Let's talk about tires

Ok, I'll bite.

M&H Racemaster 390/45r15 Drag Radials on 15X14s on rear, and BF Goodrich G-Force Rival S 225/45r15s on 15x8s on front. (used to run Yokohama Advan A048s on the fort but they wear waaaay too fast to use on the street)

My 2cents, S
 

Chris Kouba

Supporter
A more traditional 15 x 8 up front, 15 x 10 in the back, all of which are shod with 10 year old BFG Comp T/A's. Now that I am putting real mileage on the car, I am starting to think about what will replace them but I am at a loss to find something in the current 205/60 & 295/50 sizes.

Any suggestions?

Chris
 
A more traditional 15 x 8 up front, 15 x 10 in the back, all of which are shod with 10 year old BFG Comp T/A's. Now that I am putting real mileage on the car, I am starting to think about what will replace them but I am at a loss to find something in the current 205/60 & 295/50 sizes.

Any suggestions?

Chris

Avons
 

Doug S.

The protoplasm may be 72, but the spirit is 32!
Lifetime Supporter
Now that I am putting real mileage on the car, I am starting to think about what will replace them but I am at a loss to find something in the current 205/60 & 295/50 sizes.

Any suggestions?

Chris

You might want to look at Mickey Thompson tires...available in a wide range of sizes, and in both radial and bias ply.

I am ditching my Cobra's 20 year old BFG T/A's for a set...hoping to, anyway...there might be a mismatch in rim width...rather than buy new wheels I would rather just go back on with new BFG's in the current sizes.

Cheers!!

Doug
 

Rick Muck- Mark IV

GT40s Sponsor
Supporter
You might want to look at Mickey Thompson tires...available in a wide range of sizes, and in both radial and bias ply.

I am ditching my Cobra's 20 year old BFG T/A's for a set...hoping to, anyway...there might be a mismatch in rim width...rather than buy new wheels I would rather just go back on with new BFG's in the current sizes.

Cheers!!

Doug

The M/T's don't come in GT40 appropriate sizes sadly. The best choice in 165s is the Avon.
 
So since we're discussing tires, anybody have experience, knowledge, or opinion on the Coker Firestone Indy Tire sized 920-15 and 1200-15? As shown on the Coker website, with a gold line and gold " Firestone" lettering it should look excellent on a 40. Will the size fit the car and is a gummy tire or lack of tread be an issue. Price wise they are in the neighborhood of the Avons. Information on the website references them as a GT40 type tire.
 

Chris Kouba

Supporter


I looked around but I could only seem to find the gold plated ones on line- like $450 a tire for the rears and $350 for the fronts. For that $'s, I'd hope they were many leagues above the BFG's.

Are there any intermediate options (price-wise)? Anyone ever try the Nittos with road course 205 fronts and drag 325 rears?

Those Cokers are more expensive than the Avons... Are they DOT rated?

Chris
 

Mike

Lifetime Supporter
My Avons have been on the car for at least 4K miles and still have a lot of tread left front and rear. I have gone down from 295s to 275s in the rear. If anyone would like to try the 295s I would sell them cheap if you pay for shipping. IMO the Avons are head and shoulders better than BFGs.
 

Julian

Lifetime Supporter
Okay, what about options for a 12" rear width and 10" front. I have both 15" and 16" dia. wheels and still struggling to find appropriate tires, the only option appearing to be Michelin TB15, which at a 335/35-15 are bit shorter in the rear than I would have liked. I'm actually considering hand grooving a set of slicks.

Julian
 
I am like Chris. I am getting ready to replace my Nittos (on the rear). The Drag radials are a sticky tire and they pick up a fair amount of gravel. Traction is extremely good. The problem is that Nitto has dropped the 325's in the 15" variety, unless someone has managed to find any. I think you can get them in the 17" tire. I don't particularly want to mix tires as the Extreme Performance 225's barely show wear. I have the 8 and 10" rims.

Bill
 
My car came with the Dunlop GT qualifiers. 295/50R15 rears and 225/50R15 fronts. Unfortunately the previous owner did not drive the car at all and I think they've been sitting too long. They feel hard and one of the rears has a flat spot in in. Extremely annoying drive... I have Mickeys on my Cobra. A reasonably priced good looking alternative to the Goodyear Billboards Bias plies. And I'm not buying new rears every 2000 miles.... I'm looking for a reasonable street tire. I think the AVON's look great, drive great, I run AVON's on my race car. Great rubber. But I don't want to pick up every stone on the road and buy new tires all the time. I drive my cars... a lot. It appears to be very difficult to find R15 tires in these sizes anymore. So anyone with recommendations for a street tire in those sizes, I'm all ears!
 

Rick Muck- Mark IV

GT40s Sponsor
Supporter
Gus,

We have GT owners running Avons who have over 10K on the tires (no track time) and still have legal tread. The Avons do toss some stones but not like the Goodyear race rubber.

Until someone comes out with tires that both fit the GT40 AND are decent the Avons are the best choice. Also 225s on the front can be problematic. Some 225s rub a lot and other only at full lock. Have you removed the steering limiters on your rack? Doing so will allow a much tighter turning radius but will not work with 225s. I had 225s on my MK II and with the limiters removed I rubbed at full lock but did gain a lot of maneuverability so I put up with it. I did replace the 225s (they were 50 series from the original owner) with 205/60s and gained the proper clearance and better look.

You can also cut the steering limiters to improve lock-to-lock but still prevent rubbing.
 
Thanks Rick, I have no rubbing. To be honest, I haven't checked for the limiters, present or not. I don't think they are on the Rack. Frankly, 10K miles is quite reasonable. So I may opt for the AVON's. And yes, picking up debris is a nuisance, so if the Avon's are not as bad as the Good Years, I guess I'll just have to spend a shit ton on Tires....
 

Rick Muck- Mark IV

GT40s Sponsor
Supporter
The limiters are inside the rack. If you cut the tie wrap on the big end of the boot and slide it out, they are white nylon and strapped to the end of the rack housing.
 
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