Performance Tires and Wheels

Performance Tires for Street, Strip, and Track

Performance tires use stickier compounds and stiffer construction than standard all-season tires, so you get more grip and sharper steering response. Pick yours by where you drive most. Street tires need DOT approval and enough tread for rain, while track tires trade tread depth and wear life for dry grip.

Low-profile tires reduce sidewall flex, which tightens turn-in and keeps the contact patch flat in hard corners. Toyo Tires covers several of these uses. The Proxes R888R and Proxes RA1 are DOT-approved competition tires for track days and autocross.

For trucks, the Open Country A/T III handles mixed pavement and trail driving, while the Open Country M/T is built for mud and rock. Shop all performance tires by size and type. Then add tire accessories like tire covers to protect your set between events.

How to Choose Performance Wheels That Fit

The right performance wheels match your hub, brakes, and suspension, so check fitment before you pick a style. Five measurements decide whether a wheel bolts on and clears everything:

• Bolt pattern sets the lug count and the diameter of the circle they sit on.
• Diameter determines brake clearance and which tire sizes you can run.
• Width controls how wide a tire you can mount.
• Offset and backspacing place the wheel in or out of the fender well.
• Center bore has to fit over your hub so the wheel seats flat.

Enter your car or truck in the Add a Vehicle tool to filter results to wheels that fit. Aluminum wheels cut unsprung and rotating mass, which helps acceleration, braking, and ride control. If you're building a drag car, read our guide on what size racing wheels to run for drag racing before you order.

Drag Racing Tires: Drag Radials vs. Slicks

Drag radials are DOT street-legal radials built for hard launches, while slicks are track-only tires made for maximum traction on a prepped surface. Choose radials if you drive to the track or race in a radial class. Choose slicks if your car rides on a trailer and you're chasing lower ETs.

Mickey Thompson builds the Pro Drag Radial for street-driven cars that need launch traction. Hoosier offers drag slicks for dedicated race cars, plus the Quick Time Pro and drag radials for cars that see both street and strip. Either style needs the right air pressure and a good burnout to heat the tire before staging.

Many racers run drag tire tubes inside slicks to help hold air at low launch pressures. For construction, pressure, and class details, see our drag radials vs. slicks guide.

Racing Wheels and Aftermarket Wheel Brands

Racing wheels and aftermarket wheels come in styles for drag cars, classic hot rods, late-model muscle, and trucks, so match the brand to your build. Weld Racing makes lightweight drag wheels like the Draglite, Prostar, and AlumaStar 2.0. American Racing offers the Torq Thrust and Outlaw for a vintage hot rod look, and Mickey Thompson adds the Classic III.

Ridler Wheels sells the 650, 652, and 695 Series for street-performance builds. OE Wheels makes Corvette-style C5, C6, and C7 replicas, plus truck wheels like the CA90, CA91, and DG21. Check width and backspacing against your tire size before you order.

Ford Performance factory wheel kits cover the 6th Gen Bronco, Mustang Mach 1 and Dark Horse, F-150 Tremor, and Ranger Raptor. Some are beadlock-capable wheels, so you can add wheel bead-lock rings for low-pressure trail driving.

Wheel Accessories, Lug Nuts, and Wheel Spacers

The right lug hardware and wheel accessories keep your wheels secure, sealed, and finished. Start with the hardware, since aftermarket wheels often need a different seat style or length than your factory parts. Shop lug nuts, lug bolts, locks, studs, and washers matched to your thread size and seat type, including wheel locks that protect expensive wheels from theft.

Adding longer studs for drag wheels or spacers? Learn how to measure wheel studs so you order the right length and thread. Use wheel adapters and spacers to push wheels out for clearance or a wider stance, or to run a different bolt pattern.

Finish the install with center caps, valve stems, and TPMS sensors that keep tire-pressure warnings working on newer vehicles. Browse all wheel accessories to complete your setup.