Maximizing BFG Radial T/A Traction

Excellent write up on how to find the optimal tire pressures. I've been doing that for years with great success.

I had Radial TA's on both my hotrods after I got them running, and they were down right dangerous on the street on high powered cars. It was like I was driving on snow covered roads with them on. I could smoke them and the cars would drift sideways even at the upper end freeway speeds.

I ended up putting Nitto 555 Drag Radials and a set of properly adjusted slapper bars on both cars, and now both cars hook up harder than ever, are safe to drive on the street, even when it rains.

The Nitto's don't like freezing weather, in fact they say don't let them freeze; and they start to feel greasy if they get too hot. They are rated to around 186mph and they last a long time (two+ years) if you don't smoke them off all the time.

Great tires for moderate climates. I used the chalk method and run them at 18 psi around town and 22-25 psi on road trips depending how much I load the car. Optimal tire pressure is all about adjusting the shape of the bottom of the tire where it bulges from the weight of the car.

The air pressure required to get the correct shape is different depending on how much a percentage of actual weight on the tire compared to the same tire with the maximum load.