GT 40 Tires and Wheels Superformance

Does anyone have any suggestions for 16" tires and knock off wheels- looking for a high speed rating for the tires without going to a race only tire.
Thanks
 
Thanks.
I only suggested 16" as the speed rating on the 15" tires are very limited, unless you go to a racing tire. Do you think a 17" will fit with a decent sized tire ?
 
In the UK Image Wheels do 15, 16 & 17" in BRM style 3 piece rim
For tyres look at Kumho 225/50/16" front and 245/50/16" rear
Regards
Andy
 

Kirby Schrader

They're mostly silver
Lifetime Supporter
Does anyone have any suggestions for 16" tires and knock off wheels- looking for a high speed rating for the tires without going to a race only tire.
Thanks

As others have indicated, I think 17" will be your option. I got mine from Vintage Wheels.

:: Welcome To Vintage Wheels ::

I guess you have a MkI?

Pics of my MkII with the 17" are on my website. I used Michelin Pilots.

FWIW,
Kirby
 
What size tires front and rear?
I have a MK II I think I will go with 17" wheels Halibrand look a likes.
Thanks
 

Kirby Schrader

They're mostly silver
Lifetime Supporter
What size tires front and rear?
I have a MK II I think I will go with 17" wheels Halibrand look a likes.
Thanks

The rears are 335/35
The fronts are 245/40

I should really update and mention that on my website, shouldn't I?
:idea:

Regards,
Kirby
 
Kirby,
I am going to order the wheels from Vintage. Could you please give me the part numbers for the front and rear wheels.
Thanks, Larry
 

Kirby Schrader

They're mostly silver
Lifetime Supporter
Kirby,
I am going to order the wheels from Vintage. Could you please give me the part numbers for the front and rear wheels.
Thanks, Larry

Larry,

They are the HA17's you see here.
:: Welcome To Vintage Wheels ::

I highly recommend you call them and tell them what you want and what you are putting the wheels on. When I talked to them prior to making the order, he informed me that there is an extra machining process they do for the wheels to fit the SPF GT40 properly. I forget the details now, and if I remember correctly, it's another $200 or so....

Very pleasant people to deal with, the wheels arrived within the time stated and they fit as advertised when I got them and I have no complaints about the quality. Just noticed he has my car featured in the pictures section!

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Regards,
Kirby
 
Larry,

They are the HA17's you see here.
:: Welcome To Vintage Wheels ::

Those are certainly nice wheels, but they're replicas of Cobra Halibrand wheels. The GT40 Halibrand wheels were different. Doesn't anybody make 17-inch GT40 Halibrand-style wheels? :huh:

BTW, for those who can't spot the difference, here's a beautiful close-up photo of a proper GT40 wheel. Note the additional ribbing between the hub and the outermost windows. When viewed from the side, they look like wine glasses....

2008-Shelby-85th-Commemorative-GT40-Halibrand-Wheels-1280x960.jpg
 
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Does anyone have any suggestions for 16" tires and knock off wheels- looking for a high speed rating for the tires without going to a race only tire.
Thanks

I forgot to mention that 16-inch speed-rated tires are impossible to find in GT40-appropriate sizes. You think 15-inch wheels are orphans? That's nothing compared to 16-inch wheels, which might as well have never existed, as far as the tire manufacturers are concerned.

The biggest you'll find is a 255/60-15, and there are only a couple of those available.

Tire Search Results

There are matching front tires available as well.

But in any case, it's academic--you can't find appropriate wheels (even Cobra wheels) in 16-inch, I don't think. If you want modern rubber, you're committed to 17-inch.
 
As Mike wrote, the Vintage halibrand's are made for the Cobra's so make sure they are machined for your application, which I am sure they can do. My wheels were ordered from Image UK and are more like, if not the same as the 'wine glass' halibrands.


Chris
 
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As Mike wrote, the Vintage halibrand's are made for the Cobra's so make sure they are machined for your application, which I am sure they can do. My wheels were ordered from Image UK and are more like, if not the same as the 'wine glass' halibrands.


Chris

Link please? :D
 
Those are certainly nice wheels, but they're replicas of Cobra Halibrand wheels. The GT40 Halibrand wheels were different. Doesn't anybody make 17-inch GT40 Halibrand-style wheels? :huh:

BTW, for those who can't spot the difference, here's a beautiful close-up photo of a proper GT40 wheel. Note the additional ribbing between the hub and the outermost windows. When viewed from the side, they look like wine glasses....

2008-Shelby-85th-Commemorative-GT40-Halibrand-Wheels-1280x960.jpg

Not trying to hijack the thread here, but if anyone noticed.. the front tires in this photo are the BFGoodrich Drag Radials. Does anyone have personal experience running the BFGoodrich Drag Radials as front tires? It's my understanding that drag radials are less than ideal for street tires, let alone front tires. Thoughts?
 

Rick Muck- Mark IV

GT40s Sponsor
Supporter
The drag radial thing has been discussed here and on clubcobra. Some guys love 'em on the road and others not so much. I question the effectiveness of a drag radial in cornering. The corner forces they generate are due to the soft compound, not the carcass/tread design. I would suspect a lot of heat buildup in hard (track day) in the sidewalls as they are made to flex to allow the tread surface to stay in contact with the dragstrip, not to resist sidewall deflection and "rollover" on the street or hard track use.
 

Randy V

Moderator-Admin
Staff member
Admin
Lifetime Supporter
I've polled a number of people in the Cobra world and a few in the GT40 world - It seems that a number of them run the DOT Drag Radials on their cars in Autocross as well as high speed track days with no ill effects whatsoever. Matter of fact - they like them a lot! Apparently the sizes that we would run are really made to support much more weight (larger cars) than what our cars weigh..
It is an option that I am exploring as I've still not yet made up my mind on running a +2 or Gulf flairs on my car..

Now - can anyone tell me what the color code is on those Gold Wheel centers? THAT is the perfect wheel center color for me...
 
Now - can anyone tell me what the color code is on those Gold Wheel centers? THAT is the perfect wheel center color for me...

Talk to Superformance dealers that are handling Shelby-badged cars. That color scheme seems to be a 'standard' one on their replicas of the #2 '66 Le Mans winner, and I've seen at least 2-3 examples, all painted exactly the same, including these wheels.
 
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