The Best Street-Legal Drag Tires

You can spend a ton of money adding horsepower to a muscle car. But if you’re headed to the drag strip and don’t also invest in a proper set of drag radials or bias-ply drag slicks, dollars spent on the engine will go up in smoke. Literally.

Drag Radials or Bias-Ply Drag Slicks?

If you crave the hookup, your first step is to choose between drag radials and bias-ply drag slicks.

If you want to drive to the track, you’ll need drag radials.

Drag radials are built like conventional radial tires but have minimal siping. You can drive safely to and from the strip on some (but not all!) drag radials. But that’s only if the road is dry. While there are considerable differences between brands and types, always avoid driving aggressive drag radials in the rain.

On the other hand, bias-ply drag slicks are typically for racetrack use only. You’ll get off the line quicker, with less shock to the driveline components—as the sidewalls wrinkle for an optimum 60-foot time. You’ll need to bolt bias-ply drag slicks up when you get to the track and swap them out with your street tires for the drive home.

Only a handful of manufacturers produce street-legal drag radial tires. Here’s a rundown on the most respected of the bunch.

Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels

Mickey Thompson ET Street Radial Pro

The late great Mickey Thompson launched his namesake tire company in 1963, initially focusing on tires for Indy cars. Mickey Thompson, the company, offers a trio of potent DOT-approved drag radials.

The Ohio-based tire-maker bills the E.T. Street Radial Pro as the “world’s fastest DOT radial drag tire.” But this tire is for track use only and should never see street use.

Mickey Thompson’s ET Street R is a tubeless street-legal DOT-approved radial drag tire, while the E.T. Street R Bias is an approved bias-ply. Both tires incorporate minimal tread void.

M&H Racemaster

Vintage M&H Racemaster drag slicks for sale on eBay

M&H Racemaster is now a division of Interco, a specialty manufacturer known for its Super Swamper off-road tires. Established in the 1930s as a tire recap shop, M&H Racemaster is named for father and son founders Marvin and Harry Rifchin.

The company started with recap midget and stock car tires. It produced its first new tires for stock car racing in the 1950s and a first drag slick following in 1957. M&H connected with Big Daddy Don Garlits in 1968, and the rest is history.

M&H offers wrinkle-wall bias-ply Muscle Car D.O.T. Drag Tires in five tread patterns. The company’s drag radial lineup includes low-rolling-resistance “Front Runners” to match the appearance of their beefy rear “Cheater Slicks.”

Nitto Drag Radials

The NT05R is Nitto’s most aggressive drag radial.

Nitto Tires was founded in 1949 and acquired by Toyo three decades later. Toyo produces Nitto’s drag radials in Bartow County, Ga. The Nitto DOT-compliant drag radial lineup consists of the NT05R, NT555RII, and NT555R.

The NT05R uses a soft race compound with two deep center rain grooves, a large center contact patch and side siping. It’s the most aggressive tire of the trio but provides less performance when wet.

Meanwhile, the NT555RII is Nitto’s “most advanced drag radial,” balancing its intentions between the track and street. And the NT555R offers slightly less dry performance than its siblings, with wet performance that equals the NT555RII.

Hoosier

Hoosier racing slicks

Hoosier’s drag radials are for track use only and are not street-legal. Hoosier Tire dates to 1957. Continental acquired the company in 2016 and produces most of its broad range of racing tires at Hoosier’s Indiana factory.

Hoosier is currently the world’s largest race tire manufacturer. That’s why you should trust this warning from its website:

Warning: DOT labeled Hoosier Racing Tires meet Department of Transportation requirements for making and performance only and are NOT INTENDED FOR HIGHWAY USE. It is unsafe to operate any Hoosier Racing Tire, including DOT. tires, on public roads. The prohibited use of Hoosier Racing Tires on public roadways may result in loss of traction, unexpected loss of vehicle control, or sudden loss of tire pressure, resulting in a vehicle crash and possible serious personal injury or death.

Toyo Tires

Toyo Proxes T.Q.

Established in 1945, Toyo Tires is headquartered in Japan. In 2004, the company built a factory in Bartow County, Ga.

The D.O.T.-approved street-legal Toyo Proxes T.Q. features a sticky tread compound and a dual-purpose asymmetric tread pattern to deliver performance on the drag strip and the street.

The Proxes T.Q. is a solid choice if you want to run one set of tires for daily driving and track days in mild weather. The tire provides a comfortable ride, along with plenty of hookup off the line. Like all drag radials, the compound is softer than most street tires, with a tread life to match.