Which combination of rear tire/wheel do you think would be faster to the 1/4 mile (same driver same car, same tires, etc)

255/50/17

or

255/35/20

 

255/50/17

For one thing I am assuming that the 17's would be lighter than the 20's.

For another thing...with drag racing...you want as much vertical tread sitting on the ground. 50 series tires would have more vertical tread than 35 series tires.

 

Quite frankly, I haven't seen any reason to not use NARROWER tires for the rear. The major problem is the launch and somewhat narrower tires would help that. Whether an easier launch would translate into a faster time would need to be answered by someone more expert than I or by experience in actually trying it...

 

Trying it is one thing, but mastering it is Unicron/Phantom's talent. The Houstooks are fun to watch.

 

The 255/50-17 would be better for the same reasons that were discussed above. I went to 245/45-16 SO2's when i replaced the rears and 245's are more narrow than the OEM 225/50-16 tires. Now the car spins in to VTEC better on launches helping 1/4 mile times.