96 lt-4

Finding H rated tires in older sizes is hard.I recently bought a pair of Federal H rated tires in 255/70R15 for the back of my Dodge.Now if only I could find an H in 235/70R15 for the front.I have the old police GY eagle RSA on the front in 225/70R15 V rated but they are getting quite old and have long been discontinued.
I wish Nitto would make the NT555R in 255/60R15 as not everyone can clear 275/60R15.

mikem350

I found that even 17 in performance tires are getting harder to find. Forget 16

If changing wheels, go for 18, then much more is available

BEVO76

I have Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/T 255/60R15 Rear and 245/60R15 Front and have nothing but good things to say about them.

When I go to the strip I swap out the rear with Mickey Thompson ET Street SS, which are an upgrade from the original ET Streets to assist with water shedding. I really like those a lot and they have very good handling for a drag radial.

FlyLS6

I recently put Maxxis Marauder MA-S1 tires on my '73, in 255/60 15s, and the ride and drive has been great. H rated. They may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm perfectly happy with them.

The manager of the local Discount Tire I use in Sachse, TX special ordered them for me. They installed them and provided the normal road hazard coverage. At 1000 miles a year driving, I'll be rotating them the first time in about 2019.

Metalhead140

The Maxxis Marauder were what I was looking at last year before deciding to go to 17"s. They seem to be a lot better from what I've read than the old BFG Radial TA's at least (which are a terrible tyre compared to other modern tyres). Probably the best true road tyre (as opposed to Avons or Hoosiers) that I could find in 255/60r15, but no white letters, which is important to many. I've had Maxxis tyres before that were quite good, and they've generally done well in tyre comparison shootouts.

AboveTheLogic

I've never seen a directional tire with white letters...

7t9l82

Plan on replacing them before 2019 as so called modern tire technology causes them to dry rot. Like broccoli they now have a freshness date. That's sarcasm for those that don't get it.

MotorHead

I ran my BFG's up to 180+mph on a chassis dyno

Was looking the Avon CR6ZZ tire chart and at the end there are some numbers that make them look like they won't last more than 1000 miles ?

ddawson

RogerKrausRacing shows the tread wear of 80.

69ttop502

Guys on the Cobra forum say that being nice to the Avon's will let them last 10,000 miles. Good enough for me.

C3Paul

Tires have arrived.
Will update in the next few days

jb78L-82

You are correct that just about any tire can withstand higher speeds for a short period of time than the speed rating. Can an S rated (112 MPH) tire hit 135-140 mph for an instance, sure? The speed rating of a tire tells the user if the tire can safely withstand the rated speed for a sustained period of time. An H rated (130 MPH) tire properly inflated (usually higher pressures than for normal driving) can safely run at up to 130 MPH in a straight line. Cornering generates tremendous heat is not part of the Speed rating.

The speed rating indicates much about the tire such as strength of the tire carcass, especially the side wall, the softness of the rubber, traction in the dry and wet, and its temperature. A Z rated (sub rating W-168 mph/Y-186 MPH) along with Traction, Temperature (AA, A,B,C) and treadwear ratings (lower number softer rubber) indicates the tire is very STRONG, will run much cooler than an S rated tire, offers superior traction in the wet/dry along with superior brake performance, and will do all of the former running much cooler at sustained high speeds but due to its softer rubber compound will wear at a much higher rate.

I run Z rated tires on all of my cars including DD's not because the tires can hit 168MPH safely (the cars can't attain those speeds) but because of all the factors mentioned above which involves the safety margin from road debris, tire carcass integrity, performance in general, traction in the wet/dry, and cooler running temperatures...I trade those items for less wear.

Hope that helps!

jim in oregon

Unless it was a typo..aRE the Nankings 275/60R15..
Will they fit on your car OK..I have ne BFG 255/60 %15 RWL tires on my '78..same size it came with..They are excellent tires even on wet roads..so long as I drive intelligently..Jim

C3Paul

Yes Jim, 275/60/15 all round!!!
Stock TA, parking brake in factory location.

All fits really well, will take the car out for a ride this weekend and take few pics.

Stay tuned

jim in oregon

worth giving them a critical testing..At the price..And don't knock everything being made or assembled in China..Not so long ago anything coming from Japan was automatically considered substandard junk..Jim

AnthonyGS

Yes speed rating is about sustained speed. It's about having a tire that can dissipate the heat generated at speed due to the higher friction. Sure a lower rated tire can do it for a short period of time, but it's not really a risk worth taking.

Also about tire wear... a Cobra weighs about 1500# less than the Corvette. Tires that last 10k on a Cobra probably won't last 5k on a Corvette. I've owned a driven lots of car types for a while and I also have a Miata. Tires last forever on it and that's due to the weight. I got 15k hard miles one time on DOT legal autocross tires. I wouldn't advise it though.

sierra 43

I have BFG Radial T/As in 255/60/15 on my 74 and 80 C3s. Love them in wet or dry. I don't them over 100mph very often, but I do accelerate hard. Hard to argue with the basic tire run on the John Greenwood BFG Corvettes of the early 70's. With the RWL they just look right on these cars. Just my opinion.

69ttop502

I believe Elle88 here on the forum is running the Avon's and loves them and spoke highly of the way they are wearing. I think he has quite a few miles on them. I am going to run them here soon as well. I think it comes down to that you have to pay to play. If you want to run 15's, which I do, and you want to maximize handling and braking ability, most all of the currently available 15 inch tires leave a lot on the table.

Bill

jim in oregon

AnthonyGS

Any update on the tires, C3Paul?


And for those wondering yes the Nankangs come in 255/60 and 275/60.


It's sad that performance tire sizes of a few decades ago are now considered SUV tires.


It looks like eventually I may just have to have two sets of wheels and tires for my car. One for driving harder/faster and one for crusing/car shows.