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RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?

Posted By: Damned67

RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 02:24 AM

Hi All,
Looking to buy some 15" RWL tires for my '67 Plymouth.
Will be going on 15x7s on the front and 15x8s on the rear.
I'm in Oz, and have very limited access to such tires. The Firehawks and Radial T/As are very limited size wise, hence the odd sizes.
So, choices are:
BF Goodrich Radial T/A
225/70/15 and 255/70/15 ($840 for the four)

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
215/65/15 and 235/60/15, or 235s all round ($800 for the four)

Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/T
225/60/15 and 255/60/15 ($880 for the four)

As you can see, there's litte difference in price between them. So they're all fair game.

I've read great reveiws of the Firehawks compared to the T/As, but would prefer something wider than the 235/60/15.

The Sportsman S/Ts have better choices regarding sizes, and have a higher speed rating, but can't find too many reviews/opinions on them.

I'm leaning towards the Sportsmans, but would like to have some user opinions on them?

It should be noted that these are simply 'street' tires, I'm also getting a pair of drag radials for track duty. As such, tire width for performance may not be the deciding factor.

Of those three choices, what would you choose?

Cheers!

Posted By: 6bblgt

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 02:35 AM

assuming '67 b-body?

I'd stick with the 15x7s on the rear, none of the tires listed need more than 7" & the 8" wheels backspacing would have to be "dead nuts" to fit properly in the '67s quarters. Is the car mini-tubbed?

BF Goodrich Radial T/A wheels 6" front & 7" rear
225/70/15 and 255/70/15 ($840 for the four) 225/70/15 is tall, is the car sitting high in the front? Is there a smaller (215) front tire available?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 wheels 7" front & 7" rear
215/65/15 and 235/60/15, or 235s all round ($800 for the four) 235 = small rear tire Is there a larger (245) rear tire available?

Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/T wheels 7" front & 7" rear
225/60/15 and 255/60/15 ($880 for the four) 225 = small front tire - too short!!

If the your choices are limited to the above tires, The Firestones would "fit" best.
The Radial T/As would be my choice, but clearance may be non-existent on the front corners.

Posted By: topside

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 02:44 AM

Of those, I've had the T/As & Firehawks on a few cars, and they were fine on the street. None of those cars were driven in the rain, though. Firehawks are about 40% less here than what you have to pay, and quite a bit less expensive here than T/As are.
Posted By: Stewpar

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 02:44 AM

I have had many sets of Firehawks!
Posted By: Damned67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 02:51 AM

With the Sportsman S/Ts, I can also source 225/70/15s and 235/60/15s.

The rims I'll be buying (again, very limited in selection) are 15x7 with 4" BS and 15x8 with 4.5" BS. I know people have fit 275/60/15s under the 67 B-bodys (although, sometimes with difficulty, hence my choice to stick with 255s), so I'm simply assuming that a 255/60 on a 15x8 with 4.5" BS will fit??? I've been wrong before....

This is why I'm asking these questions, so I can be pointed in the right direction. It's an investment that I can really only afford to make once, so I need to get it right.

Cheers!
Posted By: skullbucket

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 02:54 AM

BF Goodrich Radial T/A
225/70/15 and 255/70/15 ($840 for the four)
I didn't know there were other tire besides BFGs!!!
A 215/65/ should have never been produced, they are too short for any car.
Posted By: Neil

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 03:11 AM

I have the MT tires on my 2wd truck after using the BFG radial T/A in the past. The MT is a better tire in my opinion and will likely last longer since the tread lugs are much bigger.
Posted By: 6bblgt

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 03:43 AM

approximate tire heights -

225/70/15 ~27.44" and 255/70/15 ~29"

215/65/15 ~26.02" and 235/60/15 ~26.12"

225/60/15 ~25.63" and 255/60/15 ~27.05"

I've never used them but the Sportsmans in 235/60/15 (F60-15) front & 255/60/15 (H60-15) rear sound like a good combo.
I'd get confirmation on the fit of the 8" wheels, '67 wheelwells with the low opening are small.
Posted By: StealthWedge67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 03:48 AM

Jason, I pulled the Satellite out of the garage to take some pictures so you can contrast to my setup. As I've told you, I wish I had gone a little bigger with my tires. My combo is 245/60-15's on 15x7's in back and 225/65-15's on 15x6-1/2's in front. 255's will definately fit on 7" rims. Cant immagine they'd be too much different on 8's.

Here come some pics.....
Posted By: StealthWedge67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 03:50 AM

Fronts: again, these are 225/65's. I think 225/70's would be perfect.

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Posted By: StealthWedge67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 03:51 AM

Rears: 245/60's. Witdth is good, I just wish they were taller. I think 245/70's would be the perfect choice.

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Posted By: StealthWedge67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 03:52 AM

rear fenderwell clearance: these are perfectly squared up with equal clearance on inside and out. rims have 4-1/4" bs.

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Posted By: Damned67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 03:54 AM

Quote:

assuming '67 b-body?

I'd stick with the 15x7s on the rear, none of the tires listed need more than 7" & the 8" wheels backspacing would have to be "dead nuts" to fit properly in the '67s quarters. Is the car mini-tubbed?

BF Goodrich Radial T/A wheels 6" front & 7" rear
225/70/15 and 255/70/15 ($840 for the four) 225/70/15 is tall, is the car sitting high in the front? Is there a smaller (215) front tire available?
Car isn't sitting high. Sadly, nothing smaller than the 225/70/15

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 wheels 7" front & 7" rear
215/65/15 and 235/60/15, or 235s all round ($800 for the four) 235 = small rear tire Is there a larger (245) rear tire available?
Unfortunately, the next step up is a 275/60/15, which is VERY borderline in the 67s

Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/T wheels 7" front & 7" rear
225/60/15 and 255/60/15 ($880 for the four) 225 = small front tire - too short!!
With the Sportsman S/Ts, I can also source 225/70/15s and 235/60/15s.





Posted By: StealthWedge67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 03:57 AM

stance with worn out leaf springs.

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Posted By: jcastle1

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 04:17 AM

I've used all three and I like the Sportsmans the best!
Posted By: boydsdodge

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 04:19 AM

The S/Ts are made by Cooper and look alot like the Cooper Cobras, I would never go back to the T/As and liked the Firestones, I'd like to try the S/Ts tho.
Down your way I think you can get the Maxxis Marauders, they come in lots of muscle car sizes.
I bought A set for my Challenger, they look great but I won't be driving them untill spring.
Posted By: Damned67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 04:36 AM

Quote:

rear fenderwell clearance: these are perfectly squared up with equal clearance on inside and out. rims have 4-1/4" bs.



Thanks for that Gary (and for all the pics).
So the trade off would be whether to run with the 15x7 @ 4" BS or the 15x8 with the 4.5" BS. Either way, a 255 tire should fit (at least, it looks like it will).
Posted By: 6bblgt

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 04:43 AM

Quote:

Quote:

rear fenderwell clearance: these are perfectly squared up with equal clearance on inside and out. rims have 4-1/4" bs.



Thanks for that Gary (and for all the pics).
So the trade off would be whether to run with the 15x7 @ 4" BS or the 15x8 with the 4.5" BS. Either way, a 255 tire should fit (at least, it looks like it will).




If everyone is measuring backspace the same - the bigger 255 tire on a 8" wheel would be 3/4"+ closer to the wheel lip.

I don't think there's room for that.
Posted By: Damned67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 06:50 AM

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

rear fenderwell clearance: these are perfectly squared up with equal clearance on inside and out. rims have 4-1/4" bs.



Thanks for that Gary (and for all the pics).
So the trade off would be whether to run with the 15x7 @ 4" BS or the 15x8 with the 4.5" BS. Either way, a 255 tire should fit (at least, it looks like it will).




If everyone is measuring backspace the same - the bigger 255 tire on a 8" wheel would be 3/4"+ closer to the wheel lip.

I don't think there's room for that.



Got me thinking now....
The section width on the tire in the photo (Dunlop GT Qualifier, 245/60/15) is reported to be 9.6" on a 7" rim.
The Sportsman 255/60/15 is reported to be 10.25" on a 7.5" rim. Accounting for the difference in the backspacing, the Sportsman on a 7.5 rim would, indeed, sit ~0.6" closer to the lip. How much would an 8" rim change the section width?
Posted By: six-barrel

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/23/10 12:59 PM

on my 67 Coronet, I'm running a 275/60 15" Diamondback redline tire. These are the Firestone tires.

The rears are on a 15x8 rim and the drivers side has 1/4" extra offset moving the tire closer to the centre of the car.

The 275/60 are around 28" tall.

It fits and fills out the wheelwell
Posted By: 1MYTGTX

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/24/10 01:56 AM

This year I picked up a new set of "day 2" rims & tires for the Charger. I wanted to pick a wheel/tire combo that was a bit different than most & wouldnt break the bank.

They are 15x8 Cragar Eliminators with 4.5" BS

I chose the M/T Sportsman ST's to be different from the BFG norm.
They are 245/60/15 in front and 295/50/15 in the rear. So far they are a real nice riding tire (about 2k on them this season)





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Posted By: Crizila

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/24/10 03:12 AM

Firehawks are some of the best tires I have run in that price range. Run-out is usually under .015" with them.

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Posted By: Damned67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/24/10 03:14 AM

I really think I might spend the little extra and go with the Sportsmans.... Now I just need to work out tire size, which I'm once again starting to worry about!
Posted By: In_The_Pink

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/24/10 05:55 AM

Quote:

Firehawks are some of the best tires I have run in that price range. Run-out is usually under .015" with them.



I've been very pleased with the FS Indy 500s on my DD Astro 5-speed...good in the snow, too.
Posted By: Damned67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/24/10 08:14 AM

I've currently got some old firestone 205/70/14s on standard magnum 500 rims. The 205/70/14s should have a section width of about 8", on a 6" rim. Any idea what the rim size and back spacing is on standard Magnum rims, I'm guessing 15x5 or 15x6?
No idea what the backspacing would be though?

Oh, and I've got 2" clearance each side of the wheel....

Posted By: FK5

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/24/10 12:07 PM

I know that many people run the Radial T/As, but IMO they are for looks only. Hard compound and some of the worst tires in the rain I've ever had. Unless they've changed them I would stay away. I don't know much about the others, but used Cooper Cobras were actually a major improvement on my Satellite.
Posted By: StealthWedge67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/28/10 11:37 PM

Further pictures for Jason.
(sorry guys, couldn't figure out how to attach a picture to a PM, so here they are)

1st: tire to wheelwell lip. About 1-1/8". It gets a little tighter up inside, however, depending on your ride ht. (see previous picture from this angle).

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Posted By: StealthWedge67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/28/10 11:45 PM

2nd pic: inside of wheelwell (man, I gotta clean this thing). It looks like about 1-1/2" here, but I wouldn't count on using all of that. You can also see here how much is to be gained by mini-tubbing into the frame rail.

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Posted By: StealthWedge67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/28/10 11:50 PM

Here's the look you get with a 245/60-15. 255's would obviously fit. Like I said before, 245/70's would look great. 275's are a chancy proposition, they'll fit with the perfect backspacing and ride ht, but real world around corners and such, I think it would rub on a pretty regular basis (at least on my car).



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Posted By: StealthWedge67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/29/10 12:13 AM

One last perspective. Thanks for the excuse to get the beast fired up and out of the garage.

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Posted By: DynoDave

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/29/10 03:01 AM

Those 245/60/15s look nice.

Cooper-Firestone-MT....looking at all three websites, the Firestone site certainly gives you a LOT more information about the tire and it's construction than the other two.
Posted By: Damned67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/29/10 09:05 AM

Gary, thanks once again for the pics and info.

Quote:

1st: tire to wheelwell lip. About 1-1/8". It gets a little tighter up inside, however, depending on your ride ht.



Quote:

The section width on the tire in the photo (Dunlop GT Qualifier, 245/60/15) is reported to be 9.6" on a 7" rim.
The Sportsman 255/60/15 is reported to be 10.25" on a 7.5" rim. Accounting for the difference in the backspacing, the Sportsman on a 7.5 rim would, indeed, sit ~0.6" closer to the lip. How much would an 8" rim change the section width?



Based on the two above quotes, a 255/60/15 would leave me with ~0.5" between the wall and wheel well lip, I'm not sure that's not cutting it too close?

Plus, your 245/60/15s do look very nice in there... It's a safe, viable option.

Then there's 235/60/15. The Mickey thompson site lists them as being only 0.3" narrower in the section width and 0.5" shorter diameter compared to the 245. And for some reason, the 235s are $110 cheaper per pair from the tire supplier I'm looking it.

They're not an ideal choice, but the savings are hard to ignore for relatively small changes in tire size....

Choices, choices, choices.....

Posted By: Damned67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/30/10 09:27 AM

Well, I pulled the trigger, so to speak.
Dropped my well-earned $$$ (?) on a set of Sportsman S/Ts (and a pair of MT ET streets).
Also bought the rims today as well. They tires are going on these puppies...

Should have them all next week, just need to try and source some RH thread wheel studs... which will be interesting over here in Oz!


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Posted By: 79powerwagon

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/30/10 03:50 PM

Friggin' SWEET! Don't source RH lugs, just change your studs (any shop can do it quickly and inexpensively, especially if you do the dis-assembly).

Can't wait to see the pick when it's completed!

I'll respond to your PM shortly...
Posted By: ademon

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 12/30/10 05:03 PM

The indy 500's ride nice,

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Posted By: Damned67

Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T? - 01/07/11 03:01 AM



thread

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