related to my rim question - was looking up a match to my Firestone Indy 500 tires on the front, and it seems they've discontinued that tire. Going to Tire Rack, there's only 3 275/60/15 tires even listed anymore, the T/A included.

I need to replace my Firestone 500's and these 15"s might make it on the front.
http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/street.php?item=SportsmanST

These 15"s might make it on the rears
http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/strip.php?item=ETStreetSS

In addition to the T/A's, and the M/T's there are Coopers and Hankooks.

Tons of 15" tires still available, but not many white letter sidewall tires left.

FYI M/T Sportsman S/T are better than the BFG Radial T/A, and I have owned both.

How do the Cooper Cobras rank?

Go with the Coopers

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/coo-39615/overview/

Got a 'Discount Tire' nearby???

someone here mentioned the maxxis ma-s1 are also good tires. i considered them but i think i'm just going to go to 17's.

I got a set of Futura super sports at Pep boys. They are decent looking tires. I have not driven the car yet to see how good they are.

It's pretty well known now that with some of the BFG radial ta's the white letter turns brown so they need to be boycotted until the problem is solved. One of my tires letters looks awfull brown and couple others are ivory.

Just picked these Mastercraft tires up from Summit for my '64 Polara. 275/60/15 for the rear and 215/70/15 front. They're made by Cooper.

I just put the M/T S/T tires on the Savoy and I really like them. They balanced out nice too
Gus

Sportsmen SRs as well have 15"

I just saw an ad in the latest Muscle Car Review that Coker tire is in the process of reproducing 14" + 15" radials in the Firestone Wide Oval bias ply look. They're supposed to be available next month.

Just put Cooper Cobras on my AAR. I like them just fine. 255/60 in rear and 235/60 in front. I replaced my really old Goodyears GT. I've never had good luck with BF Goodrich tires. They crack, bubble and split from sitting too much. Even on tires that I drive everyddy, I have had them separate too soon. Now the white letters turn brown? No thanks. I like the Coopers. I heard they were going to stop making the Coopet Cobras but my tire shop called his supplier and said they still had plenty in stock and were not going to stop them.

The above mentioned Wide Oval "Radials" are on their websight.

https://www.cokertire.com/tires/firestone-wide-oval-radial-rwl.html

Fastmark, would you mind posting a photo (if you have one) of your new setup?

Thanks!

Wow......over $300 a piece. Seems pricey to me!

(Got 5 years on a set of T/A's...

Zero issues...

A little Westley's has been taking care of the 'stain'...



The Eagle ST's 'bled', too...

Westley's eventually won...

Cooper Cobras suck.

BFG Radial T/As suck.

Firestone 500s suck.


Those tires (especially the BFGs) look good on the cars but are absolute trash when it comes to any kind of performance.

The Micky T SR radials are pretty impressive but they don't have the look so many guys want on their old cars.

Micky Thompson SR radials on the challenger, well pleased.
jt

And why is that, last too long, wear too well, grip too good, look too good? I have run them for years and have several sets now with no issues, they seem to last and wear pretty well and frankly they tend to hook well on good payment. Not sure what's not to like since they are very reasonably priced.

I bought a set of the Futuras from Pep Boys for the 69 RT in May before I drove it PA, no issues, road well and no appreciable wear. At $90 for a 275 I'll buy them again if white letters are not desired.

I'd pay it gladly to get the classic Goodyear bias look in a radial tire. Sign me up for a pair of L 60's and a pair of F 60's. These old design bias tires are poetry in motion to look at, but real thumpers going down the road. Yes and they are 300.00 a copy too.

Maybe one day you will have the opportunity to drive something with good tires and you will see why Cooper's, and the rest on Feets list, suck. Right now you only think Cooper are good.

Yes, they last too long.

S and T rated tires are for granma cars that do cruise ins and are only driven to church on Sunday.

I expected some backlash on that statement because so many people have their favorites that I pooed all over.

The tires look good but that's it.

They do NOT handle well by any stretch of the imagination. If you think they do then you obviously have never tried a tire with a good construction and higher speed rating.

Lasting for decades is important to trailer queens. Lasting for a few good years is more important to those of us who use the capabilities of our cars.

If you think these things hook off the line then you either have an underpowered car or have never used a more aggressive tire.


You see, performance is like beauty. What you think is attractive I think is ugly. We likely have different wants and needs in tires. My plain old V6 FWD daily driver gets better tires than the bunch listed above because I enjoy driving and will use the car in a capacity that will exceed the abilities of those tires.

If you want to putter around a show field or make a cruise in then, by all means, use those tires.
Should you be the type that drives with any enthusiasm then you owe it to yourself to look into FAR more capable rubber for your ride.

You're funny.

Feets does not own funny. And he's right. Tire performance and longevity is a compromise, at least on the vehicles we are concerned with here.

Trouble is the better tires do not have white letter sidewalls and for me, and others, that is important. Rallye wheels, for example, are gross as can be without white letter tires on them.

The vast majority, okay nearly all, S and T rated tires are built on carcass designs that are over 25 years old. Very few true 15" street tires are even built on a newer design and speed rated carcass any more. MT SR, Maxxis Marauder, and Nitto are the few 15" tires that are decent anymore, and that is only relative since they aren't true UHP tires, but none of them come with RWL. So if RWL are important, the selection becomes limited to cosmetic performance...or you have to add an aftermarket white letter kit to them.

I gave up on 15s and never looked back. They make Goodyear RSAs look goooood. And RSAs suck big time.

I quite using regular street tires on the back of my Mopars. They are just too dangerous to drive on with high powered drivelines. When you have decent horsepower, those street tires that Feets listed break loose almost like you are driving on a snow covered road.

I use the 15" Nitto Drag Radials out back and 15" V rated front tires. The Nittos are rated at 186 mph and the fronts are rated at 149 mph. They make my car safe to drive on the street. The Nittos are as good in rain as any other wide tire, they last a couple years on my junk, and they hook great once warmed from driving or a few spins.

If you live where the temperatures get below the mid 40's, don't use them though. They are a summer tire in most places, but out here I run them all year.

How about the quality of the M/T Sportsman SR for the fronts? They are H rated (130mph) and it shows them for a good match with the EE Streets on the rear.

http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/street.php?item=SportsmanSR

Numerous guys here keep a set of spare rear wheels equipped with drag radials so they can play hard on the street or track when they need to. This is probably what I will end up doing.

Back when my brother's car ran high 13's he had BFG's Radial T/A's on it and they would spin on the street to the point of being dangerous. Now the car runs very low 11's at almost 120mph so he runs Hoosier Quick Time Pros on the rear. Not safe to use a M/S all season passenger car tire with that much power under your foot.

What about the Hoosier Pro Street Radials? They have 15" sizes (H=130mph).

http://hoosiertire.com/tires/pro_street/

Anyone know about their street traction or mileage?

Upgrading to modern wheels and tires on the hot rod was one of the best things I did to that car. Handling was so vastly improved that is hard to quantify.

I didn't want to have to change wheels to have fun. Then again, I don't drag race so there's no need for slicks.

Just make the car fun to drive at any time. It's no fun if you have to change tires every time you take it out.

That was my plan for the Savoy this year and so far I'm loving it. Wife and I are really enjoying it this year.

Gus

20 years on a set of TA's.

That proves one thing, only, and not that T/A's are a good choice.

I have a set of them in storage that are that age, they are rollers only.

I hope that they make Good Year polyglass radials with the correct looking sidewalls and lettering too. I have been saying it for years that someone needed to step up make radial versions of the old school tires. If they make Good Year versions of them, I will be buying about ten sets of them. Congrats to Coker Tire for stepping up and making these! Don't stop now Coker, make us some Good Years next!

Stored properly in a climate controlled garage, they were just fine.
Just pointing out they lasted a long time.

They are hard as hockey pucks and there are much better choices for traction, however.

BFG is owned by Michelin...

Michelin's are a hard casing...

They are made for racking-up miles...


They are not DR's...


Best mileage I ever got was out of TP's in the past...

Over 80k on two sets...


There's all kind of old rides running T/A's in these parts...

Heard very little negative feedback...

You left out the part about the tires handling like a set of bowling balls and unable to provide reasonable stopping distances in emergency situations.

I put 160k on two sets of TP's...


They were fine...

Zero issues...

One comment about the MT Sportsman SR tires mentioned above. I had a set on my Pro Street car with only 1,500 miles on them. They have that flamed tread pattern. Mine cracked right up the middle of the treads. Took some pics and sent to MT. They said do not drive on them.

Switched to the Sportsman Pro's on that car and they hook way better than the SR's. Pretty soft compound, however. Probably will not get a lot of street life but I don't put that many miles on per year.

Should have tried driving the car on some real tires that allow improved turning, braking, and acceleration.


It makes a world of difference. Those Tiger Paws can't hang.

I don't have a picture but I could get one in the next day or two.

I am going to bump the Maxxis Marauders. They are H (130mph) rated and have the standard 15" sizes. Maxxis rates them as 360 for wear.

The Mickey Thompson ST is a great driving and handling tire for a stock type musclecar. I had a pair of 275's on the back of the '63 before I went to drag radials. I still have them and use them on occasion.

We had a true street radial Nostalgia class this year and I won the '64 and earlier class with them. 20 psi, 120 lbs. of weight over the rear bumper and leaving in 2nd gear still got an 11.94 out of them!

BFGoodrich are trash and always have been! I had a set on a Duster that were squirmey as hell and every one started to bubble. Junk!

I really liked General XP 2000's but they haven't been available for years! Futura Supersports weren't bad either. We don't have a Pepboys here anymore so not sure if they still make them?

Looks like I'm late to the party, but.... I'm one season in on my M/T Sportsman ST's, and I am very happy. Car feels better on the road than it ever did on my old Dunlop GT's. They look great with a no nonsense sidewall, raised whites on one side, and they're less expensive than most of the others I looked at. I'd buy them again in a heartbeat.

The only problem I have with Maxxis Tires is they're owned by Cheng Shin Rubber Industry Co. a Chinese company.

Does anyone have a traction comparison on the Maxxi tires versus any of the BFG's, Cobras, 500's, ST/SR's or such?

Thanks

one problem with the MT SR's is there's no 225/235 28" tall tire. The Fury needs a 28" front, not a 26"

Yeah, that sucks but until Hoosier or Goodyear decide to make a decent 15" UHP street tire, the only other domestic company is MT, everything else is an import.



No, not exactly. The 28x10 is the closest they have to a 235/60x15. Its an inch wider in section width, so 1/2" per side. Got an extra 1/2"?

I might have the room, but don't most people really dislike that much tire up front with stock suspension and steering? Thought I've heard people complain that the car will grab and pull with that much tire up front.

I don't know.... Cooper tires are still made in the USA, although they do own tire companies in the UK and China. I know opinions vary on whether they make any UHP tires, but it just seems wrong to put foreign tires on an American classic. Even Michelin tires make my skin crawl.

Bias ply I can see, radial not so much.

There are lots of cars out there with wider front tires. Granted, most of them use a more modern suspension but that is of little concern.

I ran a 245/45-18 UHP w-rated tire on the front of the hot rod and had no problems.

If the car pulls up front with wider tires, it probably needs more caster OR the strut rod bushings are totally roached.

If you went to some RMS, Hotchkis, etc strut rods with the rod end at the K-frame side and went to at least 3 degrees of caster the car will drive well.

I have 275-35-18 fronts and I live in SE Michigan where the roads are a potholed, washboard, cupped disgusting mess and the car doesn't pull at all. I do have 7 degrees of caster in the car. Of course less sidewall probably helps.

I also agree with Feets on the modern tires. Pretty much all those "old school" tires like the BFG T/A are just awful compared to anything modern. Unfortunately they stopped making the BFG G-Force Sports in 15" size because those were at least decent.

My goof. I thought they were owned by the Brits. I guess it is the other way around, which actually is pretty cool. Avon makes the only remaining Z rated UHP 15" tires out there for handling applications.

Looks like Cooper also owns MT, which explains why the MT ST and Cooper Cobra look nearly identical. They also own 11% of Kumho and 51% of Chengshan. For other fans out there, Cooper also makes Dean, Futura, Arizonian, Mastercraft, Starfire, Hercules, and Sears Gaurdsmans.

Far out man!

If you have manual steering, your arms aren't going to like a wider tire.

Hmm, when my 64 300 lost it's power steering pump I drove it without power assist for years.

I was running P245/60R15's in the front, 9.6" wide at teh tread.

Steering a no assist power steering setup is harder than a manual steering setup.

Stock power steering ratio is 15.7:1, but without the larger steering wheel or alignment specs a dedicated manual steering car has.

It was a stick too.

Never had a problem driving it and I was driving it in San Diego at the time.

Guess it's all in the mindset. My Cuda has manual steering, but it the 24:1 setup, yay, not. It'll, eventually, get a 16:1 setup.

They also make Mastercraft tires.

Yep, I'm in the same boat. None of the various solutions suggested here on Moparts have corrected the situation. It's definitely in the compound. So, if you do buy BFG, I'd recommend buying local and understanding the warranty. Make sure they will replace them, if they turn brown. That way, you're covered, even though it's a pain to have to get it done.

I ordered mine from Amazon using points and there's really no way to get them warrantied, especially with shipping costs. Keep that in mind on any tire you order online. I'm not saying don't order online, just understand the ramifications if there's an issue.

Was in a local tire shop here last week...

They've been around for many years...


Talked about the T/A letter-bleeding issue...

Said they've never seen it...

when was the last time they sold one......

i'm sure it's a popular tire for Joe average.....

Feets, what brand and size do you recommend to replace a 275/60-15 and 235/70-15?

Here's mine on the charger. BF Goodrich should call them Raised Brown Letter tires.

With a big block, a/c, and a twin turbo setup hanging out up front, I prefer the power steering turning the 235's

The hot rod had tires in those sizes. when it came time to replace them I used Nitto NT555 in 245/45-18 and 295/45-18.

hey - post a good pic of the hot rod side profile with those rims, been way too long since I've seen it - I want to see the sidewalls

tirerack only shows these when I search for a set of those sizes
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearch...rearDiameter=18

Maxxis MA-S1 Update:

I downloaded their tire brochure and it gave information on most of their tires (off road to competition). Since the UTQG rating is based on each tire manufacturer, I wanted to review their ratings to see where the MA-S1 rated. They show the following UTQG ratings:

AC-1 Competition tires as 100

MA-S1 tires as 360 (apx. 30k miles) SUV/LT All Season Performance

MA-P1 tires as 380-440 (40-50k,) Performance Touring

MA-1 tires are 480 (60k miles) Grand Touring

CUV tires are 520 (60k miles) Crossover Premium Touring

MA-T1 tires are 560-720 (60-100k miles). Premium Touring

So it looks like from using Maxxis's own UTQG ratings, the MA-S1 tires may be "stickier" than most of the passenger type tires that they produce.

The MA-S1 tires are a black wall SUV/Light Truck All Season Performance Tire and their P295/50R15, P275/60R15, P255/60R15, and their P245/60R15 are all rated at 44psi for maximum pressure and have the H speed rating (130mph).

I just wanted to throw this out there for reference.

I am glad to love driving my Goodyear Polyglas GT tires a lot.

Carsten

I have them and love the look but care not for the stiff ride. Perhaps with Coker coming out with a Firestone Wide Oval looking radial tire, hopefully we will see same for Goodyear Poly's one day.

Being in Germany and with the autobahn and all, with many areas of no speed limits, brought to mind an old question of mine. Does anyone know if there is a speed rating on these reproduction bias ply RWL Goodyears such as on modern tires.

I also hope Goodyear comes out with a radial with the original poly glas raised white letter look. The look of a radial tire kills me on these old mopars.

Here are some quickies I found of it on the net.

I remember when a shaved TA was a track tire.

not sure I like the smaller tire on the bigger plymouth, this is a 235/55/18 from my 2012 Charger, 28" just like the 235/70/15

I just put Cooper cobra's on my 67

A big part of it is the wheel.

If your wheel doesn't compliment the car them it'll always look bad.

Think about the factory setup with whitewalls. The whitewall was closer to the bead than the tread. It gave the impression of a larger diameter wheel.

Get the proper wheel and you can bring back some of that look. It'll be okay.

On your C barge I'd look for a 29" tire.

I run a 29.5" tire on the Imp.

I asked earlier if the Hoosier Pro Street would be a good sticky tire (I meant it at the time for a rear tire choice), and it does not appear to be a sticky tire for the rear. But what about for a front tire?
It is a 15" tire rated for the H speed (130mph).

They have a #19075 (26.5" diameter with 8.3" tread width) which is almost a P245/60_15.

The attached picture is the smaller #19050 for reference.


http://hoosiertire.com/tires/pro_street/

Thanks!!

I have run the M/T S/T and the Maxxis Marauder along with most of the lesser on the list.
I have driven the Maxxis hard for a while and I would definitely run the Maxxis again, they grip well with limited sidewall flex for a 15" and have been smooth. On the next set I may smooth the side walls and dress them for a period look.
I understand what Feets is talking about, better tires are in the larger rim diameters but for me I like the 15" look and try for the best available. I would do the Avons on the Challenger and I may still but haven't yet.
I have about a doz 255/50/16 Toyo Proxies I used for track days in my A body Cuda, they were great for that car. Unfortunately Toyo doesn't make any bigger for the 16". No one makes good 16" anymore.
T/A BFG are show tires, I can't stand them. M/T S/T tires are much better then the T/As and are great for the period look, so a bit of both words for you, becarefull in the rain if you have torque.