I spent some time researching a track tire setup so I thought I would post the whole story here;
The IRS is fragile so a soft sidewall tire is one solution for drag strip use. A 16" wheel is the smallest size wheel that will clear the IRS tie rod / cobra rear brakes and leaves only a few tire choices. I went with the MT ET streets in 26x10.5-16 mounted on a 97 GT 16 x 7.5 (yes they are 7.5" wide) wheel. I chose to follow MT recommendation and run tubes, so the wheels needed some machining first.
Step 1) find some 94-98 GT wheel. I paid $80 for a set of 4. They will likely be filthy, scratched and found somewhere in the ghetto. I used oven cleaner and a sand blaster to clean them up. Remove all rubber from the bead area so the new tires won't slip.
Step 2) Drill out the valve stem holes to 5/8" and deburr the hole.
Step 3) Measure the circumference (139mm), I used a soft tape used for sewing. Mark 8 equally spaced holes on each side. I chose to make 1/2 of them at a 45 degree angle (I think I saw this on the Hoosier site). I used screws specific for tires (Mr Gasket), they are grade 8 and I still broke one. Don't use soft screws from home depot..... The screws came with a bit, it is too small for the thick GT wheels. I ended up using a #3 drill. deburr all 16 holes. Run a screw to tap threads into the aluminum before the tires are mounted, that way 'if' they break off they are easier to deal with.
I chose to paint the wheels so I lightly sanded them and used a file to fix any blemished on the lip. A few coats of duplicolor wheel paint including the clear coat and they look slightly less like cheap factory 16" GT wheels.
Step 4) Get tires mounted. Use baby power and don't get bead lube on the tube. Install tire screws with red loc tite on the area where the screw and wheel contact.
Note: make sure the balancing weights will clear the tie rods. There is only 1/8" of clearance and they need to be in the middle of the wheel.
The 10.5 wide tire has only 8.5" tread and looks like this on a 7.5 wide wheel;
You will need open ended lug nuts to make the tech inspector happy.
The IRS is fragile so a soft sidewall tire is one solution for drag strip use. A 16" wheel is the smallest size wheel that will clear the IRS tie rod / cobra rear brakes and leaves only a few tire choices. I went with the MT ET streets in 26x10.5-16 mounted on a 97 GT 16 x 7.5 (yes they are 7.5" wide) wheel. I chose to follow MT recommendation and run tubes, so the wheels needed some machining first.
Step 1) find some 94-98 GT wheel. I paid $80 for a set of 4. They will likely be filthy, scratched and found somewhere in the ghetto. I used oven cleaner and a sand blaster to clean them up. Remove all rubber from the bead area so the new tires won't slip.
Step 2) Drill out the valve stem holes to 5/8" and deburr the hole.
Step 3) Measure the circumference (139mm), I used a soft tape used for sewing. Mark 8 equally spaced holes on each side. I chose to make 1/2 of them at a 45 degree angle (I think I saw this on the Hoosier site). I used screws specific for tires (Mr Gasket), they are grade 8 and I still broke one. Don't use soft screws from home depot..... The screws came with a bit, it is too small for the thick GT wheels. I ended up using a #3 drill. deburr all 16 holes. Run a screw to tap threads into the aluminum before the tires are mounted, that way 'if' they break off they are easier to deal with.
I chose to paint the wheels so I lightly sanded them and used a file to fix any blemished on the lip. A few coats of duplicolor wheel paint including the clear coat and they look slightly less like cheap factory 16" GT wheels.
Step 4) Get tires mounted. Use baby power and don't get bead lube on the tube. Install tire screws with red loc tite on the area where the screw and wheel contact.
Note: make sure the balancing weights will clear the tie rods. There is only 1/8" of clearance and they need to be in the middle of the wheel.
The 10.5 wide tire has only 8.5" tread and looks like this on a 7.5 wide wheel;
You will need open ended lug nuts to make the tech inspector happy.
