Tire and wheel?

[RonJ]

I'm going to be replacing the wheels and tires soon. I'm currently running 245/50-16 front and 275/50-16 rear. Due to the lack of replacements for the rear (closest I can find is 255's) for some reason the rears seem to wear out faster ;-) I'm looking at moving up to 17's. Any suggestions on sizes??

[RonJ]

hhmmm..nobody running 17's or what?

[redunique]

I also have 16" wheels and replaced my rear tires with Mickey Thompson 315/45/16 drag radials. They really grip well in accelerating but a bit soft in the corners. Overall, I'm very satisfied with them so far.

[RonJ]

Thanks redunique, They're not too far off. Maybe it won't mess with my setup too much. I am so thrilled with the characteristics of the current setup I don't want to mess with it too much. Here's a comparision of the 2.

Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
315/45-16 5.6in 13.6in 27.2in 85.3in 743 0.0%
275/50-16 5.4in 13.4in 26.8in 84.3in 752 -1.2%

[BADFAST]

RonJ, Sorry I can't help you with your tire issue, I wanted to ask you if you had any experience with 15" wheels? I'm trying to put a set of 245/60/15 on the front and 295/50/15 on the rear. The problem is that I cannot find the rears (BFG's radial GTs). I just might have to go with some Coopers although I have already bought the fronts. Any advice would help.

[RonJ]

BFG must have decided there is not much of a market for these tire and stopped production. I'm sure you have probably looked but here is a link to what the tire rack has in your size.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp?width=295%2F&ratio=50&diameter=15&startIndex=0&search=true&pagelen=20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&RunFlat=All&x=78&y=10

Looks like I am going to go with the MT's

[Naumoff]

RonJ, Sorry I can't help you with your tire issue, I wanted to ask you if you had any experience with 15" wheels? I'm trying to put a set of 245/60/15 on the front and 295/50/15 on the rear. The problem is that I cannot find the rears (BFG's radial GTs). I just might have to go with some Coopers although I have already bought the fronts. Any advice would help.

I going with a set of 15" Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R Radials for the street when I replace my Firestones.

And I just ordered a set of Goodyear "Billboards" to replace my set of slicks.

I am afraid that the selection of 15" tires will be fewer and fewer as time goes on. :(

[arrowdriver]

Does anyone run non-DOT racing tires? You can buy the ones made specially for Cobras. I figure that if they are good for 200 mph on the track they probably are good at 80 on the highway.

Thoughts?

[arrowdriver]

Another question on tires, what do you do for a "spare"?

[Master]

I purchased Avons and installed them this spring. I ran the car at Mid Ohio and was very happy with the performance. They are z rated dot tires but they are pricey. Standard sizes are available for the 15" tires. I think they sell for about $1300 a set but piece of mind has no price.

http://www.avonracing.com/road_legal_page.asp

[Naumoff]

Another question on tires, what do you do for a "spare"?
Tire plug kit, 12 volt air compressor, fixaflate, and cell phone.

[Tony Radford]

I recently bought all new BFG rubber for my 16s. I went 245s on the front and 295s on the rear. I think 16s look great on these cars.