Need advice on replacement tires

[Spiney]

I have a 96 SVT Cobra. It currently has Firestone 245/40 RZ17 tires. Last weekend

On the way to a show I had a flat. I need to replace both rear tires because they are worn. The tires are Firestone Firehawk tires.

Calling around. They appear to be discontinued, hard to get.

Car is a fair weather car only, never sees rain or snow.

Looking for recommendation for tires. Was at a tire shop looking today. They had Hankook Ventus S1 Noble, Michellin Pilot, and Pirelli PZero Nero.

I'm looking for good performance on dry. We only use the car on weekends & sunny days.

So I don't drag race, not into Burnouts, I am into corners & performance.

What do you recommend, and have any experience with with Tire Rack?

Thanks, Dave

 

[Spiney]

 

[1BD9D7]

Nittos are the best I've had, good price is what attracted me to them at first. The 555 should work nicely, I have bought a couple times at discount tire direct (again, price was best) and was happy. I have no tire rack experience.

 

[fulanititoo8198]

It doesn't seem like you push the car very hard so I would just try to get a good deal on some all seasons or summer depending on what you want. I really like the Hankook Ventus V12's even more than Nitto 555's. Tirerack and Discount tire have good comparison and specs on tires.

 

[FoxFour]

Pleased with the new BF Goodrich Comp 2s. Priced competitively too.

 

[Spiney]

Thanks, I don't push it except on curves. I upgraded the suspension so I'd like to try my hand at auto cross. So handling is my top concern.

Another thing that's important is a road hazard warranty. Our area got hit hard in may with a hail storm. 10,000 roofs are being replaced. That's how I picked up a nail. Just in my immediate neighborhood there are at least 15-20 roofs & siding being replaced now.

Still open to more experience & suggestions.

 

[Spiney]

Follow up. 245/45/17 tires were OEM Fronts are 245/40/17. Will putting 245/45/17 on rear cause any issues? They are much easier to come by.
Thanks, Dave

 

[SVT CAMR]

Sounds like you use your car almost the same as I do. So long as you do not plan on driving the car in winter on a sunny day the Michelin Pilot super sports (MPSS) are a sweet tire and made for those turns. I got mine from the tire rack and had them mounted and balanced local for $80. They are a lil expensive but will not disappoint you. I have 900 miles on mine this summer. They look good on the stock rim and perform well. I do not do much driving wise but they are quiet and smooth. I got the 245-45-17's all the way around. I want to say they were 720 shipped. These are not all seasons these are summer tires! The sidewalls are set up for what you want to do.

From what I understand the Hankooks are a grippy tire and wear out real quick. I figured the MPSS tires come stock on Ferrari's how bad could they be. So I pulled the trigger and bought them. If I get 3 years out of them I will buy again.

 

[Spiney]

Getting a pair of Hankook Ventus Noble in the morning. Drove myself crazy looking at specs vs affordable vs 90% of my real life driving.

When the money comes around I'll add a new pair to the front.

Really looked hard at eBay and Tire Rack vs local. Local offers pretty much free everything after you buy the tire. And a no questions Road Hazard Warranty for just $15 a tire.

If you go Internet, pay shipping in some cases, then mounting and balance which local was $22/per + disposal charge, and no availability of Road Hazard Warranty, the difference is very small.

A local chain, CJ's tire store is very competitive plus really stands behind their product. Plus with Internet & the holiday I couldn't get the tires until Tuesday or Wednesday. Local, I'll have them in the AM and be able to go to a Mustang Coral at Carlisle on Saturday.

Thanks for all your input. Dave


To the above poster, we had a 98 Volvo. We really maintained it and had it properly aligned, plus rotation. We went thru 2 full sets of Michellin Pilots quickly. Usually getting less than 20K miles on them. We only put on less than 3K miles this whole past years. So any tires should last a long time. The Firehawks that are on it have probably been on over 10 years. We bought the car used in 2011.

I do agree if good enough for Ferrari should work for you.

Last fall I lowered 1.5" with H&R sport springs, Bilstein shocks & struts, full length welded in SFC, and Midwest Specialties CC Mounts.

Looking at a Panhard bar a guy is selling locally to really make it corner. Also new LCA on rear.

 

[Spiney]

Follow up, I misposted, I have 275/40/Z17 tires. Having an impossible time finding them locally. One place could get Cooper or Uniroyal Tiger Paw. I'm definitely not interested in Uniroyal. So if I need to buy 4 new tires, what size are you running. I don't want staggered because I want to be able to rotate. I really like the stance of the 275.

Both Nitto and Sumitomo make an affordable 275-40-17. I read pretty good reviews of both actually, what's your thoughts on those. I was convinced on Hankook but I think in a 17 low profile they don't go any wider than 245. This has been so frustrating. I thought once I broke down and decided to buy new I'd make some calls and be on my way. It seems for the 275-40-17 my only hope may be the net. Either Tire rack or eBay. Tire rack often has the same tires on eBay buy it now for free shipping vs $13 a tire on their site. But when you buy on eBay I don't think you can buy a road hazard warranty. Thanks again for all of your help. Missing another show on a beautiful day, not a happy camper.

 

[cbrown9064]

I used to (and probably still do somewhat) obsess about tires when getting a new set. This spec versus that, reviews, etc... Here is my thought...performance tires wear out fast. So buy a set that looks reasonable and fits the budget, because before you know it they are worn out.

We used to run BFG KDWs but I switched this last round to Nitto 555s. Like the Nittos a lot. I auto crossed it a couple times this summer and they worked fine. They are a bit harder compound than some of the higher performance tires, but if you really want to watch tread disappear, get some soft compounds.

So, I find the 555s a good compromise between wear and sticky. And they are priced reasonable. Stop obsessing, cause they will wear quick, compared to an all season!

Chris

 

[xblitzkriegx]

have bfg sport comp 2 on my car now. just came from kdw2s two months ago. sport comp2s are very good, much improved over the originals. they come in stock size and are $108 each from tire rack. ultra high performance summer tire...aka great street tire.

an alternative is the bfg rival. theyre are getting great reviews and are extremely sticky. they make a 245/40/17 and a 255/40/17. the 255/40/17 is about a half inch shorter than oem size. they are, however, $207 each. extreme performance summer tire...aka autocross.

 

[2DXTRM]

Follow up, I misposted, I have 275/40/Z17 tires. Having an impossible time finding them locally. One place could get Cooper or Uniroyal Tiger Paw. I'm definitely not interested in Uniroyal. So if I need to buy 4 new tires, what size are you running. I don't want staggered because I want to be able to rotate. I really like the stance of the 275.

Both Nitto and Sumitomo make an affordable 275-40-17. I read pretty good reviews of both actually, what's your thoughts on those. I was convinced on Hankook but I think in a 17 low profile they don't go any wider than 245. This has been so frustrating. I thought once I broke down and decided to buy new I'd make some calls and be on my way. It seems for the 275-40-17 my only hope may be the net. Either Tire rack or eBay. Tire rack often has the same tires on eBay buy it now for free shipping vs $13 a tire on their site. But when you buy on eBay I don't think you can buy a road hazard warranty. Thanks again for all of your help. Missing another show on a beautiful day, not a happy camper.

Check out Discount Tire Direct. They have Free shipping. http://discounttiredirect.com/

Looks like their website is down until Tuesday, so check out their Ebay site for now to see what they offer. Made it easier, tires in 275-40-17: http://stores.ebay.com/Discount-Tire-Direct/_i.html?_nkw=275+40+17&_armrs=1&_from=R10&_ipg=

 

[Spiney]

Thanks everyone. After looking at all my options I went local with a place called CJ's tires. I bought Goodyear Eagle F-1 tires.
Paid $189 each. Plus $15 each total road hazard protection. Received free mount, balance & install. Then $120 for using a Goodyear 12 months same as cash card, plus another $40 off discount. So almost got one free tires.

Plus being local if there is an issue they repair or replace no hassle. I've worked with them before and they stand behind their work. They even let me come in the shop to see their machine wasn't scratching my rims and let me clean my barrels while the wheels were off the car. Car feels great and tracks better than ever. The only disappointment so far is even though they have the same specs size wise as my previous tires there appears to be more gap between the wheel well lip and the tire. I need to measure it and see if that's true.

 

[Spiney]

Follow up question on the street what pressure are you running on your tires? What about Auto-X & Drag Strip? Thanks, Dave

 

[nckissfan]

I have some Falken's on my Cobra. They are good tires, for the money.

I bought mine at Discount Tire. They seem to have better pricing than Tire Rack, at least they have for the three sets of tires I have bought from them. Have any of them near you? might be worth shopping around.