I have always put in effort toward making the car fun going around corners, and do so as competently as possible. So drag radials have always been off the table but I think you guys are right that regular radials in this size will do nothing.
What is it like to drive around on drag radials? How do they behave under cornering loads?
What front tires do you match them with?
I've been running Nitto 275/60-15's on an 8" rear rim. Best traction available with out going to a dedicated drag tire. they are temperature sensitive and have a moderately good range of traction once warm, but become greasy once the heat builds. They are also rated to 186mph.
I use the chalk method to determine tire pressure, which equates to 18psi local cruising pressure, and 24psi on road trips to enhance handling by stiffening the sidewalls. Short sidewall tires just don't hook as good as taller sidewalls. I was able to go full throttle after rolling out about 10 to 15" feet with 500hp, a 3800 stall converter, 3.91's and a 2.76 first gear ratio. Most cars without tall sidewall drag radials spin much farther before hooking up.
For the fronts, I believe I used a Japanese or Korean tire rated to 149mph. The chassis has the full US Cartool Chassis Stiffening Kit, Front and rear FirmFeel sway bars, QA1 adjustable shocks, 1.06" torsion bars and a pair of driver's side 3200 lbs SS springs. The car weighs 3750lbs.
The suspension is compliant, smooth riding and very few cars dare to keep up with it in the corners. It's predictable and doesn't usually surprise me. Like most cars, it is sensitive to being upset once the car takes a set in the corners, especially with the tall soft sidewalls.
It's not that modern cars aren't capable, but most folks never find out how their cars handle closer to the limit on a track and get scared. In the right hands, a lot of modern cars would exceed my '68's capabilities, but there are not a lot of good drivers out there most of the time.
