Who's rubber are you driving on?

ausie · 05-09-2004, 09:29 AM

I think I became known as the tire tester from the local tire dealer. So far at 24k miles I have gone through too many sets of tires to finally find performance that I desire in a tire. I have burned throught the stock rubber in no time flat 5000 miles is all I got out of the stock BFGoodrich Comp TA's. Followed by a set of Michillin Pilot Sports which seemed to brake too soon on turns but not as bad as the stock rubber. Now I am stuck on the Bridgestone Potenza Pole position S-03 which I find to be the best all around summer tire which is extremely hard to exceed to brake loose. Perfect grip on the road! I have yet to test out the Nitto brand, simply because I cannot find such in my area. For now I am sold on the S-03's.

So the question is, what are you driving on? Would you reccomend your tire to others? I am sure there are requirements for tire selection especially if you take your car to the track (strip or road course), but for overall street performance I have yet to ride on anything better than the S-03's (dry or wet).

My Cobra · 05-09-2004, 10:21 AM

i am a broke college kid so i have fuzion ZRI's 275-40-17's with the water tread. they are Z rated (164+ i think not sure) i think they said bf goodRICH makes them but i am not for certin what brand or who makes them. i wanted some nittos but nobody around here sells them. cause i live in the sticks

tcrews · 05-09-2004, 10:21 AM

Try some Firestone Firehawk SZ50's......excellent tire with great grip in dry or wet conditions and they last a decent amount of time.

**Firme** · 05-09-2004, 10:28 AM

For now, I am riding on NITTO 555 street tires. For about $110 a pop, they are great. Their wet traction is not the best, but I open tracked with them, and they did ok.

If I had more $$ to throw at tires, I would prolly get the KDW's that replaced the stock comp T/A's.

The biggest factor I have seen that "Eats" the tires on IRS cobra's is alignment. It seem that not even the ford dealerships know how to align these cars. I was going through tires (especially back tires) pretty quick, till I got a competant shop to align the car correctly.

nckissfan · 05-09-2004, 12:04 PM

I just bought a set of Toyo Praxis 4's. They feel real good. They look pretty good, as well. I was thinking about the new performance tire from Hankook, but they are behind on production. I read the review in MMFF. They sound like decent tires, at a lower cost.

I had the snake aligned when I had these installed. After hitting that huge hunk of asphalt on a bridge. I had to.

Aaron94 · 05-10-2004, 05:12 PM

I am running BFG G-Force KDW 275/40/17 and i must say they are awesome, very good road holding, seem to wear not so bad... They actually have a higher treadwear rating than most Z rated tires.

Brian97Cobra · 05-13-2004, 12:06 AM

I've ran 3 sets of sumitimos, they hook well and hold up even better. They are pretty cheap too.

Stavesacre21 · 05-13-2004, 10:13 PM

I've never been huge on burnin rubber, or even peelin out at all. When I bought the car, it had a brand called "Falkin" on it. Never heard of it before, but I must say that they seem to perform nicely. However, i'm guessin that if you love burnin out everywhere ya go, these probably arn't your brands......seeings how i've never even heard of them before......

BTW, anyone ever heard of Fuzion tires? When I went into Firestone to have them check the A/C, they tried to sell me 4 of these for the unbelieveble price of $500. Anyone heard anything on how these perform?

ausie · 05-14-2004, 06:49 AM

I have seen the fuzion brand, I am also familiar with Falkon tires as well. They were once a PEP Boys exclusive tire back in 1990. They were not bad tires and were a better alternative to Good Year Eagle GT's cost wise. Falkon even offers a wheel for the Mustang. If you have a set of good tires they will hook up before they break loose. I have noticed as some tires get worn they perform poorly. I have only gone through 5 sets of tires for my cobra (with 24k miles on it). Most of which have performed well during the summer, but when getting caught in a freak snow storm, it was like putting 3000 miles on the tread. The only tires I ever wore out that required replacemet were the stock tires (BFGoodwrich Comp TA) which may have been linked to a misalignment. Actually they were great tires to start off with to learn how the new vehicle performs, what to expect when hitting a turn, etc... The only time I ever purposfully attempted to sit and burn the rubber off was when I had Michillin Pilot Sport AS tires on the car. I probably would have preferred the summer Pilots vrs the mud and snow rated all season AS. When the tread on those tires wore about 1/2 way, they became unpredictable. I had them removed from the car prematurely (there was plenty of tread wear left on them, and for the cost of that tire, it was not worth it). I did some research on tires and found a good tire that I wanted to get as a replacement for the Michillin's. So I bought a set of Bridgestone potenza pole position S-03's. They cost less than the Michillin but they perform far better than I expected, even when wet, although they are not very good when temperatures drop below 40F.

Stavesacre21 · 03-08-2005, 11:40 PM

Speaking of rubber, anyone know what the optimal PSI is for stock rims/tires on the 96-98? Im just curious what the best route would be to take when gettin her out this spring

Abneriel · 03-09-2005, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron94

I am running BFG G-Force KDW 275/40/17 and i must say they are awesome, very good road holding, seem to wear not so bad... They actually have a higher treadwear rating than most Z rated tires.

I ran those too, and the rears lasted for about 25k before I replaced them with 555Rs after I had gears installed. Amazing wet traction with the KDWs...I still have them on the front and they work great, but they are starting to tramline a bit now that they are worn.

ausie · 03-09-2005, 06:56 AM

stavesacre21, look inside the drivers door, there should be a sticker or tag on the body or on the door itself that provides tire size and recomended inflation.

BigRedMachine · 03-09-2005, 10:52 AM

I'm riding on Kumho ECSTA Supra 712's that I ordered from tire rack. They hook up pretty nice and were on sale, so it's what I could afford at the time. For cheap tires, I'm impressed. They were going to be substitutes until I could get the Nitto's I wanted, but I might stick with these for a while.

Stavesacre21 · 03-09-2005, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ausie

stavesacre21, look inside the drivers door, there should be a sticker or tag on the body or on the door itself that provides tire size and recomended inflation.

ok, that's gotta go down in the books as quite possiably the stupiest question i'd yet to ask

I believe I actually knew that one too.....

thanx

Rodo · 03-09-2005, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMachine

I'm riding on Kumho ECSTA Supra 712's that I ordered from tire rack. They hook up pretty nice and were on sale, so it's what I could afford at the time. For cheap tires, I'm impressed. They were going to be substitutes until I could get the Nitto's I wanted, but I might stick with these for a while.

I have on some kumho 712's now and they do't hook until about halfway though second,however; they do work very well in the rain which is a definit plus. They also seem to last a while if you don't burn em', well on the front anyway

05-09-2004, 09:29 AM	#1
ausie Don't let the dog drive Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kinston, NC Posts: 1,883	Who's rubber are you driving on? I think I became known as the tire tester from the local tire dealer. So far at 24k miles I have gone through too many sets of tires to finally find performance that I desire in a tire. I have burned throught the stock rubber in no time flat 5000 miles is all I got out of the stock BFGoodrich Comp TA's. Followed by a set of Michillin Pilot Sports which seemed to brake too soon on turns but not as bad as the stock rubber. Now I am stuck on the Bridgestone Potenza Pole position S-03 which I find to be the best all around summer tire which is extremely hard to exceed to brake loose. Perfect grip on the road! I have yet to test out the Nitto brand, simply because I cannot find such in my area. For now I am sold on the S-03's. So the question is, what are you driving on? Would you reccomend your tire to others? I am sure there are requirements for tire selection especially if you take your car to the track (strip or road course), but for overall street performance I have yet to ride on anything better than the S-03's (dry or wet).

05-09-2004, 10:21 AM	#2
My Cobra Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Franklin NC Posts: 235	i am a broke college kid so i have fuzion ZRI's 275-40-17's with the water tread. they are Z rated (164+ i think not sure) i think they said bf goodRICH makes them but i am not for certin what brand or who makes them. i wanted some nittos but nobody around here sells them. cause i live in the sticks __________________ 1999 Chameleon Cobra build number 3568 Pro 50 short shifter, cobra front emblem, 2001 "cobra" rear bumper. Dupont chameleon paint, MAC CAI, Diablo chip. 20% window tint, XM radio, SCMC # 01053

05-09-2004, 10:21 AM	#3
tcrews Moderator Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Lexington, SC Posts: 878	Try some Firestone Firehawk SZ50's......excellent tire with great grip in dry or wet conditions and they last a decent amount of time. __________________ Tom Crews 1997 Cobra Coupe #3672, SCMC #82 571 rwHP 462 rwTQ ------- 1998 Cobra Convertible 264 rwHP 268 rwTQ Tom's SVT Cobra Page

05-09-2004, 12:04 PM	#5
nckissfan Everyone hates a winner! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Browns Summit, NC Posts: 2,810	I just bought a set of Toyo Praxis 4's. They feel real good. They look pretty good, as well. I was thinking about the new performance tire from Hankook, but they are behind on production. I read the review in MMFF. They sound like decent tires, at a lower cost. I had the snake aligned when I had these installed. After hitting that huge hunk of asphalt on a bridge. I had to. Attached Images __________________

05-10-2004, 05:12 PM	#6
Aaron94 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 308	I am running BFG G-Force KDW 275/40/17 and i must say they are awesome, very good road holding, seem to wear not so bad... They actually have a higher treadwear rating than most Z rated tires. __________________ 1994 Rio Red Coupe #3564 304 ci, GT40X Aluminum Heads, Extrude Honed and Polished intake, Motorsport F303 cam, vortech fuel rails, 77 mm Pro-M mass air, 70mm BBK T-Body, Smog pump deletion, MSD and Perfomance distributors ignition components, Tremec 3550, Steeda Tri-axe, King Cobra/Centerforce clutch, Custom 3" Alum Driveshaft, 3.55 Gears, Griggs rear suspension w/torque arm & pan hard bar, Koni Red Shocks/Struts

05-13-2004, 12:06 AM	#7
Brian97Cobra Registered User Join Date: May 2004 Location: North Alabama Posts: 2	I've ran 3 sets of sumitimos, they hook well and hold up even better. They are pretty cheap too. __________________ "If bottles are for babies why are all the blown men whining?" "Rev Limiters are like trampilones, your not having any fun unless your bouncing off them!" 1997 Cobra: 3.73's, BBK off road x-pipe, 2 chamber Flow Masters, C&L 80mm maf kit, Eldebrock twin 62mm t.b., Steeda Tri-ax, Diablo Sport Chip, Kenny Brown sub-frames, Steeda c.c. plates, Steeda springs, Steeda adj. clutch cable, Steeda fire wall adj., Steeda clutch quadrant, Ford Racing clutch.

05-13-2004, 10:13 PM	#8
Stavesacre21 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Elida, OH Posts: 611	I've never been huge on burnin rubber, or even peelin out at all. When I bought the car, it had a brand called "Falkin" on it. Never heard of it before, but I must say that they seem to perform nicely. However, i'm guessin that if you love burnin out everywhere ya go, these probably arn't your brands......seeings how i've never even heard of them before...... BTW, anyone ever heard of Fuzion tires? When I went into Firestone to have them check the A/C, they tried to sell me 4 of these for the unbelieveble price of $500. Anyone heard anything on how these perform? __________________ 2010 Mazdaspeed3 Liquid Silver Metallic Daily Driver 2002 Corvette Convertible Millenium Yellow 22K miles, Summer ride

05-14-2004, 06:49 AM	#9
ausie Don't let the dog drive Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kinston, NC Posts: 1,883	I have seen the fuzion brand, I am also familiar with Falkon tires as well. They were once a PEP Boys exclusive tire back in 1990. They were not bad tires and were a better alternative to Good Year Eagle GT's cost wise. Falkon even offers a wheel for the Mustang. If you have a set of good tires they will hook up before they break loose. I have noticed as some tires get worn they perform poorly. I have only gone through 5 sets of tires for my cobra (with 24k miles on it). Most of which have performed well during the summer, but when getting caught in a freak snow storm, it was like putting 3000 miles on the tread. The only tires I ever wore out that required replacemet were the stock tires (BFGoodwrich Comp TA) which may have been linked to a misalignment. Actually they were great tires to start off with to learn how the new vehicle performs, what to expect when hitting a turn, etc... The only time I ever purposfully attempted to sit and burn the rubber off was when I had Michillin Pilot Sport AS tires on the car. I probably would have preferred the summer Pilots vrs the mud and snow rated all season AS. When the tread on those tires wore about 1/2 way, they became unpredictable. I had them removed from the car prematurely (there was plenty of tread wear left on them, and for the cost of that tire, it was not worth it). I did some research on tires and found a good tire that I wanted to get as a replacement for the Michillin's. So I bought a set of Bridgestone potenza pole position S-03's. They cost less than the Michillin but they perform far better than I expected, even when wet, although they are not very good when temperatures drop below 40F.

03-08-2005, 11:40 PM	#10
Stavesacre21 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Elida, OH Posts: 611	Speaking of rubber, anyone know what the optimal PSI is for stock rims/tires on the 96-98? Im just curious what the best route would be to take when gettin her out this spring __________________ 2010 Mazdaspeed3 Liquid Silver Metallic Daily Driver 2002 Corvette Convertible Millenium Yellow 22K miles, Summer ride

03-09-2005, 06:56 AM	#12
ausie Don't let the dog drive Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kinston, NC Posts: 1,883	stavesacre21, look inside the drivers door, there should be a sticker or tag on the body or on the door itself that provides tire size and recomended inflation. __________________ 2004 SVT Cobra, Silver, February 2004 SVT Build # 2485 out of 3768 SLP Loudmouth Cat-back UPR double lock firewall adjuster UPR GMS extreme double hook quadrant Wheels: Ford SVT 10th anniv. wheels (track duty) SVE 10th anniv. style 17x9F, 10x10.5R BBS RK Plasma 18x8.5F, 18x10R (retired) (retired) 2001 black SVT Cobra, October 2001 missed but not forgotten

03-09-2005, 10:52 AM	#13
BigRedMachine Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Northern VA Posts: 133	I'm riding on Kumho ECSTA Supra 712's that I ordered from tire rack. They hook up pretty nice and were on sale, so it's what I could afford at the time. For cheap tires, I'm impressed. They were going to be substitutes until I could get the Nitto's I wanted, but I might stick with these for a while. __________________ "Sweetie, it's really hard for me to enjoy the sound of the engine with all that yakkin"

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