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Last updated 8/08/2024 - Originally published 8/08/2024
Written by SimpleTire
Street racing! The term incites excitement, vigor, and an adrenaline rush for performance car enthusiasts who are not afraid to bounce around the streets, proving the mettle of their Hot Wheels. With street roads not matching the traction, grip, and control levels of racing circuits, it becomes highly imperative to choose your vehicle’s driving shoes more cautiously. Here we bring multiple racing tires for street use that are available across different price bands, to suit each of you!
Let’s begin with the best tires for street racing:
1. Bridgestone Potenza Race
Introduced in 2023, the Bridgestone Potenza Race is a semi-slick Ultra-high-performance (UHP) tire homologated for public roads with track-focused performance. As the first-ever dedicated replacement tire from Bridgestone, the Potenza Race features an asymmetric tread pattern and wall angles for maximum cornering and braking, with increased lateral stiffness for consistent performance without deformation. With superior dry braking and handling courtesy of the new rubber compound, the Bridgestone [UHP-summer tire]((https://simpletire.com/categories/uhp-summer-tires) comes with sipes on the inside ribs that provide necessary drainage for maximum wet performance. Whether you drive the Ford Mustang, Nissan 370Z, or the Chevrolet Camaro, the Bridgestone Potenza Race is the ideal tire to buy. Lastly, it is backed by a 90-day buy-and-try guarantee.
2. Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02
Launched in 2022, the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 is packed with the latest technology and is among the best UHP summer tires available. Compared to its predecessor, the Sport 02 offers up to 1 second faster dry handling lap time, improved dry and wet braking, and enhanced responsiveness. Great for street and track, the Conti is packed with Sport Plus technology for responsive handling, better wet performance, and improved wear life. Tuned performance indicators come with D (dry) and W (wet) markings within the tread that disappear as soon as the tread is no longer able to handle the respective driving conditions. Backed by a 30,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, the ExtremeContact Sport 02 comes with a 60-day replacement scheme and 3-year roadside assistance. Being track and street-oriented, the Continental tire can be equipped on cars like the Acura NSX, Audi S6, and Chevrolet Corvette.
3. Pirelli P Zero Corsa (PZC4)
Blending motorsports technology, the Pirelli P Zero Corsa (PZC4) offers superior performance on the street and tracks. While the innovative rubber compound boosts handling, braking, and traction, the customized inner tread design with dual-compound tread technology balances high-speed driving and grip. The asymmetric tread pattern with unique outer tread design features large tread blocks on shoulders and a large central continuous rib promoting high-speed cornering, hard handling performance, and excellent lateral acceleration. To bear high thermo-mechanical stress, the P Zero Corsa (PZC4) is laced with motorsport-derived materials that absorb high-speed challenges without compromising performance or handling. With Pirelli’s legacy of motorsport, its UHP summer tire works best in high-performance cars from Alfa Romeo, McLaren, Lamborghini, and Ferrari.
4. Toyo Proxes R888R
Toyo Proxes R888R, the DOT-approved competition tire, offers drivers excellent dry performance on tracks and streets. High-speed cornering, faster lap time, and superb directional stability make the Proxes R888R a preferred street racing tire. The unique tread design and improved contact patch with a large rubber area ensure more grip, traction, and stability on the tarmac at high speed and during cornering. While the high-grip race-inspired rubber compound delivers excellent grip and cornering performance, the optimized contact patch of the ToyoProxes R888R enhances acceleration, cornering, and braking. The asymmetric tread design improves stability and cross-rotation promotes excellent wearability. The Toyo Proxes R888R is an excellent UHP summer tire for high-performance cars like the Audi A6, BMW Z4, and Chevrolet Camaro.
Great tires for Street racing
Can’t spend a whole lot on street racing tires? Here are some great street racing tires that offer similar performance at a lesser rate.
5. Mickey Thompson ET Drag
A proven drag strip performer, the Mickey Thompson ET Drag is designed after thorough real-world research and development, which makes it a perfect racing tire for streets and tracks. The ET Drag features superior construction and an innovative rubber compound for optimum grip, traction, and handling at high speeds. A drag tire suitable for almost every drag racing competition, the Mickey Thompson ET Drag requires little to no burnout. While the white sidewall design boosts its aesthetics, the flat tire design puts more rubber on the road for maximum grip, traction, stability, and steering responsiveness. It comes with a stiff sidewall construction that boosts reaction time due to less tire distortion. The sturdy construction makes it an ideal tire for high horsepower applications and heavy cars (over 3,000 lbs). The Mickey Thompson ET Drag is a great replacement tire option for cars like the Dodge Challenger, Chevrolet Camaro, and Ford Mustang.
6. Falken Azenis RT660
Another option in the great racing tire category is the Falken Azenis RT660 that offers enhanced handling, stability, and performance on street and tracks alike thanks to the rigid carcass construction. The DOT-approved racing tire features a directional tread pattern that provides rotational options for even wear and extended tread life. While the motorsport-inspired rubber compound assures excellent road contact and grip, the upgraded carcass construction boosts track-oriented handling response and stability. The sturdy built and reinforced sidewall design ensures the tire lasts long and does not deform under driving pressure. The Falken Azenis RT660 is a fantastic replacement tire option for cars like the Toyota 86, Mazda Miata, and Honda S2000.
7. Nitto NT555RII
A DOT-compliant tire, the Nitto NT555RII features a high-grip rubber compound and special race-inspired construction for superb traction, grip, and stability. While the circumferential grooves improve wet handling and braking performance on streets and tracks, the modified sidewall design allows an excellent launch on dry and wet surfaces. The NT555RII has large twin center ribs for consistent handling and stability on dry surfaces. The competition drags radial design of the Nitto tire not only boosts traction at the start line but also delivers phenomenal performance during cornering at high speeds. With a directional tread pattern, the Nitto NT555RII is designed for use in staggered fitments in combination with their UHP NT555 G2 tire for optimum results. The NT555RII is a great fit for cars like the BMW M340i, Ford Mustang, and Dodge Challenger.
8. Yokohama Advan Neova AD09
The street-legal sports tire from the Japanese tire maker, the Yokohama Advan Neova AD09 is packed with a unique tread compound, innovative tread pattern, and improved casing for maximum high-performance on streets and tracks alike. While the new tread pattern with large continuous tread blocks allows more rubber on the surface for efficient dry grip, the all-new casing with high turn-up ply boosts rigidity and a solid center rib provides consistent contact for dynamic steering handling. The chamfered grooves of the Advan Neova AD09 boost pattern effectiveness and wear resistance throughout the tire’s life. With a new rubber compound, the Yokohama tire provides improved wet braking and cornering performance. The Yokohama Neova AD09 is a great replacement tire option for cars like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Audi A6, and BMW i3.
Best Budget Friendly tires for Street racing
Tight on the budget? No worries, you can still enjoy the fun of street racing. Here are some great budget-friendly racing tires for your car:
9. Kenda Vezda UHP MAX Summer (KR20A)
The DOT-approved Kenda Vezda UHP MAX Summer (KR20A) is a road-ready tire built for performance sedans, sports cars, and powerful luxury vehicles. The race-proven tire provides an excellent combination of dry and wet performance, ride quality, and wearability. The newly developed rubber compound and improved casing allow consistent, high-speed rides at high temperatures. While the symmetric tread pattern with large shoulder blocks puts more rubber on the surface for fantastic dry performance, the circumferential grooves of the Vezda UHP MAX Summer (KR20A) allow quick water evacuation for a strong wet performance. The high-silica content promotes ‘stickier’ grip on the road for effective, high-speed, straight-line runs, and hard cornering. The Kenda Vezda UHP MAX Summer (KR20A) is a decent replacement tire option for cars like the Chevrolet Corvette, Mercedes-Benz AMG GT, and Porsche 911.
10. GT Radial Champiro SX2
An excellent racing tire option for performance enthusiasts with budget constraints, the GT Radial Champiro SX2 features an asymmetric tread pattern for enhanced performance on streets and tracks. While the new silica compound boosts dry and wet traction, the extra large shoulder blocks of the Champiro SX2 improve its cornering grip and stability. With an optimized tread pattern, the central tread ribs generate less heat than other similarly priced tires. With the GT Radial UHP summer tire, you need to buy a different set of tires for track and street, as it performs equally well on both surfaces. Like other UHP summer tires, the GT Radial Champiro SX2 offers confident handling, traction, and stability at high speeds. It's a good fit for cars like the Honda Civic Type R, Toyota Supra, and Subaru BRZ.
Street Racing notes
While the term street racing flashes joy in the eyes of a sports car owner, you must consider not doing so as it’s completely illegal. It isn’t safe for you and the bystanders cheering you up. Hundreds of cases of people dying from street racing are reported every year across the United States. Mind you, the people who died were not drivers, they were the people who were around the ‘racetrack’ and were struck by the speeding car.
Some unwritten rules of street racing:
- Say the truth about the car details in front of the organizer
- Drive fast but cautiously
- If caught, you may be charged with a felony, fine, or authorities may impound your vehicle for a certain period
- It is extremely dangerous and unsafe to participate in street racing. Try to avoid it.