[Cat_On_Tren]

Deciding whether I should keep my rear factory wheels or not. I have a set of 20x10.5 replica wheels with 305/35/20 drag radials around them now on the back of my car. I want to use a set of wheels and tires for the track only. Should I use my exisiting 20x10.5 reps with drag radials for the track and put the rear stock size wheels and tires back on or use my exisiting 20x10.5/ 305-35-20 wheel/tire setup and sell the stockers for some dedicated track wheels?

I was thinking of doing it this way but not sure if I'd like going from a 20x10.5/ 305-35-20 rear wheel tire setup and going back down to stock wheel and 275 tire size. Nothing wrong with that of course but 305 in the rear seems to look better than 275's and would hook better on the street given the fact that it's a wider tire.

I've heard of some of you getting in the 10's with a simple setup of running 20x10.5 replica wheels and 305/35/20 drag wheels on a stock Cat in the rear. My Cat is still stock and like to have it in the 10's. What would be the optimal setup?

 

[nate-roth]

A few (as in not many) guys with stock Hellcats have made the 20's work with good track prep, a whole bunch more experienced frustration trying to get the 20's to hook. Everyone (as in everybody) who uses a 17" wheel with an MT ET Street R or Hoosier DBR hooks all the time at stock power levels unless there is something pretty wrong with the track prep or serious driver error. At stock power levels once you learn how to do a burn out, stage the car in the groove, utilize the correct drive mode settings, and get a few laps under your belt you will 100% hook every time on the 17's and should run high 10's year round like clockwork.

Many guys also hook all the time at stock power levels with 18's and ET R's, but if your going to use these wheels for track only and don't mind getting the shorter sway bar end links you might as well go with the 17's, you may not stay stock power forever...

I have a set of MT ET Street SS 305/35/20's on 20x10.5 replicas for street driving and a pair of 17's with Hoosier DBR for the track and the difference in traction is night and day, it's not even close. Not to mention the 20's are extremely prone to wheel hop at the track which can cause major driveline damage.

 

[nate-roth]

And btw, it does not make sense to sell the stockers just pack them away in case you want to trade the car in down the road. Keep the 20" replicas and run a Nitto 555RII or MT ET SS for the street and get a set of 17"s for the track. This is the best way to enjoy the car on the street and the track, yes it is an investment but having the correct rubber for the street and track is by the best mod you can do bar none.

 

[Cat_On_Tren]

And btw, it does not make sense to sell the stockers just pack them away in case you want to trade the car in down the road. Keep the 20" replicas and run a Nitto 555RII or MT ET SS for the street and get a set of 17"s for the track. This is the best way to enjoy the car on the street and the track, yes it is an investment but having the correct rubber for the street and track is by the best mod you can do bar none.

Hi Nate really appreciate the good info you shared here. You are right I may not stay stock forever but I’m not entirely sure. I do have factory warranty on the car still so will definitely be stock for a while. I have 20/10.5 rep wheels with Nitto 555r2’s and have used them at the track. With a good burnout and sticky prep I could floor the car soon after I launch and get near low 11’s.

I’m sure with some practice I’d get lower 11’s as it was my first two trys at the track and when the cold months come and I may very likely be hitting 10’s with just that setup alone. I have always loved the thicker sidewall look in the rear of these cars and figure I go with a smaller wheel and for future use if I so happen to mod the car, well than if I were to get 17’s now, I’d be all set when the time comes when more traction is needed. You also mentioned I’d probably have to get shorter sway bar links and I'll have to research on all of that as that’s new to me. I wish there was a 17x10 wheel that required no modifications or spacers and just easily bolts right up.

By the way I was planning on selling the stock wheels for some coin for the 17” track wheels, just curious why doesn’t it make sense to sell them? Is that what some folks usually do once they get there rep wheels?

Also I was looking into trying the MT et ss tires next after these Nittos are done. Simply curious, how do you like those MT’s? Hows the traction and since you daily them have they been fine and what kind of mileage do you usually get out of them? Do they ride smooth since their a soft compound?

 

[nate-roth]

It's helpful to mention your 60', ET and MPH from your time slips to discuss how much better the 17's might be. To run a 10 second pass consistently with stock power your going to need to 60' times in the 1.50's

In regards to the MT ET SS vs the 555R2 - the MT's are a tad bit stickier, last me about 5-6K but that's driving pretty softly, ride smooth, are more visually appealing than the 555R2's and are more expensive. I've had both the 555R2 and the ET Street SS and think the R2's are a better street tire especially if you get caught in rain.

As far as keeping the stockers, it really does not matter- just interjecting my useless opinion really - they are a higher quality wheel than the replicas and murphy's law states that after you sell the OE wheels you will end up needing them back for some reason and end up paying more than you sold them for- at least that's been my experience.

If your car is a narrow body, these JMS Savage $160 are a direct bolt on with shorter end links,, work really well with ET Street R 305/45/17- shorter sway bar end links are super simple to install and I highly, highly doubt your dealer would ever notice them. - JMS Challenger Savage Series Black Chrome Wheel; Rear Only; 17x10 S1710626DX (08-21 All, Excluding AWD)

If you don't want to run the shorter sway bar links you can run 18" replicas with ET Street R 305/45/18 - they will net you 60' in the 1.50's almost as well as the 17's on stock power.

 

[Cat_On_Tren]

It's helpful to mention your 60', ET and MPH from your time slips to discuss how much better the 17's might be. To run a 10 second pass consistently with stock power your going to need to 60' times in the 1.50's

In regards to the MT ET SS vs the 555R2 - the MT's are a tad bit stickier, last me about 5-6K but that's driving pretty softly, ride smooth, are more visually appealing than the 555R2's and are more expensive. I've had both the 555R2 and the ET Street SS and think the R2's are a better street tire especially if you get caught in rain.

As far as keeping the stockers, it really does not matter- just interjecting my useless opinion really - they are a higher quality wheel than the replicas and murphy's law states that after you sell the OE wheels you will end up needing them back for some reason and end up paying more than you sold them for- at least that's been my experience.

If your car is a narrow body, these JMS Savage $160 are a direct bolt on with shorter end links,, work really well with ET Street R 305/45/17- shorter sway bar end links are super simple to install and I highly, highly doubt your dealer would ever notice them. - JMS Challenger Savage Series Black Chrome Wheel; Rear Only; 17x10 S1710626DX (08-21 All, Excluding AWD)

If you don't want to run the shorter sway bar links you can run 18" replicas with ET Street R 305/45/18 - they will net you 60' in the 1.50's almost as well as the 17's on stock power.

Thanks for the link, I will look into those wheels as well as some 18's incase but I'm also looking at the 17x10 D5's too since they match the look of my black 5 spoke stock wheels. Ever had the Forgestar D5's by chance?

And no useless opinion here brother so far it's been helpful, if there is a good reason to keep the stock wheels then let me know because maybe I might, for whatever that reason is as I will possibly keep this car for a while.

I'm surprised the MT's are just a tad bit stickier as I thought they would be a big improvement. Other than dealing with them in the rain is there anything else about them that make you prefer the 555R2 for the street?

I believe my 60' was 1.8xx. ET was around 11.4xx and MPH at 122. These are recent numbers on a couple of first trys at the track in hot and humid weather with a DA around 2100-2200 I think.

 

[nate-roth]

Usually you gain .125-.15 ET for every .1 drop in the 60'. So if you get a 1.5 instead of a 1.8 60' you should run a very high 10 or 11.0 ish. 122 is barely enough MPH to represent a modern car being able to hit 10's. Most stock full weight Hellcats do not hot 10's at the track, contrary to what you read on forums. Most run mid 11's or so, esepcially in the heat and humidity- we see them run every week in the mid to high 11's. DA down here is 2400-2800 this time of year in Houston. The Hellcats are also pretty humidity sensitive.

Wallace racing has a bunch of really valuabe, accurate calaculators - here is a calculator that will show what the car can run in spring/fall DA's Calculate Sea Level ET from Density Altitude (DA) - Wallace Racing. Your 11.45 run at 122 in 2100 DA converts to 11.28 at 124 at seal level DA.

Forgestar DB5 are probably the most used wheels at the track, my two track buddies run them, they are good and easy to mount/dismount. Main thing with 17's is to mount them on the car, crawl under and zip tie your active suspenison wires going to each shock out of the way. It's very common for guys to mount 17's and the shock wire rubs on the tire/rim and gets chewed up, happened to me. It's not an expensive repair, re solder the wires, etc. - but I'm sure we all have better things to do then solder tiny ass little wires back together because we did not zip tie them out of the way.

Is your car a standard HC or Redye? You should set your car to power - 700+, trans sport or track, traction control sport, suspension street, steering whatever you want. If your car has the race interchiller option use it in the staging lanes to keep intercooler coolsnt temps down. Let the car coll down with the hood up for 30-45 mins between runs.

The Nitto 555R2 used to be quite a bit less expensive than the ET Street SS, but the prices have recenlty went up to around $360 fro the Nitto's, the MT's are $400. I think the tire tread design and the sidewall graphics look much better on the MT's than the Nittos. Go for the MT's since you already have had the Nitto's, your curiosoty won't be satisfied until you have had both - I know the feeling. Neither are worth a crap at the track if you enjoy racing and plan on going more than a few times a year. We enjoy racing a lot, make it out to the track 2-4 times per month so tires matter to us.

 

[Cat_On_Tren]

Usually you gain .125-.15 ET for every .1 drop in the 60'. So if you get a 1.5 instead of a 1.8 60' you should run a very high 10 or 11.0 ish. 122 is barely enough MPH to represent a modern car being able to hit 10's. Most stock full weight Hellcats do not hot 10's at the track, contrary to what you read on forums. Most run mid 11's or so, esepcially in the heat and humidity- we see them run every week in the mid to high 11's. DA down here is 2400-2800 this time of year in Houston. The Hellcats are also pretty humidity sensitive.

Wallace racing has a bunch of really valuabe, accurate calaculators - here is a calculator that will show what the car can run in spring/fall DA's Calculate Sea Level ET from Density Altitude (DA) - Wallace Racing. Your 11.45 run at 122 in 2100 DA converts to 11.28 at 124 at seal level DA.

Forgestar DB5 are probably the most used wheels at the track, my two track buddies run them, they are good and easy to mount/dismount. Main thing with 17's is to mount them on the car, crawl under and zip tie your active suspenison wires going to each shock out of the way. It's very common for guys to mount 17's and the shock wire rubs on the tire/rim and gets chewed up, happened to me. It's not an expensive repair, re solder the wires, etc. - but I'm sure we all have better things to do then solder tiny ass little wires back together because we did not zip tie them out of the way.

Is your car a standard HC or Redye? You should set your car to power - 700+, trans sport or track, traction control sport, suspension street, steering whatever you want. If your car has the race interchiller option use it in the staging lanes to keep intercooler coolsnt temps down. Let the car coll down with the hood up for 30-45 mins between runs.

The Nitto 555R2 used to be quite a bit less expensive than the ET Street SS, but the prices have recenlty went up to around $360 fro the Nitto's, the MT's are $400. I think the tire tread design and the sidewall graphics look much better on the MT's than the Nittos. Go for the MT's since you already have had the Nitto's, your curiosoty won't be satisfied until you have had both - I know the feeling. Neither are worth a crap at the track if you enjoy racing and plan on going more than a few times a year. We enjoy racing a lot, make it out to the track 2-4 times per month so tires matter to us.

Great tips you shared here and yes I pretty much do all of what you mentioned to do at the track. I have a standard 2.62 narrow body stock power Hellcat Challenger. Always set my custom settings to Track transmission Sport-traction Street-suspension when at the track and leave the hood open as often as I can when waiting in the staging lanes.

My car is a 2019 so it does have the race cool down option so I take full advantage of that. I don't think I have the interchiller option unless that's the same thing.

I enjoy racing as well and will be going to the track as often as I can. If I go often enough I may as well jump to the MT street R tires.

You mentioned your buddies have the 17" D5 wheels, do they happen to have any pics of them? From research that I've done a 17" street r tire seems to be a bit shorter in height than say an 18" street r. So I'm gunna assume it will look smaller and expose more wheel gap?

Since I'm sure you seen your buddies setup, did the 17" tire look a bit short and odd?

I believe the 17x10 wheel will help get off the line better and have better gearing from what I hear but I have yet to see how a 17" tire looks on a Challenger to judge for myself if it looks a little short and odd as that would bother me a bit. I have seen a 315/50/17 on WB Redeye and that thick 50 sidewall tire height filled up the wheel wells nicely and looks great.

 

[nate-roth]

I think it's only the Redeyes that have the power inter chiller. When you put the car in track mode the fans come on full, the A/C vents will blow warm air as the A/C system is being used to cool the inter cooler coolant temps. It works ok- if you can watch the intercooler fluid temps go about 15 deg below ambient when driving, in the staging lanes probably 4-8 deg below ambient. My buddies car has an aftermarket AI interchiller and his temps get down to 30-40 deg.

I don't have any pictures of the 17's with the 305's they are a 28" tire, the 315/50 is 30', the 305/45/18 is 29". Aesthetically I think any rear drag wheel used with the front stock wheels looks "weird" to most, nobody at the track really cares. Running front and rear drag set-up looks good with either the 28" or 30" tires. The 18" bravado tribute wheels with the 305/45/18 looks pretty dam stock if you have that style of front wheel, I'm not sure what that style is called - it's the stock 2015-2017 HC wheel I believe. I have the 2019 5 spoke design so there is not really a matching rear 18" that I know of.

I still run stock front wheels but will probably move to a full Forgestar DB5 set-up this year with 18X5 and 17X10 rear. Weld just came out with a new series of wheel called the "Ventura" line, it's priced close to the Forgestars, a Camaro ZL1 at the track last night had them and they looked great, looked just like the quality of the other Weld wheels but considerably cheaper, impressive. Hopefully they end up, or already are making the Ventura's for Challengers, I would buy these over Forgestars if available.

 

[Cat_On_Tren]

I believe the 2015-2017 Hellcats wheels are the slingshot wheels. I'm not 100% sure though. I have the 2019 5 spoke design as well that's why I was thinking of the D5 Forgestars to look somewhat similar but as a track only tire I'm not too picky in trying to match.

That Ventura line wheel you mentioned looks pretty good, heck if they make them for us I'm definitely all for it.

Really appreciate all the great tips and advice you shared my friend. I can see your passion in this and it was such a pleasure reading all this informative info you shared here. I do wish you all the very best.