Drag Racing Tires, Drag Slicks & Drag Radials

Summit Racing carries the full spectrum of drag racing tires (including drag slicks, DOT drag radials, bias-ply tires, and front runner tires) for everything from weekend...

Summit Racing carries the full spectrum of drag racing tires (including drag slicks, DOT drag radials, bias-ply tires, and front runner tires) for everything from weekend street/strip cars and bracket racers to full-prep dedicated drag cars. Whether you're hooking up a high-horsepower muscle car, competing in no-prep races, or just trying to cut a better 60-foot time, the right tire makes the difference.

What Are Drag Racing Tires?

Drag racing tires are purpose-built for one job: maximum traction off the line and down the dragstrip. Unlike street tires, drag tires use ultra-soft rubber compounds that conform to the track...

What Are Drag Racing Tires?

Drag racing tires are purpose-built for one job: maximum traction off the line and down the dragstrip. Unlike street tires, drag tires use ultra-soft rubber compounds that conform to the track surface under load, dramatically increasing the contact patch at launch. Most drag tires feature specially designed tread that offers no-compromise grip on, slick or near-slick surfaces, and often incorporate thin sidewalls engineered to wrinkle under acceleration. It may look unusual, but that sidewall flex acts as a mechanical shock absorber, loading power into the tire gradually, instead of overwhelming the contact patch with incredible power all at once.

Drag slicks are usually broken up into a few key categories: full race (often with little to no tread), DOT drag radials (street-legal, radial construction), bias-ply drag tires (the traditional drag slick construction), and front runner tires (lightweight, low-rolling-resistance tires for the front axle of a dedicate drag car). Each serves a different build, class, and track scenario.

Drag Slicks vs. Drag Radials

This is one of the most common questions we get from those new to drag racing, and the answer to what you need depends on your car and how you use it.

Drag slicks are full race tires with no tread pattern. They are designed for cars with dedicated drag setups (think leaf-spring rear suspensions, four-links, or ladder bars) and are not street legal. Slicks require a proper burnout to heat the compound before a pass. They have very soft, compliant sidewalls that wrinkle aggressively under hard launches, and they tend to perform better on cars with a lot of chassis prep. Slicks are the choice for bracket racing, index classes, and any type of racing that demands maximum traction.

Drag radials (including DOT drag radials) use radial construction with a tread pattern that makes them street legal. They are significantly stiffer than a bias-ply slick, which makes them more forgiving on independent rear suspension (IRS) cars, modern muscle cars, and vehicles running coilovers. Drag radials do not require as aggressive a burnout and perform well on cars running manual transmissions, since the stiffer sidewall handles clutch engagement more predictably. DOT drag radials have become the dominant tire choice for street/strip cars, no-prep events, and radial-specific race classes.

The short version: If your car is only run at the track and has the suspension to support a slick, run a slick. If your car is driven on the street, a DOT drag radial is the better fit, but in terms of performance and legality.

Bias-Ply vs. Radial Drag Tires

Bias-ply drag tires, easily identified by the classic wrinkle-wall slick construction, have a carcass made with overlapping diagonal plies that run at an angle across the tire. This creates a very soft, flexible sidewall that stores energy during launch and releases it progressively. Bias-ply tires are the traditional choice for bracket racing and heads-up classes, and they respond well to tire pressure tuning. In other words, dropping pressure increases the contact patch and softens the sidewall further.

Radial drag tires use steel belts running perpendicular to the direction of travel, producing a stiffer sidewall but a larger, more consistent footprint. They generate heat more uniformly across the tread, tolerate street use, and are less sensitive to small suspension irregularities. The tradeoff is that radials require more dialed-in suspension geometry to perform at their peak—a car that was set up for bias-ply slicks may need adjustment before switching to radials.

For dedicated race cars on prepped surfaces, bias-ply slicks generally offer an edge in outright traction. For street/strip versatility and modern suspension platforms, radials win.

DOT Drag Tires for Street/Strip Cars

DOT-approved drag tires are the backbone of the street/strip segment. They carry a Department of Transportation (DOT) code on the sidewall, meaning they meet minimum federal standards for street use (tread depth, load rating, and speed rating) while still using compound formulations and construction techniques borrowed directly from full race slicks.

Popular DOT drag radials like the Mickey Thompson ET Street R, Nitto NT05R, Hoosier Drag Radial, and BFGoodrich g-Force Drag Radial T/A are engineered specifically for high-horsepower applications and respond well to a high launch RPM and engines running a lot of boost. They are often the tire of choice for turbo and supercharged muscle cars, or really any street car making over 500 horsepower that needs to put power down consistently on both the street and the strip.

Thinking about buying DOT drag tires? It’s important to check the speed rating if your car sees sustained highway speeds, and you should verify that the load index matches your vehicle's weight, and confirm the tire is approved for your class if you’re racing competitively.

Front Runner Tires for Drag Racing

Front runner tires are a frequently overlooked upgrade for dedicated drag cars. These are lightweight, narrow, low-rolling-resistance tires designed specifically for the front axle of a drag car — their job is to reduce unsprung weight, minimize aerodynamic drag, and keep the nose planted without adding parasitic drag to the drivetrain.
Front runners are typically tall and narrow (a common size is 26x6R15 or 24.5x5R15) and are designed to work with front runner wheels (Summit Racing sells those too). They make a meaningful difference on faster cars where every pound of rotating weight and every pound of aerodynamic resistance counts. If you're running slicks out back on a serious drag build, matching front runners up front completes the setup properly.

How to Choose Drag Racing Tire Size

Tire sizing for drag cars involves more variables than a standard street application. The key factors are wheel well clearance, wheel diameter and width, vehicle weight, power level, and (if you're racing) your class rules.
Rear drag tire width is generally dictated by your wheel well: you want the widest tire that clears your tubs, frame, and suspension travel without rubbing. Taller tires (higher diameter) reduce RPM at the hit, which can help or hurt depending on your gear ratios and converter stall. Shorter tires increase RPM at launch.

Drag Racing Tire FAQs

What tire pressure should drag radials run?

Drag radial tire pressure varies by tire brand, compound, vehicle weight, and track conditions, but most DOT drag radials perform best in the 16–24 PSI range. Running lower pressure increases the contact patch and allows more sidewall flex, which improves traction on a prepped surface. Running too low can cause the tire to roll off the bead under a hard launch. Always start at the tire manufacturer's recommended pressure for your weight class and adjust from there in one to two PSI increments. Front tire pressure on a drag car is typically run at full street spec since those tires aren't doing traction work.

Are drag slicks street legal?

No. Drag slicks have no tread pattern and do not carry a DOT certification, making them illegal for street use in all 50 states. They are also dangerous on wet or cold pavement, because the same soft compound that makes them exceptional at the strip offers almost no wet-weather grip. If you need a tire that can do both street and strip duty, a DOT drag radial is the correct choice.

Do drag radials need burnouts?

Yes, but typically not as aggressive a burnout as a bias-ply slick. DOT drag radials benefit from a short burnout to clean the tire surface and bring some heat into the compound before a run. A typical radial burnout involves spinning the tires briefly on a dry or bleach-box surface, then staging the car. Over-spinning a drag radial can actually scrub rubber off the tire and reduce traction, so the goal is to heat and clean the tire, not to give spectators an extended smoke show.

Can you mix drag slicks and drag radials on the same car?

No. Mixing bias-ply slicks on the rear with radial tires on the front (or vice versa) creates handling instability and is not recommended or permitted in most sanctioned race classes. Radial and bias-ply tires have fundamentally different flex characteristics and load responses, and mixing them introduces unpredictable handling, especially at speed.

Are wider drag tires always better?

Not necessarily. Wider tires increase the contact patch, which helps traction, but too wide a tire for your vehicle's weight and power can actually hurt 60-foot times by creating excessive rolling resistance. Light cars running moderate power often perform better on a narrower tire that builds heat quickly. Heavier, higher-horsepower cars benefit more from wider rubber. Vehicle weight, power-to-weight ratio, and suspension setup all factor into the ideal tire width.

Why do drag radials shake on the highway?

Highway vibration from drag radials is typically caused by one of three things: improper mounting (tires need to be mounted and balanced by a shop familiar with low-pressure, high-flex applications), flat spotting from sitting parked for extended periods, or running tire pressure too low for street speeds. Drag radials are not touring tires, so they will never ride as smoothly as a street tire, but excessive vibration usually points to a mounting or pressure issue, and should be addressed.

Showing In Stock Items. Show All 461 Items.

Individual Parts

Part Groups

Results 1 - 25 of 402

Mickey Thompson ET Street Radial Pro Tires 275/60-15