ok, heres a question ive had for years. example-lets say i have an a-body with 4:10 gears, 2-300 hp motor, auto. now, the rear tires are 25"tall. why does everyone say i would need 27-28" tall rear tires? what does the tire height have to do with running fast in the 1/4? i realize the rpm factor of taller vs shorter. but what is a limiting factor to shorter tires for performance sake?.........................doesnt charlie run 13"s with like 22" tall tires?...................thnx, steve

It depends on how many RPM you want to turn, and how much torque the motor has.

Charlie runs short tires because his motors are torque challenged and need the gear change that short tires give. He has a relatively heavy car for a 170 motor too.

My car can use a the 26" tires I run because I am not out of RPM at the trap. My 232 makes more torque though.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

so, as long as i havent maxed out rpm wise BEFORE the end of 1/4 mile,it doesnt matter?(taking in to consideration hiway rpms too for street driving). Dennis, would shorter tires help your et's considering you have rpm left at the traps??

Maybe, but I feel that my car needs the taller tire to hook. When mine hits on a 150 shot on the line it beats the tires pretty hard. I am limited on width, so I have to have some sidewall to keep from blowing the tires loose at the hit.

On a good track mine will hike the left front about 4 inches.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

I am running 3.91's and 25" tall tires. I am turning 4200rpm the the big end of the track almost where I run out of power, that means my setup is just right. 4.10's and I would be out of gear before the end of the track.

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