The only drag radial that I have heard is somewhat decent in the rain is the NT555R. Third, is the short life expectancy of the tires. Your driving distance will be limited to short trips around town. It is unreasonable to expect drag radials to last very long at all if you take a couple 2-3 hour (or more) trips in your car. I was basically told it is a VERY impractical set-up for a street-driven car. If you plan on having these as a "secondary" set of wheels for quick weekend trips to the track or cruise night or something, it would be fine, but to use them as your permanent street-driven wheels/tires is very unrealistic and could be dangerous. Besides....no one makes a 28" radial front "skinny" tire.
I'm not trying to steer you away from the idea, I just want to make sure you know what you're getting in to before you go out and spend a lot of money!!! I still absolutely love the look, and I hope someday to have enough money to buy a secondary set of wheels/tires like this. Until then, unfortunately, I need to keep it a little more practical for the street.

Thanks for sharing your research and knowledge. I will probably hang on to my stock wheels and tires, and switch out for either long trips of canyon carving days. But, even with the drag radial set up, I would still like to see if there is a front wheel tire combo that isn't a 'skinny'. I know that's a little counter productive(for performance), but over all should still be lighter then the factory wheels or your average aftermarket 20" wheels.

So, I guess that raises this question:
Is there a Drag Radial set up, that runs Bogarts or Welds, 17" or 18", with, say, an 8" or 9" wide front wheel, and a performance tire, so you kind of end up with best of both worlds?

[PTS]

I am not aware of any radial tire that you can use with the 17x5 or 17x8.

[blazzin1]

Originally Posted by Extreme454

Is there a Drag Radial set up, that runs Bogarts or Welds, 17" or 18", with, say, an 8" or 9" wide front wheel, and a performance tire, so you kind of end up with best of both worlds?

One combination that I considered when I was researching this set-up was running a 17x6" or 17x6.5" front wheel, and running a P215/65R17 (which will supposedly fit a 6-7.5" wheel). This is the skinniest and tallest (28.0") radial tire that I could find that is commercially available. There are even a few "H" rated (130mph) tires in that size. It would be a pretty good 28.0" front radial, which would match the 28.0 height on the M&H 325/45R17 radial drag master. In the end, I didn't want different brands and/or tread patterns on the front and rear (I guess I'm too picky).

[PTS]

Originally Posted by blazzin1

One combination that I considered when I was researching this set-up was running a 17x6" or 17x6.5" front wheel, and running a P215/65R17 (which will supposedly fit a 6-7.5" wheel). This is the skinniest and tallest (28.0") radial tire that I could find that is commercially available. There are even a few "H" rated (130mph) tires in that size. It would be a pretty good 28.0" front radial, which would match the 28.0 height on the M&H 325/45R17 radial drag master. In the end, I didn't want different brands and/or tread patterns on the front and rear (I guess I'm too picky).

Great Information!!!!

[Mud]

Does Weld or Bogart make a wheel that's normal width for the front so you can put on a tire that's not so skinny?

I agree, I wouldn't want to be driving around town all the time with 5-6" tires up front.

The mileage doesn't matter to me as I only drive about 3000-4000 miles a year.

All I want is an 18" wheel, the same width of the stock tires but a larger sidewall. I'm ready to change the brake pads/calipers to achieve this.

I'm finding out this tougher than I thought.

[Supercharged SS]

I would advise against driving the Bogarts on the street for daily driving. They will make you a specific wheel if you want to do that but their drag wheels are super soft and will bend easily if you hit a decent pot hole. I've seen the edges rolled in from being dropped during shipping.

On the tires, what about the M & H 275 drag radial? Thats the same size as stock.

[Extreme454]

Originally Posted by Mud

Does Weld or Bogart make a wheel that's normal width for the front so you can put on a tire that's not so skinny?

I agree, I wouldn't want to be driving around town all the time with 5-6" tires up front.

The mileage doesn't matter to me as I only drive about 3000-4000 miles a year.

All I want is an 18" wheel, the same width of the stock tires but a larger sidewall. I'm ready to change the brake pads/calipers to achieve this.

I'm finding out this tougher than I thought.

I agree, and I'm ok with 18's too. I know Forgestar has the F14's in 18's, and the look and performance that you and I both want, can be achieved with the tires, BUT, I don't really care for the F14, and I want to stick with a 'race' (I call it old school) looking wheels, like the bogarts or welds. Mileage doesn't matter to me either, as I have only 700 miles on my car, but I would like to hook a corner every once in a while.

Originally Posted by Supercharged SS

I would advise against driving the Bogarts on the street for daily driving. They will make you a specific wheel if you want to do that but their drag wheels are super soft and will bend easily if you hit a decent pot hole. I've seen the edges rolled in from being dropped during shipping.

On the tires, what about the M & H 275 drag radial? Thats the same size as stock.

I spoke with the guys at Bogart today, and they pretty much said the same thing. They really emphasized, thier wheels are racing wheels.

[Supercharged SS]

Originally Posted by Extreme454

I agree, and I'm ok with 18's too. I know Forgestar has the F14's in 18's, and the look and performance that you and I both want, can be achieved with the tires, BUT, I don't really care for the F14, and I want to stick with a 'race' (I call it old school) looking wheels, like the bogarts or welds. Mileage doesn't matter to me either, as I have only 700 miles, but I would like to hook a corner every once in a while.




I spoke with the guys at Bogart today, and they pretty much said the same thing. They really emphasized, thier wheels are racing wheels.

I get nervous driving on the return road. They are kick ass wheels but for the street, forget it.

[Extreme454]

The obvious answer is two sets of wheels and tires, I just really want a happy medium, without sacrificing too much either way.

[Supercharged SS]

Did you look into the CCW wheels at all?

[blazzin1]

Originally Posted by Mud

Does Weld or Bogart make a wheel that's normal width for the front so you can put on a tire that's not so skinny?
All I want is an 18" wheel, the same width of the stock tires but a larger sidewall. I'm ready to change the brake pads/calipers to achieve this.

Weld Racing does make their RT-S wheels in all the wider widths you're talking about, all the way from 5" up to 10.5" that will fit the Camaro (high mounting pad), in both 17" and 18". However, as we have just recently learned, the 17" should only be used if you are strictly staying at factory ride height, as there have been a few reported cases of the trailing arms hitting the wheels on hard launches on lowered cars. Go with the 18" if you ever plan on modifying the ride height. They also make them in an awesome looking 20", but they are really expensive once you get up to that size.

[Ovenmitt]

Originally Posted by blazzin1

Besides....no one makes a 28" radial front "skinny" tire.

M&H does. Promise.