Grip/Tread life compromise

Brutal Metal

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Well my AC compressor died so I'm gonna have to drive the Cobra to work for a few weeks til I get time to fix the 5.0. SO I needed some new rears I ended up getting the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500's in 275/40/17. Had them mounted today.They fit on the oem 17X8 rims with no problem. OP I'll give an opinion when I get some miles on them. The ride quality is much better than the bald ET Streets. Got them for a Good price at TireRack and the reviews from Mustang owners on their site are stellar. Guys with 500 HP say their dead hooking in 2nd..
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...idewall=Blackwall&partnum=74WR7FHI5&tab=Specs
 

RedVenom48

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If your trying to dead hook on the street with radials, you need to step right on over to 15" wheels and get a set of MT ET Street Radial Pros. No they wont last long and are terrible if there is any moisture on the road. But its one of the better grip tires in radial form youre going to find.

If youre a little more realistic about what a street tire will do, Mickey ET Street S/S or Nitto NT05R. You still wont get good life compared to say a more street oriented tire like a Michelin, but they will perform well for anything but a max effort street dig.

Ive got experience with a 265/55R15 MT ET Street. Great grip but the tire carcass was bad. Probably more on how they were stored at LMR more than an actual production issue. Definitely bouncy with such a large profile, turning was sketchy, but an 18" will low profile sidewall will help. M/T's parent company, Cooper, makes a decent road tire. They should have good carcasses.

My 305/45R18 NT05Rs ive run on the street. Did a road trip once from San Diego to Tucson on em with a TVS on my car. Hit the drag strip in Tucson for a whole day and drove home the day after. Wasn't as good at the track as my Hoosier slicks, but they held their own. Never thought about grip on the street as they did their job. Then again I wasn't dig racing and doing holeshots when the light turned green either.

Im about to roll them out for more street duty testing. Im trying to find a daily by the end of the year, but for now Shelby gets the nod. Once the Shelby is safely a weekend/track car shes getting a new set of street shoes.
 

BigFatMatt

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I ended up getting the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500's in 275/40/17. Had them mounted today.They fit on the oem 17X8 rims with no problem. OP I'll give an opinion when I get some miles on them. The ride quality is much better than the bald ET Streets. Got them for a Good price at TireRack and the reviews from Mustang owners on their site are stellar. Guys with 500 HP say their dead hooking in 2nd..
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...idewall=Blackwall&partnum=74WR7FHI5&tab=Specs

I have these tires installed on my '99 Cobra 255/40/17. I really like them a lot and they feel pretty good once they are warm... but my car is mostly stock so I'm not trying to plant 500 whp. I'm very impressed with the handling. They really stick to the road and they are quiet for me also. I have about 1.5k miles on mine and basically no wear.

I think they are re-branded Potenza RE003 tires. Same wear ratings, tread pattern, same sizes... but a good bit cheaper!
 

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