Atturo AZ850DR Review: Drag Radials Without the Drag Radial Price

Wait — that title isn't quite right. The Atturo AZ850DR isn't the cheapest drag radial on the market. At $470-677 per tire, it's actually more expensive than some established options from Mickey Thompson and Nitto. So why would you buy it?

Because the AZ850DR covers sizes that nobody else does. And for a growing number of high-performance car owners, that's worth every penny.

What Is a Drag Radial?

If you're reading this article, you probably already know. But for the uninitiated: a drag radial is a street-legal tire with a compound and construction optimized for straight-line traction. The rubber is softer and stickier than a standard tire, designed to hook up on launch and put power to the ground.

Traditional drag slicks aren't street-legal — you trailer your car to the strip, swap tires, run, and swap back. Drag radials let you drive to the track, run competitive times, and drive home. Some people daily drive them (more on that later).

What Makes the AZ850DR Different?

Size Coverage Is the Story

Here's the real value proposition of the AZ850DR. Look at the sizes available:

• 275/35R18
• 305/30R19
• 275/40R20
• 305/30R20
• 315/30R20
• 275/35R22
• 285/30R22
• 305/25R22
• 335/25R22

Those 20" and 22" sizes are significant. The modern muscle car and high-performance market has moved to large-diameter wheels. A new Dodge Challenger Hellcat comes on 20s. A Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing runs 19s. Many aftermarket builds are on 22s.

The traditional drag radial market — dominated by Mickey Thompson ET Street and Nitto NT555R2 — focuses heavily on 15"-17" sizes for the classic muscle car crowd. When you need a drag radial in 305/30R20 or 335/25R22, your options shrink dramatically.

The AZ850DR fills that gap. It's one of the few drag radials available in these modern, large-diameter sizes.

Street-Legal Daily Driving

The AZ850DR is DOT-approved and street-legal. You can run these as your daily tires if you want — though with some important caveats:

• Tread life is short. The soft compound that provides traction at the strip wears faster than a standard tire. Don't expect 40,000 km.
• Wet traction is limited. Drag radial compounds prioritize dry grip. In heavy rain, you'll feel the difference.
• They're loud compared to regular tires. The compound and construction create more road noise.

That said, some owners do daily them, especially on high-powered cars where the extra traction is welcome even in street driving. A 700+ HP Hellcat on regular tires is basically a controlled tire fire. On AZ850DRs, it actually puts the power down.

Price Comparison

Here's where it gets interesting:

Yes, the AZ850DR is more expensive per tire than a Mickey Thompson or Nitto. But this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison. If you need a drag radial in 305/30R19 or 335/25R22, the Mickey Thompson doesn't come in that size. The Nitto might cover some of these sizes but selection is limited.

The AZ850DR isn't competing on price — it's competing on availability. It fills a size gap that leaves many modern performance car owners with zero options for drag radials.

Who Needs the AZ850DR?

Modern Muscle Car Owners

If you're running a Hellcat, GT500, ZL1, or similar high-powered modern muscle car on 19" or 20" wheels, the AZ850DR is one of your only drag radial options without downsizing your wheels.

Luxury Performance Builds

The growing segment of high-powered luxury cars — think tuned AMG, M-car, or RS models on 20"+ wheels — often want drag strip capability without swapping to smaller wheels. The 22" options are specifically targeted at this market.

Street/Strip Builds on Modern Platforms

If you've built a high-horsepower car on a modern platform with 20"+ wheels and you want to run at the drag strip without maintaining a separate set of wheels and tires, the AZ850DR lets you do that.

Show Car Owners

Let's be real: some people buy drag radials because they look aggressive and signal that the car makes serious power. The AZ850DR on 22" wheels on a blacked-out Challenger or Charger looks menacing.

Track Performance

The AZ850DR uses a sticky compound designed to heat up quickly and provide maximum traction during a quarter-mile pass. The construction supports the violent weight transfer of a hard launch without the tire deforming unpredictably.

For best results:

• Warm them up — a quick burnout before staging gets the compound into its optimal temperature window
• Proper air pressure matters — drag radials are typically run at lower pressures (16-22 PSI) to maximize contact patch
• Surface prep helps — a prepped track surface will always produce better results than cold, unprepped concrete

The AZ850DR isn't designed to compete with a full slick on a prepped track. It's designed to give you serious traction improvement over a street tire while remaining legal for the drive to and from the strip.

The Verdict

The AZ850DR occupies a unique niche. It's not the cheapest drag radial — it's the drag radial that exists in sizes where others don't. For modern performance car owners on 18"-22" wheels who want drag strip capability, it solves a problem that Mickey Thompson and Nitto haven't fully addressed.

At $470-677 per tire, it's serious money. But if you're running a car with enough power to need drag radials, the tire cost is probably not your biggest expense. And having a drag radial option that fits your wheels without downsizing? That's worth the premium.

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