When it comes to choice of tires for drag racing, you can choose either a radial or bias ply tire, the latter which is what you typically find on most cars launching down the drag strip.
This is because bias ply tires have certain advantages in their construction that allow the sidewalls to wrinkle to absorb the shock of a hard launch which makes them even better suited for a vehicle with a manual transmission and any kind of power adder.
It may come as a surprise to you, as it did us, to learn that the S550 Mustang does not currently have any DOT-legal bias ply tire options available for the required 17×10-inch rear wheels on these vehicles.
So Mustang6G member Josh Baker took it upon himself to petition major tire manufacturers Hoosier, M&H and Mickey Thompson, to develop a DOT-legal bias ply tire to fit the 17×10-inch wheels so it can be used for both street and strip.
We join Josh in this effort and offer up this public service announcement in the belief that the end result could save some S550 owners from risking their MT-82 transmissions running drag radials or spending thousands of dollars converting to a drag brake setup without a provision for an emergency brake, and have the added benefit of improving ETs.
See the DOT Legal Bias Ply Tires S550 Mustang Petition in the forums.