Best Tires For Terminator?

[Codie]

I was wondering what your opinion is for the best rear tires for a Terminator making 403RWHP and 455RWTQ. My tires on it are pretty shitty. They came with the car. 245's and spin with absolutely no traction in 1st or 2nd. I'm wanting a tire where I can achieve traction at WOT in second gear at least. I'm wanting 275's out back, just not sure what brand/tire to go with.

Ideally, I want a tire with good traction dry, not too worried about wet because i won't be driving in rain. But, don't want one that is gonna be dangerous if I happen to get caught out in the rain. I live in Oklahoma, weather is very inconsistent. I also would like decent life. 10,000+ Might be asking a lot, I know. But, what are your preferences and experiences? Thanks for any answers ahead of time.

 

[SonicDTR]

I had BFG KDW II's on mine and loved them. They werent a drag radial but did very good in all weather conditions and hooked fairly well for ~500hp. They wouldnt kill me in the rain, which is what I was after, I drove it all sorts of weather.

I'd also ran Nitto 555r drag radials on it before with good success, I didnt die in the rain with them either but you better be damn careful with any drag radial in the rain.

 

[CobraBob]

Is this an '03 or '04 Cobra, or are you wanting the tires for the 2001 Cobra (with Terminator engine) in your signature. I ask because those dyno number (horsepower) are very low for the setup in your signature. Just curious.

But to your question, you have a number of good choices. You want a stickier high performance tire, but that is going to reduce tire life, of course. I used Michelin Pilots (same tire that was on the Viper) that hooked very well. I advise against drag radials even though you say you won't be driving in the rain. You can never guarantee you won't get caught in a surprise rain storm.

 

[Bigggy]

I had BFG KDW II's on mine and loved them. They werent a drag radial but did very good in all weather conditions and hooked fairly well for ~500hp. They wouldnt kill me in the rain, which is what I was after, I drove it all sorts of weather.

I'd also ran Nitto 555r drag radials on it before with good success, I didnt die in the rain with them either but you better be damn careful with any drag radial in the rain.

KDW were pretty good and cheap, but they don't make them anymore. Now it's either the new model or the Rivals (that are a lot more of a tire). Some say that Nitos are good, others say that they are junk. I've seen people with NT555 and they were not quite good IMO.

Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Toyo R888
Falken RT-615K
MT Street
Nito Invo
Nito NT05

Here is different brand and type of tires depending on your needs.

 

[SonicDTR]

KDW were pretty good and cheap, but they don't make them anymore. Now it's either the new model or the Rivals (that are a lot more of a tire). Some say that Nitos are good, others say that they are junk. I've seen people with NT555 and they were not quite good IMO.

Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Toyo R888
Falken RT-615K
MT Street
Nito Invo
Nito NT05

Here is different brand and type of tires depending on your needs.

Didnt know that about the BFG's, thanks for the info. I had a set of nitto 555 (non R) and didnt like them at all, but my R's were decent.

 

[I'D WIN]

Mickey Thompson Ultra-High Performance Street Comp Tire?

 

[Brutal Metal]

ET Streets!

 

[ColorMatched]

I got 15k out of a set of NT555's being easy on them. They were pretty solid for the price. I got a good deal on Potenza RE760's in 275/40-17 so I will report back in the summer on how they are.

 

[R.D.P.]

Are you willing to sacrifice handling for straight line traction? If NO - R888's, If YES, lots of options - ET Street II being a good one. Both have just enough tread to keep you alive in the rain if careful. If you want more wet traction and excellent handling, but give up some straight line traction, check out the pilot super sports.

 

[BoostedByV]

R888

 

[Ryan2KRedL]

I run Toyo T1 Sports in the front and Toyo R888 in the back.
In my opinion, these are a perfect match for a daily driven Cobra.
My 03 makes 460rwhp and 480rwtq and I drive it all the time rain or shine.

Ryan

 

[Moose04]

I got Falken Ziex ZE502 275/40ZR17 all the way around on my 04 Terminator. They suck! They have no grip at all. They are also starting to split around the treads on the rear. I was gonna ask the same question. I was wanting to do a 305 or 315 in the rear. I think the 315 is gonna be to wide for the factory rims, though.

 

[Codie]

Is this an '03 or '04 Cobra, or are you wanting the tires for the 2001 Cobra (with Terminator engine) in your signature. I ask because those dyno number (horsepower) are very low for the setup in your signature. Just curious.

But to your question, you have a number of good choices. You want a stickier high performance tire, but that is going to reduce tire life, of course. I used Michelin Pilots (same tire that was on the Viper) that hooked very well. I advise against drag radials even though you say you won't be driving in the rain. You can never guarantee you won't get caught in a surprise rain storm.

I was actually wondering the exact same thing about the Horsepower numbers. The car is an '01 with an '03 motor. I dropped the car off in Texas and it sat there for about half a year getting worked on by Gearhead Performance of Arlington. The mod list is accurate and I've seen similar setups make a lot more wheel horsepower. The dyno sheet reads 403RWHP and 455TQ. I feel liek the car is a bit sluggish and expected more honestly. I did check the oil and it seems to be very watery, almost as if the coolant is leaking into it. I think my coolant level might be low, but not too sure, haven't had it back long enough to notice it. I was hoping there wasn't an issue with the heads, but I'm not sure. I felt like the people working on it would've told me, then again they broke my speedometer and mileage no longer goes up. Car dies when started and idling as well. Thinking they really had no idea what they were doing..?

EDIT: Should I get leakdown test to check health of engine?

 

[R.D.P.]

Sounds like first thing you need to do is change the oil and see what's going on there. If your getting coolant in the oil, that's at a minimum a head gasket issue. Good luck getting it squared away. That engine swap should have been no big deal.

 

[NC03SVT]

I have 315/35/17 nitto 555 and they hook no problem in 2nd. 1st is just wheel hop. I have just basic bolt on's and upper pulley. I plan on going to a stickier tire next time, most likely r888.

 

[wile e coyote]

It all depends on how much $$$$ you want to spend on tires. MPSS and 888's are badass tires but you are going to spend a small fortune on them.

Ive run nitto 555 extreme ZR's on several different cars with great success. No it wont hook like a drag radial, and no its not a open course competition tire like the MPSS or Toyo's, but for a driver quality tire that you can count on to get you home and are reasonably priced.........they are great IMO.

 

[JRH2592]

Does anyone have any experience with Toyo Proxes TQ's? They're a lot cheaper than the R888's

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...35R7PXTQ&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

 

[hotcobra03]

Im stock. .bfg were the best for low price..

im on nittos now which look alot like old bfg tread..


They hooked for the 1st week now its all tire spin but our roads arent smooth..

 

[Bdubbs]

I run Toyo T1 Sports in the front and Toyo R888 in the back.
In my opinion, these are a perfect match for a daily driven Cobra.
My 03 makes 460rwhp and 480rwtq and I drive it all the time rain or shine.

Ryan

That's my exact combination too. I have gotten full traction with r888's when I was at 455 rwhp.

 

[Weslsew]

It's almost time to replace my kdw2s, and I think I'm gonna try the continental extreme contact dw. I think they're the same tire as the mt street comp but wider. I'm in fl where it rains every day in the summer. I've heard decent things about them and they're cheap.