PRI 2011: Mickey Thompson Working on New Pro Mod and X275 Tire

The 10.5W’s sidewall profile works; it just flattens the tire out on the launch, hooks, and it goes.  The current Pro Mod tire can sometimes act like a spring on launch, and we are redesigning it to work more like the 10.5W.

While there might not have been a new race tire to look at in the PRI booth this year, there was certainly enough talk about a new big tire designed for classes like ADRL Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous categories in the Mickey Thompson Tires booth this year.

To the untrained eye the two photos above might look similar, but they are far from it.  The tire on the left is Mickey Thompson’s 10.5W tire while on the right is their 14-inch Pro Mod tire.  Pay special attention to the sidewall profile of these tires and you will see that the tread-to-sidewall curve has a gradual taper, while the big tire is sharper.

Mickey Thompson’s Carl Robinson says, “The 10.5W’s sidewall profile works; it just flattens the tire out on the launch, hooks, and it goes.  The current Pro Mod tire can sometimes act like a spring on launch, and we are redesigning it to work more like the 10.5W.”  Keep an eye out for the new 34.5×14 Pro Mod tire that is designed for 16-inch wheels.

Also in development is a new drag radial designed specifically for the X275 racing classes. “The tire is DOT legal, though we will print it right on the sidewall that we do not recommend it for street use,” says Robinson. “The current 275 radial tire is a true steel belted radial tire, while the newest version will be pushing away from that and go to a lighter, better hooking class legal drag radial tire.”

For more, check out Mickey Thompson’s Website.

We’re excited to see how this tire shakes up the competition!

 

About the author

Mark Gearhart

In 1995 Mark started photographing drag races at his once local track, Bradenton Motorsports Park. He became hooked and shot virtually every series at the track until 2007 until he moved to California and began working as a writer for Power Automedia. He was the founding editor for its first online magazines, and transitioned into the role of editorial director role in 2014. Retiring from the company in 2016, Mark continues to expand his career as a car builder, automotive enthusiast, and freelance journalist to provide featured content and technical expertise.
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