Wheel/Slick conversion to street question

[hobo]

Guys,
Sorry for what you all would probably consider basic questions, but I'm moving out of my comfort zone turning a drag car into a pro-street cruiser and need your advice. I've acquired a car that currently has 9.5" rear wheels (Drag Lites) with M/T slicks that measure about 27.5" in diameter by 9.5" wide. I would like to convert over to a street-legal tire but wanted your recommendations.

1.) Is there a particular street tire that you would recommend that has similar height/width/sidewall characteristics?

2.) I noticed that the slicks are screwed through the rims. Can you still run street tires on these rims since there are now holes from the screws, or am I looking at purchasing rims as well? If tubes are an option for street tires, I guess that is a question as well.

[C9x]

Take a look at the Mickey Thompson wide rear tires as well as Hoover Tires.

Summit carries both and they have an on-line site.

Even with tread, the wide tires will slip around a bit in the wet, but it's not bad.

You shouldn't have any problems with air leakage due to holes in the side of the rims.
The air seal on a tubeless tire is on the bead.

Since you've got screws in the rim now and the car is going to have a drag racing theme, put the screws back in with the street tires.

[hobo]

Thanks C9 - I was hoping for that answer on the screws!

[moparjack44]

On my Mirada I have BF Goodrich 295/15/50, and they were about 11 inches wide, but do not know about the diameter.

Jack

[bentwings]

The Hoosier street radials are hard to beat on the street. Don't get the drag radials as they are too soft. They have a much more open tread and work much better when it is wet. Still any really big wide tire like this can be a handfull when it is wet. Just be carefull.

I don't know about the screws. The street radials may or may not seal. They only run about 20-25 psi maybe if everything is clean and free of burrs they will seal. I'd hate to try fix-a-flat but it's a possibility. You are not really supposed to run tubes in these but I would try it as a last resort.

My Hoosiers don't leak on 14" Convo Pros but I don't have screws either. As it turns out the Goodrich TA leak a bit on the front however. Not much but they take topping off every couple weeks.

good luck

[pat mccarthy]

BF goodrich drag radials i never leave home with out them have used them all i have had the best luck with the bf s you could rescrew them they may leak abit should not be that bad put a dab of sealer on the screws before you run them in you do not need tubes

[hobo]

Thanks everyone...

[383 chev]

if you have to run the screws in. just use some bead sealer on the screws