Who's rubber are you driving on?

[flynfink]

When you own two cobras, you get to be really friendly with the tire dealers.

I used to run the BFG Comp T/A's, great tire in their day.
I moved to the Firestone Firehawk SZ50's on a friend's recommendation and couldn't have been happier, great traction wet or dry, predicatble turn in and low noise. So of course Firestone discontinued them.
I recently bought 18x9 rims and thought I'd try the Nitto 555's. Could not get them to balance, they came egg shaped.. as a replacement, the dealer offered up the new BFG G-force KDW's (275/35-18) and after about 500 miles I'm pretty happy. I don't think they have as much grip as the Firehawk's and are noisier.

We have had several sets of of Kumho's on the 94 and for a daily driver (my son) they work well in all weather.

Because of the rate at which we go thru tires, I tend to avoid the high end tires (Goodyear, Michelin). I know they make great tires, but when it costs me 2-3 times more to replace a set and the traction and handling difference is small, it isn't worth it IMHO.

[sssvtcobra]

I'm using Toyo T1's right now on mine, I'm not sure how many miles I have on them since I swapped cars and I forgot to look at the mileage on my old one. But they seem to be wearing pretty good. I think they are pretty quiet, but it's hard to tell with the loudmouth exhaust screaming. They hook and handle real nice compared to the other tires I have purchased before in the past. With living in Oregon they see rain and I have no problems in the wet weather. Although I do have them siped and that helps.

[dewone]

Toyo's don't recommend them can't do 55 in the rain, without hydroplaning.
They hook ok in the dry, wear is to be decided. Came on the car.
Hope to replace soon.

[sssvtcobra]

Which Toyo's do you have? I haven't had any problems with mine. And I do 65-70 on the freeway in the rain. I've even took corners or bends at high speeds without any problems. The siping also helps.

[nckissfan]

I have the Toyo Proxes4, and have had no problem in the rain. They are ok tires, but I will get something different next time.

[Big Daddy]

I'm running P-Zero Corsa Pirelli's. Here is what Pirellis says about them:

P Zero Corsa System has been developed for powered super sports cars producers and enthusiasts who take their car on the race track, whether for "track days" or "club racing", allowing them to maximise their cars performance. The features in tread pattern design, compound and structure, allows P Zero Corsa System to satisfy even the most demanding customers in terms of dry handling and braking without compromising on wet handling, noise performance and maximised contact patch with the road surface.

P Zero Corsa Direzionale is a semi-slick with a very stiff construction. P Zero Corsa Direzionale is a semi-slick with a very stiff construction. An innovative racing tread compound, ensures maximum grip while the use of ultra-light and flexible belts implies a very wide footprint area.

Original Equipment for the road version of Ferrari 360 Challenge and Porsche GT3, and targeted at the most prestigious car producers, P Zero Corsa System includes P Zero Corsa Direzionale on the front and P Zero Corsa Asimmetrico on the rear for outstanding aquaplaning resistance. Directional front tyres penetrate the water surface, clearing a path for the rears which complete water dispersal for increased driving safety.

Tread pattern

The directional design provides better wet handling characteristics, while the absence of continuous grooves eliminates the blocky structure of a conventional pattern.


These tires do very well but the wear life is horrible but when you have the ponies I have you need grip not long life!

[PMad]

My street tires are Kuhmo 712s. Not bad street tires for the money. The don't run real true but are a good value. I ran them at Waterford Hills when they were new and I was amazed at the traction. The only down side is the slight out of round. I've had two out of a set of four cause a vibration.

According to a recent test the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 was the best all around tire. The only sizes they make close to my stock size (245/45-17) is a 255/40 at $205 ea and 265/40 at $235 ea. Not cheap but it was the best by a lot. The second best tire is one I use for autocross the Falken Azenis RT-215. Great tire for the money, I'm on my second set. The down side is the largest size the come in is 245/45-17 ($125 ea). OK for pre 03 Cobras but ideally you'd like something a little bigger. I can tell you I regularly beat cars with race rubber with these tires. I have even beat a twin turbo 911 Porsche in the rain with them. So they work well there too.

[PMad]

[QUOTE=Big Daddy]I'm running P-Zero Corsa Pirelli's. Here is what Pirellis says about them:[QUOTE]

Big Daddy, have you run these in the wet? Most sources say they are a little scary on a wet track. Do you run these all the time or just on track days? At a sub 100 tread wear rating I'm not surprised they don't last.

The Falken Azenis have a tread wear rating of 200 so they can run as a street tire at most events.

[Big Daddy]

[QUOTE=PMad][QUOTE=Big Daddy]I'm running P-Zero Corsa Pirelli's. Here is what Pirellis says about them:

Big Daddy, have you run these in the wet? Most sources say they are a little scary on a wet track. Do you run these all the time or just on track days? At a sub 100 tread wear rating I'm not surprised they don't last.

The Falken Azenis have a tread wear rating of 200 so they can run as a street tire at most events.

I run them as my regular tire. When they are new they are ok in the rain but once they are worn forget about it! I don't run my car on wet tracks 'cause it has way to much HP to be messing around in the rain and so long as I'm not running to make money I'm going to watch in the rain!

[djbobbyzee]

I'm a horsepower junkie. I was brought up by driving an olds 70's 442, a 79 T/A 400ci, 85 Camaro 5.0, two 87 IROC-Z's (both 5.7's one 5spd), & an 88 IROC-Z... All rears were between 373 & 411. (my uncle worked for GM, had no choice...I was forced). I lived in NJ. We had snow (one main reason for owning all these cars).

THEN I GREW UP, MOVED TO NC, AND BOUGHT A COBRA!

In the NORTH I discovered the BF Goodrich KDWS & Continental Conti-ExtremeContact are two of the best handling street tires money can buy. Both tires took me thru 12k miles, hooked up in both wet and dry, and allowed me to gingerly operate my vehichles in upto 4" of snow. Mind you, I said GINGERLY. If you're in the NORTH... good choice for a daily driver.

In the SOUTH, I'm shopping with a newer mindset.
I've done my research & learned that Fuzion bogusly rates their tires. A 275 from edge to edge is really more like a 255 or 265. They measure from the edge of the tread which wraps around onto the sidewall for looks. Nice trick. No deal.
Falken as I understand it, is a Bridgestone sub company. So far they are on the top of my pick list. Sumitomo's rate about the same & cost about the same. I'm going with either on Mar 15th (next paycheck).
Khumo does make some pretty good bang for the buck, but I have heard you'll bald them after 3 autocross events.
BFG KDW's are deffinitely a good buy if they hold up like the KDWS's.

Anyone have more input?
Bob

[QuickSilver]

Ausie. I have had two sets of tires. when I got my car it had Perelli P7000 255/45/ZR-18 on the front and Nittos (don't remimber tipe and size) on the rear. The Nittos were worn and torn, so I put Perelli P7000 255/45/ZR-18 on the front and rear and they did very good on the Tail of the Dragon (318 curves in a 11 mile stretch). They also did well in rain but they lasted 15,000 miles. I now have KUMHO ECSTA MX 265/35/ZR-18 paid $168. So far they have been good also in rain. I have not been able to go to the Dragon to test them out but soon. You get the bang for the buck with Kumho. All depends on what type of tire, how much rubber is on the tire, and what the tire is going to be used for.


MODS:
KUMHO ECSTA MX 265/35/ZR-18
18" CHROME STEEDA ULTRA LIGHT RIMS
STEEDA CAT-BACK EXHAUST SYSTEM
STEEDA BILLET BULLET DOOR LOCK BUTTONS
STEEDA RACING LUG NUTS
STEEDA BILLET SHIFTER BEZEL W/ NAME
MGW 3-D COBRA SHIFT KNOB
BAER ERADISPEED VENTED CROSSED-DRILLED AND SLOTTED ROTORS
20% BLACK TINTED WINDOWS
BASSANI OFF ROAD X-PIPE W/ NO CAT`S
UPR REAR BUMPER INSERTS ( BLACK)
UPR BLU THUNDER NS SHIFTER
K & N AIR FILTER
DIABLO SPORT CHIP
CHROME COBRA LICENSE PLATE
SVT COBRA MUSTANG CLUB DASHBOARD BADGE
SVT COBRA MUSTANG CLUB ENGINE BADGE
SVT COBRA MUSTANG CLUB-THIRD BREAK LIGHT DECAL

[ausie]

I have tried to find tires that would fit my rims and not require a spedo calibration. Since the BBS wheels migrated from my 01 to the 04 I noticed a big difference in handling. The Brigestone Potenze Pole position s-03's may have been okay for the 01, but after putting 10k miles on them, the did not handle well on the 04. It could have been alighnment issues between the two vehicles. They are a good tire for high speed, but not so good at low speeds (35mph or lower) since they tend to track the road surface. I settled on a set of Toyo Proxies T1S for this year. So far they hook up on cold roads when the temperature is below 30 degrees F. I could not say that for the Brigestones since they got harder when the temperatures dropped. Any summer tire will not perform well in cold weather, and forget driving on ice or snow with them on. Looks like I will see how they handle once after all the snow has melted and all the stones are cleaned off the streets come April. After driving around with them for a while, I feel confident that they will perform at speed as well as the bridgestone S-03's did. Hopefully I will get more life out of the rears. Sooner or later, depends on how many times I get to the track, I will get a set of drag radials and matching wheels for the rear so I can drive to the track without having to lug extra wheels and a jack along.

When these wear off, I may try Nittos, or something else.... or stick with the Proxies.

[Zedoc]

If Cobras come with BFGoodrichs, isn't that the tire to buy?

[RheacerDave]

I raced on BFG's for years when they had Team T/A. Great autoX tire, and so I bought their street tires.

Now they are import drag, ricer show and not really that good on the street.IMHO
(How can you take a company seriously that makes little yellow/blue/red marks on the road)
Lotsa bling, no zing.
Another thing to consider...Tire companies that support show drifting, as opposed to real by gosh drifting as in Silver Crown. A sport where the idea is use up a set of tires showing off in one afternoon, or show and not have to go.
see bling/zing above.
You spent big money on the car, spend a couple of hundred more and get Hoosiers or Goodyears to compete on. I, too, like Kumhos on the street, but have had problems with their race tires when they first introduced their race compound. (710's weren't the 1st to come apart at speed) so I don't race on them anymore.
Used 10-12 sets (still have a couple of sets laying around the garage) autocrossing, SOLO I, and 1 roadrace.

[RF Cobra]

Originally Posted by djbobbyzee

Falken as I understand it, is a Bridgestone sub company. So far they are on the top of my pick list. Sumitomo's rate about the same & cost about the same. I'm going with either on Mar 15th (next paycheck).
Bob

According to Falken's site they are owned by The Sumitomo Rubber Industries Group which explains why they rate about the same.


Which tires did you decide to get?