RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?
#885793
12/22/10 10:24 PM
12/22/10 10:24 PM
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Damned67
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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!
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Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?
[Re: Damned67]
#885794
12/22/10 10:35 PM
12/22/10 10:35 PM
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Posts: 17,529 Las Vegas, NV
6bblgt
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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.
Last edited by 6bblgt; 12/22/10 10:52 PM.
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Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?
[Re: topside]
#885797
12/22/10 10:51 PM
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Damned67
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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!
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Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?
[Re: 6bblgt]
#885801
12/22/10 11:48 PM
12/22/10 11:48 PM
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StealthWedge67
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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.....
LemonWedge - Street heavy / Strip ready - 11.07 @ 120
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Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?
[Re: StealthWedge67]
#885802
12/22/10 11:50 PM
12/22/10 11:50 PM
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StealthWedge67
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Fronts: again, these are 225/65's. I think 225/70's would be perfect.
Last edited by GEnsrud; 12/23/10 12:06 AM.
LemonWedge - Street heavy / Strip ready - 11.07 @ 120
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Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?
[Re: StealthWedge67]
#885803
12/22/10 11:51 PM
12/22/10 11:51 PM
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StealthWedge67
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Rears: 245/60's. Witdth is good, I just wish they were taller. I think 245/70's would be the perfect choice.
Last edited by GEnsrud; 12/23/10 12:09 AM.
LemonWedge - Street heavy / Strip ready - 11.07 @ 120
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Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?
[Re: StealthWedge67]
#885804
12/22/10 11:52 PM
12/22/10 11:52 PM
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StealthWedge67
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rear fenderwell clearance: these are perfectly squared up with equal clearance on inside and out. rims have 4-1/4" bs.
Last edited by GEnsrud; 12/23/10 12:03 AM.
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Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?
[Re: 6bblgt]
#885805
12/22/10 11:54 PM
12/22/10 11:54 PM
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Damned67
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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.
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Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?
[Re: StealthWedge67]
#885806
12/22/10 11:57 PM
12/22/10 11:57 PM
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Joined: Jul 2006
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StealthWedge67
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stance with worn out leaf springs.
LemonWedge - Street heavy / Strip ready - 11.07 @ 120
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Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?
[Re: StealthWedge67]
#885809
12/23/10 12:36 AM
12/23/10 12:36 AM
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Damned67
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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).
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Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?
[Re: Damned67]
#885810
12/23/10 12:43 AM
12/23/10 12:43 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,529 Las Vegas, NV
6bblgt
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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.
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Re: RWL tires: Radial T/A vs Firehawk vs Sportsman S/T?
[Re: 6bblgt]
#885811
12/23/10 02:50 AM
12/23/10 02:50 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
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Damned67
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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?
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