DRAG WHEEL/Tire setups

Originally Posted by phunk

Theres 2 ways to get this car to hook the best its reasonably going to.

The BEST and proper way, is probably more commitment to drag racing than you are looking for. Small rear brakes, like the 350z non brembo in the rear, will allow a 15" wheel. Use a proper drag slick. Run the softest suspension you can, which means all stock. Align the car to remove as much negative camber as you can. This is the best you can do. And it will do pretty good.

The next best you can do is (when you wont give up your rear brakes)... run the widest and stickiest tire you can, on the smallest diameter wheel you can. This means 305-315 drag radials on an 18" wheel. Adjust your coilover height in the rear back to stock height. This will straighten your control arms back out and reduce your compression camber curve. Align the car to remove as much negative camber as you can (if you dont, all that extra width is meaningless because its not pressing into the ground). Set your suspension as STIFF as you can to prevent as much rear squat as possible. Rear squat is your biggest enemy in this car if you do not have a smushy true drag tire. This should be able to get you 1.9 60's and traction through most of second. Run low pressure in the tires... 18-20 or try a few spots to see what your particular tire likes. You might even get into the 1.8s like this.

The IRS in the 370z is particularly terrible for drag racing and/or hooking up high power. Even the slightest compression in the rear causes extreme camber. This is why you only want squat if you have a tire that is going to severely deform to accomodate this. Your street drag radials will have none of that, and you will be ice skating on the inside corners of your tread any time the car squats. This is my current status.

Hopefully by summer I will have some products finished that adjust the compression camber curve and our Z's on big tires can act like it.

Good luck and try and get us some 10 second time slips. You have the power, just gotta get it out of the hole. I know EXACTLY what you are going thru.