Advice on a new front tire for my 03

[saleenssc1989]

I have a 2003 Mustang Cobra, I have been running Nitro NT555 front tires (18") for a number of years. I put very few miles on the car which has been beneficial at getting long life. However, it is finally time to upgrade to a new front tire. What has everyone been having luck with? Michelin, Motto, Toyo etc.? I have 18" Cobra R wheels, running Toyo R888 in the rear ( which I definitely love those tires). Any advice or positive experience with a certain brand and or specific tire model would be greatly appreciated.
I do not drive in rain or snow, the tire would be mainly used for dry weather conditions.

Thanks

 

[TerminatoRS]

I'm in the same boat and I imagine most everyone here is as well. Don't drive the car enough to wear the fronts much, no rain unless it's by accident, certainly no snow; the tires start to dry rot before anything else. I also ran the 555's for a number of years. What I came to realize is that I was running wider 100 or lower treadwear tires on the rear (R888's and then TQ's) and then the relatively hard 555's up front. This caused understeer if I pushed it in a corner and ran the risk of increased stopping distance. So, last year I went with (I believe) Toyo Proxes Sports 275/40/18, 240 treadwear, not ridiculously priced. They're softer, smoother, and quieter than the 555's all while providing better all around grip. Michelins are always nice, but expensive. BFG has some nice options as well. I think you'll find supporters for everything under the sun.

 

[01yellercobra]

Why not go with the R888R for the front?

 

[jwcobra03]

Continental Extreme Contact Sports.

 

[BLOWN9646]

Continental Extreme Contact Sports.

I run ECS 265/35 up front also, great tires.

 

[saleenssc1989]

Thanks for all the replies guys. This helps me narrow the choices down and I hope to get some new tread this coming summer.

 

[Goose17]

I have Toyo R888s on the back of my Whippled 2011 GT500. I didn’t want the added noise of R888s on the front so I went with Proxies 1s on the front (older tire) to keep Toyo front/back but a quieter front setup. This would be my recommendation... to put another Toyo tire up front (non-R888).

 

[saleenssc1989]

What size up front did you end up with?
I think currently I have 245/40/18 with my nittos. I have had my front end aligned and checked most front suspension components but get a definite vibration at speed. Another reason why I am changing out the fronts. Ibbet I've had my fronts for 7+ years with about 8k miles on them.
Thank you for the help!

 

[saleenssc1989]

I have Toyo R888s on the back of my Whippled 2011 GT500. I didn’t want the added noise of R888s on the front so I went with Proxies 1s on the front (older tire) to keep Toyo front/back but a quieter front setup. This would be my recommendation... to put another Toyo tire up front (non-R888).

What size up front did you end up with?
I think currently I have 245/40/18 with my nittos. I have had my front end aligned and checked most front suspension components but get a definite vibration at speed. Another reason why I am changing out the fronts. Ibbet I've had my fronts for 7+ years with about 8k miles on them.
Thank you for the help

 

[Goose17]

What size up front did you end up with?
I think currently I have 245/40/18 with my nittos. I have had my front end aligned and checked most front suspension components but get a definite vibration at speed. Another reason why I am changing out the fronts. Ibbet I've had my fronts for 7+ years with about 8k miles on them.
Thank you for the help

I was talking about my 2011 Shelby with 19” wheels. My Terminator only has 500 miles on it and is still rock’n its original tires.

 

[03' White Snake]

I run BFG Rivals all around. Love them, they handle great, take a lot of power too. They take a lot of abuse at 800 hp and I still get many yrs out of them. Usually 2-3 sets of rears vs fronts. Again, I usually replace the front due to age not wear.

No experience with them, but I have heard good things about the BFG comp 2's and they are much cheaper than the Rivals.

 

[badmpg03]

I have Toyo R888s on the back of my Whippled 2011 GT500. I didn’t want the added noise of R888s on the front so I went with Proxies 1s on the front (older tire) to keep Toyo front/back but a quieter front setup. This would be my recommendation... to put another Toyo tire up front (non-R888).

OP you probably already bought tires but I would second this, r888r makes noticeably more noise than my toyo proxes or Nitto NT01 did up front

 

[Comp04svt]

I'm running Kumho ecsta PS91's on the front of mine in 275/35/18. Been pretty happy with them. Wanted something quiet, and these ranked very well in all categories per tire rack. They were pretty decent price wise too. My old BFG's were loud as hell.