Well I just bought rims for my Nova project and wanted to order the back tires (325/50R15). Summit Racing shows they are out of them until at least the 30th. So I call my local tire store and they are out 3-4 weeks. What gives? I even checked E-bay and they don't have my size. I need the tires before I can start mini tunbbing or shorten my rear end. Jegs doesn't even show they carry this size.

Where else would be a good place to shop?

I might have to go with the M&H Drag Radials. I just don't like the fact they are about 3/4" narrower than the M/T's

Well I just bought rims for my Nova project and wanted to order the back tires (325/50R15). Summit Racing shows they are out of them until at least the 30th. So I call my local tire store and they are out 3-4 weeks. What gives? I even checked E-bay and they don't have my size. I need the tires before I can start mini tunbbing or shorten my rear end. Jegs doesn't even show they carry this size.

Where else would be a good place to shop?

I might have to go with the M&H Drag Radials. I just don't like the fact they are about 3/4" narrower than the M/T's


Royce..there was a guy on Norcal 1320 that had a set of BFG DR 325/50/15 for sale. Said they had like 5 miles on them with no burnouts. He was "asking" $250 for the set.

Here is the link to them Royce..

http://www.norcal1320.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20214

Same thing happened a year or so ago Royce, for some reason M/T had an issue with production (stopped, couldn't keep up, something like that?). It lasted a month or two then they started showing up again. Pretty crazy really, it can't be good for sales.
I bet some warehouses here and there have a few, try a local large outlet maybe? I bought mine from Discount tire but they where available everywhere then too.
It's a shame because I think as far as a street/strip tire that gets driven on they are the best out there. Mine have lasted real well and still hook like crazy.

Ron,
I checked those tires out earlier today but, I don't want BFG's. I had my mind set on the M&H Drag radials but, when I compared the measurements I saw they were giving up 3/4" in section and tread width. I guess 3/4" is really nothing. I don't "need" the tires this week or even next week so, I will see if Summit gets any in, if not I will be forced to buy M&H.

Sean,
I tried my local Americas Tire Store, I bought my last set from them. He said he could get them but, had to call me back with a price. When he called back he said it would be 3-4 weeks at least. and on top of that they want $223 a tire plus tax. I know all my local tire shops get their tires from the same wharehouses. I do remember this same problem before, I wonder what the real cause is. Maybe I will call M/T directly and see what they say.

If I remember correctly most of Mickey Thompson tires are made by race tires america in Pa. When I designed the new DS-2 front drag tire for Moroso their rep told me that they also make tires for M/T. So, could be a issue at the plant or maybe they are on credit hold! It happens!

Sean,
I tried my local Americas Tire Store, I bought my last set from them. He said he could get them but, had to call me back with a price. When he called back he said it would be 3-4 weeks at least. and on top of that they want $223 a tire plus tax. I know all my local tire shops get their tires from the same wharehouses. I do remember this same problem before, I wonder what the real cause is. Maybe I will call M/T directly and see what they say.

I would be curious to hear what they say too, they sell tons of them but not having them available every year or so can't be good for business. I don't need new ones yet, but it makes me wonder if I shouldn't buy a set when they are available. Hmm...

My warehouse is out of stock on those also.

How close are they in size to these Royce?
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/pts/1001305902.html

http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/strip.php?item=ETStreetRadial&sku=3757R&size=P325/50R15&type=SS

The mickey Thompson website says Desert Rat has them in stock?

John,
The ET Streets you linked are just a little wider. I have run those type of tires before and I don't like them on the street. Thanks for the heads up though.

Chad,
Thanks for the link. I placed the order with Desert Rat and it seemed to go through. It is after business hours on Friday so we'll see what happens. Hopefully I won't get a back order notice. Their price was just as good as Summit and the shipping wasn't bad. I'll let you guys know how it works out.

Creight,
Did they mention why they are out of stock? What I mean is, why is there such a shortage?

If you are just looking for a set to mock up for minitubbing then I would check with the local speed shops, chassis shops or dragstrips. See if somebody has an old set you can have for your build untill they come back into stock.

If you are just looking for a set to mock up for minitubbing then I would check with the local speed shops, chassis shops or dragstrips. See if somebody has an old set you can have for your build untill they come back into stock.

That's not a bad idea and I did think about that. We'll see what happens with my order from Desert Rat. I can hold off a couple weeks, I have plenty of other work to do.

I checked status on my trie order from Desert Rat and it shows the tires have shipped. I will update the post once I actually see the tires. I didn't get a tracking number, it just said that they shipped Monday.

Good deal Royce....those look sweet! I would love to get a pair under mine one day.

Good deal Royce....those look sweet! I would love to get a pair under mine one day.

Ron,
You're going to need them with that supercharger. What are you running for street tires right now?

Ron,
You're going to need them with that supercharger. What are you running for street tires right now?

Same tire....MT DR but in 275/50/15 (26x11.5x15)

Well I guess I had false hopes. I just called Desert Rat and even though my order status shows "shipped" (online) they are on backorder. They are supposed to be in by the end of next week. It would have been nice to have gotten a notice of some sort. I've been waiting for the delivery truck to show up any day. I will check with Summit again and see how long the wait is for them.

It's not real comforting knowing that the tire I will be depending on may or may not be available if/when I need them in the future. I guess you need to either keep a spare or two on hand or order tires when you get to 50% tread left.

Update: Desert Rat called me back and informed me that the backorder will be longer than he stated. It appears they won't see the tires for about 2 weeks. I decided to write to M/T and express my feelings on this. It may or may not help but, I feel like it had to be done and if enough people voice their opinions maybe this won't become the norm. If nobody has the tires in 2 weeks I will make the switch to M&H I hate to give up the additional tread width but, I will support a comapny that supports the customer. I'm going to cancel my order now and just wait and see what happens in two weeks, if no M/T's in stock I will buy M&H.

Hummm I just called M&H to check stock and they are out of 325/50R15 as well. Expecting a truck load of tires soon and will call me. I thought they made their own tires but, I guess not. Makes me wonder what the real story is about the tire shortage. The M&H tires are lighter but, also cost $22 per tire more than the M/T's. I guess I'll wait to hear back from M/T and see what they have to say.

Ok a little further reseach shows there is a nationwide tire shortage that started years ago with large tires and OTR (over the road) tires. It is due to the raw material shortage. I am not 100% sure this is the cause of the drag radial shortage but, after reading up on it, the problem is pretty deep. Seems to be effecting everything from VW tires to heavy equipment tires. There are guys waiting on their new Dodge Challengers because they don't have tires for them so the orders are held up waiting on tires.

Might want to take it easy on the burnouts for a while, lol.

Hummm I just called M&H to check stock and they are out of 325/50R15 as well. Expecting a truck load of tires soon and will call me. I thought they made their own tires but, I guess not. Makes me wonder what the real story is about the tire shortage. The M&H tires are lighter but, also cost $22 per tire more than the M/T's. I guess I'll wait to hear back from M/T and see what they have to say.

Royce...my buddy has the M&H 325/50/15's and they are WAY narrower than the MT's. They look no wider than my 275's. They hook nice but are narrow. There 390's are more like true 325's.

Ron,
Thanks for the info. I checked the measurements of their 325's on their website and it changed since last time I checked, they are now listed with almost the same measurements as the M/T's. I've heard they were quite a bit narrower but, I didn't realize it was that much of a difference. I guess I better just sit back and wait. I can find more than 2 weeks worth of other things that need to be done on the car. Just kind of threw my game plan out of order.

Royce I don't know if this is the reason this time or not, but I do know this time 4 yrs ago and again 2 yrs ago this time MT and BFG where both out of stock or back ordered on most of there DR's. Both times I was told this happens every year at this time because it's when most of the sportsman guys have there budgets worked out and order for the year or for us low budget guys order our set for the year. I'd bet there was plenty of stock back in Nov/Dec.

Good idea Royce! Its not that the M&H's are bad becuase they are not....just run narrow. If someone is going to mess with the hassle of doing a minitub might as well put the biggest tire that you can fit right!

Word on the street was that there was a problem with peeling with some of the MT drag radials. Not sure how much there is to that so don't take it as gospel, but the way I understood the problem was that one of MT rubber suppliers was determined as the source of the issue which led to a rubber shortage add the back-order that started last summer.

Check out the Hoosier drag radial Royce. Better hooking tire IMO. They have not been on backorder that I am aware of. They don't last as long as the MTs though.

Eric,
I just looked at the Hoosiers last night. I hear they hook real well. I only have two concerns one is they have basically no tread at all and I don't want to get pulled over and have to explain every time I leave the house. The other concern is they have a disclaimer saying they are not to be used on the highway. My cars will see far more street duty than strip duty and will have to be driven to the track. Have you driven these tires on the street/highway? If so how do they compare to the M/T's.

How do the Nitto's compare? Those are available but, I don't know if they work well. I'll give it a couple weeks before I panic, lol.

Royce......the Hoosier's are not gonna be what you want for a mostly street car. The 325/50/15 Nitto's I think would be ideal. There are tons of guys I know cutting 1.6's on 315/35/17 Nittos. I would think the 325/50/15's with its more sidewall and wider should hook fine with the right suspension set up. Plus they last like 10-15K.

Good info Ron. I will check the dimensions of the Nittos and I might just have to give them a try for the first go-round. I know they were the best drag radial out there for a short while.

I just got a response back from M/T and it appears the company that makes the tires are the hold up. It is an ongoing issue, they can't supply the batches like M/T would like. According to the rep that responded to my e-mail, they are supposed to have the tires within 4 weeks but, stated that's not etched in stone either. So all the places I have checked with that think the tires are coming in the next week might be in for a surprise.

I looked at the Nittos and they are quite a bit narrower. The Hoosiers are the closest in size. I just need to know if they are actually streetable. I understand they won't last as long but they are also $40 a tire cheaper (than the Nittos or M/T's).

Crazy about the availability of those tires, I looked at the 275-60/15 that I use and they appear to be in stock, wonder why they are and the 325 is not, maybe more 275's are sold.
I would personally hold out for the MT if you can Royce, the hoosiers look like a good choice and apparently work well, but they are basically a radial slick, and they don't last long I have heard. I can't see any tire out there that can pull double duty with ease like the M/T. Cars are going 7's on the 275, and cutting killer 60' times in the process, and you can drive them all over with no drama. I have driven mine in the rain (granted not much and not deliberately...) and they actually work fine. In the dry you really don't notice any crazy sidewall flex or anything. Mine have worn very well too.
Not being in stock is a joke, but beyond that they are the ticket for a mostly street/ sometimes strip car , in my opinion.

Sean,
I agree with you and that's why I really want to run the M/T's. I can hold off for a while longer. I still have work to do on the firewall before I re-install the sub-frame. This will take a week or two. After that, the tires will become an issue and I will have to do something. Looks like it might even have to be BFG Drag Radials.

I think M/T is also trying to find a new supplier to work with as well. Unless this is the only size they are running out of, I suspect this will hurt business.

I started running the Hoosiers last year. They hook incredible. I drive 10 miles to the track. They state not for any road use at all and I actually talked to someone from Hoosier and they said the same. They seem like they are wearing pretty quick. For more of a street car probably not the way to go. I'll never buy anything else but them since they work so well on my car at the track. I've never spun since installing them even hitting the spray off the line with 1.3x 60's.

Royce..here is a link of a car with the 325 Nitto's...look pretty fat!

http://www.camaroz28.com/forums/showthread.php?t=549543

Doug,
Thanks for the input and real life experience. I will trust your judgement.

Ron,
The Nitto's in the link you posted do look nice but, I was going off the measurements from Summit Racings website. I used the compare feature and the Hoosiers are the closest followed by the BFG's as far as tread width and section width compared to the M/T's The good news is I might have a line on a set of M/T 325/50's I should know by Monday shop out of La. is supposed to have some and he said he would call me Monday morning.

Well the saga is over. My tires arrived last night. The company that finally came through is called Madman & Co, Racing Inc. They are in Louisiana, very good people to deal with. The price was cheaper than Summit (of course I paid more for shipping). I don't know who their supplier is but, they had no problem getting me the tires.

Well the saga is over. My tires arrived last night. The company that finally came through is called Madman & Co, Racing Inc. They are in Louisiana, very good people to deal with. The price was cheaper than Summit (of course I paid more for shipping). I don't know who their supplier is but, they had no problem getting me the tires.

:hurray: Glad for you Royce!!!.....you finally got those M/T's:yes:.

David F.