Same old thing...15" tires - FFCars.com : Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum

cobrarandy · 06-27-2012, 04:12 PM

I know this issue has been discussed and rediscussed and cussed. Those of us that have chosen to stay on 15" rims have a problem. Which tire really works for our car? Many of the sizes have disappeared from the market. I have always used 235/60-15 front and 255/60-15 rear on my Mark II. My first set was BFG T/A and I used them for 20k miles. After much reading 3 yr ago I chose Mickey Thompson S/T. I have put 12K miles on the M/T and will need to replace them after this season. It's time to start research now. One of my problems is the rear size. I like the 27 inch tall tire on the back, works for my gear, like the look, speedo is correct, etc. Neither of these tires stick to anything but I would certainly choose the BFG over the M/T again. I don't want to use billboards because I know I would sandblast the paint with the amount of highway use I put on the car. I have even thought about trying some DOT stamped dirt track tires. The Mickey S/R is not available in a 27" tall tire. HELP!!

AC Bill · 06-27-2012, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cobrarandy

I don't want to use billboards because I know I would sandblast the paint with the amount of highway use I put on the car.

Why do you say the billboards would be hard on the paint? Do they pick up more debris than regular tires for some reason? I would like to go the billboard route for the look, and available sizes, but they wouldn't be worth a paint job..

cobrarandy · 06-27-2012, 05:45 PM

The billboards are actually a race tire. Not Dot approved. I am not worried about that but they are such a soft compound that they pick up everything and hurl it at anything in striking distance. I have witnessed many cars with them on track and street and done some work on a csx car that wears them. If I were track use only I would put them on in a heartbeat. They stick like glue. They aren't really intended for street use and are only good for about 3500 miles on the street. Almost all the vintage road race Mustangs in this area use them. Great tire for that use.

Rich A · 06-27-2012, 07:42 PM

Haven't researched, but try Cooper an Avon.

cobrarandy · 06-28-2012, 01:26 PM

If you examine the Cooper closely it appears to be the exact tire as the Mickey S/T. Same tread, appears to be the same tire body, etc. It looks like someone is private labeling for someone. I will study the Avon.

Nick Crate · 07-07-2012, 06:14 PM

I have Cooper Cobras on my roadster, 245/60-15 and 295/50-15. I think the sizes are perfect, wide enough and tall enough to fill the wheel wells reasonably. Both sizes are about 26.5" tall so they match nicely from the side view. Haven't done much driving with them yet so can't say much about their performance, but so far no issues.
Nick

Cobravii · 07-07-2012, 07:02 PM

I have Cooper Cobra's on mine and for the type of driving I do I have been very happy with them. I found them to be very good in rain but they do not like cold pavement.
On hot pavement they stick reasonably well but wouldn't be my first choice for track day.

I do a lot of highway roadtrips and street cruising. very little racing.

I am running 295/50R15's on the back and 235/60R15 on the front. I like the look and would not hesitate to buy them again.

cobrarandy · 07-09-2012, 02:52 PM

I haven't tried the Coopers. They really appear to be the same tire as the Mickey and I am not satisfied with them. The tire body seems very soft and if I run any amount of air pressure they bulge in the middle to the point I can slide a credit card under the outer tread. I mean at 25 psi. To create a full contact patch I need to be at around 20 psi front and around 17 rear. When you try to corner at this setting you can definately feel the car squirm on the sidewall. If I add enough air to stiffen the sidewall I have lost contact area and it is scary slippery to drive. The other problem is I am a Mark II and I am on the original style PSE wheels that F5 suggested in the manual 10 year ago, 7 wide front and 9.5 rear. There is not enough rear clearance to go much wider. I am 235/60-15 front and 255/60-15 rear. The BFG's were a tad wider and occasionlly touched on bumps although the Mickey's never have. The Mickeys won't stick to anything and flat spot when left sitting. If I know I am going to be at highway speed I raise the car and inflate the tires to 40 and let it stay overnight, then I lower them to driving pressure and place the car on the ground the next day. They will then run out smooth as silk.

JKleiner · 07-09-2012, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cobrarandy

If you examine the Cooper closely it appears to be the exact tire as the Mickey S/T.

Nope, although they are both round and black

Ping "indy14". We used Coopers on the Mk4 I built for him last year. I think he's happy with them after about 5,000 miles of use.

Jeff

indy14 · 07-10-2012, 01:13 AM

I'm very happy with the Cooper tires. After about 5000 mile they show very little wear. They are also fine in the rain.

Horizon200 · 08-23-2012, 04:07 PM

I'm at the point of needing to repalce those slippery old BFG Radial TA's I have on mine. The selection really is not very good!

Here's what Nitto had to say to me when I sent their tech dept and email...

Quote:

Thank you for contacting Nitto Tires.

In response to your question, yes, we agree that the selection for 15" is really drying up. We do not have anything in the exact size you were requesting, but we can create a list of what we have available.

Neo-Gen Street Driving
* 205/50R15

NT-450 Street Driving
P195/50R15
195/55R15
P205/55R15

NT-555R Drag Racing
P275/50R15
P275/60R15
325/50R15

NT01 Competition
205/50ZR15
225/45ZR15

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us back at any time.

Thank you,
Nitto Technical Department

My issue is I don't want to go too skinny on the back end as I think the looks is just right with what I have now (295X50's on the back and 235X60's on the front)

I think going with the 555's is the answer. But, question is: If I'm keeping the narrower tires up front, they are taller than the tires in the back...will that be an issue?

334OKH · 09-05-2012, 03:47 PM

I have been looking for used 15's because what I have run isn't available anymore. I too have the 235's up front and 255's rear. They fit good and look good. I don't have the money for the new rims required for the latest trend in tire size. And like the look of the 15" tires. Keep us informed of your selection, I'll keep saving up.

convincor · 09-12-2012, 11:40 AM

Find New Firestone Tires | Quick Tire Search

kevins · 09-12-2012, 01:17 PM

I called Cooper tires after reading that the Cooper Cobras and Mickey Thompsons are the same tire. Confirmed that Cooper makes the Mickey Thompson tires. They are very similar but not the same tire - tread pattern is a bit different if you look closely. The compound is about the same and I was told I could expect similar performance between the two tires. There are a lot of favorable reviews and a few not so much. After all the reading I've done, I concluded that Avon is far and away the best performance tire and unless I want to spend the $$$$ for them, the Cooper Cobras/Mickey Thompsons would be a good choice. I'll be on the street - not the track, so everyone needs to consider their own use case.

Regards,

Kevin

Shag · 10-02-2012, 04:08 PM

Anyone have 15" wheels with 295/50R15 tires in the back, coupled with the 61.125" wide rear axle? That's the axle that came standard with the 94-98 Mustangs. I am worried that the combination on the wider rear axle with the slightly wider (295 v 275) tires may cause some tire interference with the rear wheel wells.

Can anyone put my mind at ease? Kit is getting delivered in about a month and I'm trying to figure out the wheel/tire gameplan. I really want to stay with 15" tires if at all possible.