[jrunner]

Keep in mind if those bf Goodrich tires have hairline cracks they will blow out like a cheap tire. Learned my lesson twice on two separate vehicles going 60-70 mph both with body damage.. Check in between the tread.

[glhs#116]

I'll be honest. This is the bit that pisses me off the most. I would so buy a modern decent performance 15" tyre. I've got no interest in IMHO ruining the look of the thing with bigger different wheels. However, I do like traction. In England the roads are narrow and seldom straight. Traffic is fast. It's crazy having the kind of power a 455 HO gives with no traction aid other than the LSD going down to the road via some "nostalgia" tyres. Gimme a break. At least give me the option on something decent without FORCING me into 17" or larger wheels. I just don't want that.

(rant over)

Sam

[glhs#116]

By the way, the only V-rated rubber I can find in 245/60R15 and 275/60R15 seems to be the Vitour. Has anyone run this? Seems like it might be a more "modern" tyre..

(just link to this store from a Google search to show the tyre -- I'm not vouching for the store)
https://www.performanceplustire.com/...s/galaxy-r1-5/

Sam

[78w72]

Originally Posted by glhs#116

I'll be honest. This is the bit that pisses me off the most. I would so buy a modern decent performance 15" tyre. I've got no interest in IMHO ruining the look of the thing with bigger different wheels. However, I do like traction. In England the roads are narrow and seldom straight. Traffic is fast. It's crazy having the kind of power a 455 HO gives with no traction aid other than the LSD going down to the road via some "nostalgia" tyres. Gimme a break. At least give me the option on something decent without FORCING me into 17" or larger wheels. I just don't want that.

(rant over)

Sam

while no current normal size RWL 15" tires are "ultra performance" not many people want or need that top level of performance out of a 15" RWL tire for the average muscle/street car....

edit: looks like those Vitour tires at 149mph rating would be considered "ultra performance"... but at $125/tire that seems awfully cheap priced. not much info or reviews on them but might be worth a try for autobahn use!

but if you want a little better performance than the average BFG outdated tread tire, the M/T ST radial is higher speed rated, (T-118mph) & provides a little better performance. couple others are T rated too, coopers & the firestone indy 500.

[Steve C.]

"By the way, the only V-rated rubber I can find in 245/60R15 and 275/60R15 seems to be the Vitour. Has anyone run this? Seems like it might be a more "modern" tyre."

The only difference in a 245/60-15 Vitour and for example the 245/60-15 Cooper that I can note is the speed rating, both are similar "hard' compound and with a generic All-Season tread pattern.
Neither would be great at the parking lot autocross

.

[Formulajones]

LOL I don't think any of us here possess Mario Andretti skills. I know I don't. I find the current 15" offerings to do just fine for all the types of driving I do, including daily driving, and fun twisty mountain road trips, as well as 75 mph freeway driving.

Most of our classic cars, even in stockish form, drive and handle better than I'm capable of pushing them anyway. If I lose control of the car someday, sliding around a curve, I'm not going to blame the tires. It'll be because my dumb azz was driving over my head.

[Steve C.]

As noted in the link I posted above there are drag-flavored DOT-legal options out there for the quarter-mile enthusiasts. Mickey Thompson has the 15-inch size covered for the rear tire regarding traction. As does Nitto to a point. But that doesn't help for the "canyon carvers" out there. Many of these DOT-legal drag tires are not meant to be tires for the front. The M/T Sportsman Front are too skinny in my opinion for true street use. The Mickey Thompson SPORTSMAN S/T which is the same tire as the Cooper Cobra, isn't optimal for high-speed cornering. It’s not what they were designed to excel at.

"I don't think any of us here possess Mario Andretti skills"

No Mario here, but years ago I took a well equipped car with 15-inch 'sporty' tires and did some autocross and it tore the crap out of the tires on the parking lot pavement ! These were the kind mentioned here with the generic All-Season tread, and with the proper airpressure for what I was doing at the time.


.

[jrunner]

Running Cooper cobras now hopefully they won’t start cracking like bfg’s . But I do like the bfg sidewall look better than the coopers.

[78w72]

i dont think anyone is expecting a 15" BFG or any other RWL 15" to be great at auto-x'ing...

these types of tires were designed to be all season & driven on the streets & highways in many different weather conditions, cant expect modern 17-18" tire performance from them. as FJ stated, they are perfectly fine for their intended purpose.

FWIW, ive been abusing these types of all season 15" tires for 25+ years, i have driven my WS6 t/a's very hard/fast on twisty roads & taken them to the edge of their ability many times, hard corners where the tires start to squeal & car starts to slide on the tires & counter steering is required to keep it under control & come out of the corner, basically auto-xing on the street, "safely" with no traffic around... & for what they are (hard all season tires) they perform very well within the cars abilities. if when i do real auto x'ing i will use 17-18" wheels with tires designed for the purpose.

[78w72]

Mickey Thompson ET Street SS are not the same as cooper cobras... i think you mean the M/T radial ST that is an all season tire with similar or identical tread pattern & speed ratings as the cooper cobras.

[Steve C.]

Yes, I meant to say the SPORTSMAN S/T in that post. Thanks for the correction, I just did a edit.
It is the same tire as the Cooper Cobra Radial G/T tire.

https://www.mickeythompsontires.com/.../sportsman-s-t

Side note- I just used autocross as an example with a smiling face to make a point. How about " Canyon Carver" or " fun twisty mountain road trips". Agree, these tires discussed here are perfectly fine for their intended purpose.


.

[78w72]

no prob, figured it was a typo or brain fart.... i mentioned the M/T ST being similar/identical to the coopers a few posts earlier.

[Steve C.]

I've been known to make typo errors, and appreciate the corrections. I've also mentioned the M/T SPORTSMAN S/T being similar/identical to the coopers quite a few times, and the fact Cooper bought out Mickey Thompson years ago.

Now this news....
Goodyear Acquires Cooper Tire, Including Mickey Thompson.

https://www.racingjunk.com/news/good...ckey-thompson/

I used to have the 245/60-15 Cooper tire on the front. Then later I bought the same size M/T SPORTSMAN S/T tire. I black out the white letters then mount the tire with the letters facing inside. There is only a very slight difference in appearance between the two regarding the tread. I only made the change in brands because I wanted to give the business to my local speed shop that sold Mickey Thompson. As mentioned before I use the Nitto 275/60-15 NT555R drag radial in the rear.

I would love the 'better' performance tires available in the larger diameters, but I like the 15-inch appearance. Besides these days I'm too cheap to buy new wheels at the same time !


..

[Formulajones]

For what it's worth, we live in the mountains and it's a popular area for the Porche and Corvette clubs to get together and go on a "spirited" drive up and down the twisty roads.

Even in these expensive exotic cars, with fancy suspension and big wheels and tires, every year there is at least 1 or 2 that drive right off the mountain, usually to their death. It's not the tires fault, it's the idiots behind the wheel.

I've been with some of those clubs on those drives. Now I like to horse around, but I know my limits, and I can attest on more than one occasion I've seen a few that get carried away and something stupid happens.

[Steve C.]

Wheels: How Big Is Too Big?

Related, and a interesting read..........

https://www.motortrend.com/news/0904...t-size-wheels/


"I've seen a few that get carried away and something stupid happens."

I've come close. About 54 years ago I owned a Triumph TR4A sports car. I had a roll bar installed, higher rate shocks, racing lap belts and aftermarket wheels with so called road race tires at the time. Nothing but wider recap tires !
No Mario back then either ! I would drive crazy on the nearby mountain roads like a IDIOT, and once came very close to sliding off the road over a cliff. I limped home with soiled pants

.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by Steve C.

Wheels: How Big Is Too Big?




.

On a classic car.......anything over 15"

[Scarebird]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

On a classic car.......anything over 15"

Rubbish.

US Mag U109 Bandits with Vogue rubber (235-55-17). Carves MUCH better than any currently available squirmy 15" rubber.



look hard and you may see Gus Fring peeking out

[Formulajones]

What ever makes ya happy

That stuff is just not for me.

[Steve C.]

LARRY, now see what you started. We're going to get pictures of "wagon Wheels" !

http://st.hotrod.com/uploads/sites/2...vy-caprice.jpg


.

[Formulajones]

AAAAAAAA!!!!!!