For a long time, the daddy of street performance tires in the US market was the
Michelin Pilot MXX3. They were introduced in '94. They were practically slicks with rain grooves cut in them. Sadly, they only lasted 6-12k miles, depending on how you drove and they were flat scary in the wet, so Michelin replaced them with the
Pilot Sport in '97, --which greatly improved longevity and wet traction-- was and still is a good tire, though never quite as good as the originals. Despite that, the Pilot Sport is a hugely successful OE tire and come mounted on just about every high-end sports car.
Then Bridgestone stepped up with the
S02 Pole Position which was a step better in every way than the Pilot Sport. The tire actually had two compounds and in fact maintained its stickiness as you wore them in, despite the number of heat cycles that come with age. I never had a chance to try these tires on my own car, but have driven them on friends' cars and they are terrific.
These two were pretty much consistantly the top performance street tires for a few years. The BFG
gForce T/A KD became a contender a few years ago, but never quite caught on. I've never tried them (I had a set of BFG R1 race compound for auto-x), but people I've talked to told me the early versions of the tire gripped like leeches, but let go abruptly, making them a little tough to drive fast.
The
P-Zero system had its hayday in the early ninties and were outclassed by the S02 and Pilot Sport. Even the updated
P-Zero Russo really didn't give the line any advantages over the top dogs. The Yokohama
AVS Sport was a good tire, epecially for the price and I had a set on my '95 M3. They were and still are, 90% the performance of the competition at almost 60% of the price.
Some people might have you believe the Continental
SportContact is a max performance tire. They lie.
Bridgestone eventually replaced the S02 PP with the
S-03, though some people complained about ride harshness and excessive noise and that the S02s were better.
Kumho stepped up with the
Ecsta MX a few years ago. IMO, this tire makes the AVS Sport completely redundant. It is half the price of the Pilot and S03 and 95% as good. I had these on my '98 M3 and was deeply impressed.
Michelin replaced the Pilot Sport with the
Pilot Sport PS2 early this year. While the tire is still very new, the reports are pretty favorable and it looks to be the new top dog.
The last street tire is the Falken
Azenis Sport. This is something of a cult tire, since it is not widely known. It is, in many ways, like the original Pilot MXX3: a racing slick with grooves cut in them. They extremely stiff and very heavy. They are hardcore tires and they don't last very long. They also rule in terms of pure performance. In SCCA street tire class racing, it is practically the spec tire. Nothing for the street can approach them for grip.
The next stop is the Yokohama
A032R, which is a barely street legal and in fact, just a pure race tire with a harder compound and some rain grooves. The A032R is not legal in SCCA street tire classes. Neither are the Kumho
V700,
Pilot Sport Cup or
P-Zero Corsa, which are DOT-T legal, but only in name. For R compound road race and autocross, one word:
Hoosier. Nothing else needs to be said.
Anyway, here's my short history of popular top performance tires in the North American market for the last 10 years. Hope I haven't missed any.
As for drag racing; I haven't the faintest idea. I try not to drive anywhere in a straight line
M
) and they have proven to be a very competent tire. They are not as sticky and the sidewall seems less stiff than the BFG's, but the Fuldas are pretty close to the BFG's. Oh, and the Fuldas, they don't look as cool. 
However, the Fuldas will last a bit longer and are a bit quieter.
