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Tires

8K views 30 replies 14 participants last post by  busababy 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Very nice tire, but I don't believe they have them in our "stock" rear tire size.
 
#4 ·
I'm leaning toward the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s. Anyone heard anything good or bad about these? They rate really high on TireRack.com.
 
#10 ·
Rpretzel,
The Pilots are right up there with the rest of the max summer times.I think it is a personal prefrence.I like the treads on the Goodyears and they are rated high dry or wet.The Ford people here are trying to talk me out of it,they are telling me the Goodyear F1 super tires were the best for the Shelby.They say the fronts could be a little wider though.Confused!
 
#6 ·
I haven't even received my Shelby yet. The rims I want (Shelby Razors) only come in 20" for the Shelby, so I'll have to get new tires too. I didn't want to, but the 18" Razors don't fit over the brakes.
 
#7 ·
I just resolved my flat tire issue. I don't know if anyone is interested, but if you ever have a flat in one of the GT500 tires, you will have to replace the tire and air sensor if you repair it according to Ford. Once you put the sealer in the tire it is ruined and so is the sensor. I just got a new wheel and spare tire for less than $240. The tire is not an exact size (245/40/18) but the wheel is very similiar to the stock wheel. I have put them on the front and they work fine. It looks a lot better than one of those Temp spares and it saves a lot of money if you have a flat. Hopefully someone will find this of interest. I got the wheel and tire from American Muscle, Inc. The wheel is the Black machined Shelby GT500 2005+ and the tire is a Sumitomo All Season HTR+. They were both on sale for $119.00 each when I bought them.
 
#11 ·
I agree I am not big on the fix a flat either.If I could I would use the road service.Dsabldvt,does this wheel/tire ass'y fit in the spare recess of the trunk?If so it might be a good idea what you did if you are stranded.
 
#12 ·
The run flat option how much weight does that add to a tire or does it add any. I am leaning toward Steeda rims just because I want something light weight. Rotational weight is a killer. I have used Nitto before and they were nice. Mileage not so good but sticky all the time. Michelin pilots for motorcycles are excellent I run them on my busa, so if there street tires are the same quailty than they are excellent. My father use to work for goodyear and one thing that is true is normally the OEM tire is never as good as the replacement, reason being is a company like ford, chevy, dodge, can tell Goodyear we want to use your tires for our new model year and this is how much we are going to pay for it, so than Ford, Chevy, whoever has to figure out a way to make the tire, sell it at the price they were told and still make money...guess how they do that...lower quality. With new rims these are not going back on....if I don't switch rims than when these tires are ready to be replaced I will switch model for sure.
 
#15 ·
The pictures need to be resized smaller.
 
#17 · (Edited)
<plug> If you're running Microsoft Windows(tm) XP you can go download the image resizer PowerToy from the right hand side of the page here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

The download you're looking for is called Image Resizer, it's here, but never just copy in shortcuts to .exe files.
http:// download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/EN-US/ImageResizerPowertoySetup.exe
{just kill the spaces between `://` and `download`}

This will run through a brief install, and then let you right click on images, or a batch of images (hold down the ctrl key and click on the ones you want to resize) then right click, and choose resize images from the menu. A small widget will pop up and ask you what size you want... Choose their large, which should be say, 1024x768 or Medium, which should be 800x600, and pop, you'll have resized copies. </plug>

Yes, I work for Microsoft, what's your point? :)
 
#22 · (Edited)
Although the current wheels and rubber are not the best for all weather, road and track conditions, they will remain my choice till Old Abe says it is time and at that point I will explore my rubber options as I really do like the look of these wheels. So much so I purchased a new set from Ford Racing which are set aside for posterity sake so I can enjoy these now. My dilema is the right match of wheel and rubber for track and occasional street application. American Racing Torq-Thrust M Shelby's in 18x10 configuration are my wheels of choice. For rubber Fronts, Yokohama Advan A048's in 315/30ZR18 and for Rears, Hoosier R6's in 335/30ZR18LL. The wheels going to 10's as opposed to 9.5's I believe should not create any issues as the offset on these wheels is 45. As for the rubber going to 30's drops my front end appoximately .3 of an inch with 315's front and 335's rear, but does this jump create any other issues? Any thoughts on this configuration and suggestions for mainly track application would be greatly appreciated as I am lost in this world of rubber and rims. What ever happened to big slicks in the rear and skinny front tires?
 
#23 ·
Slicks and skinnies are still being used for drag racing.
 
#25 ·
I don't know Shelbysvt, but the 315's up front seem a little extreme unless you limit the suspension travel. I would be afraid of fender rub in a hard corner or under hard braking. Also, the stock rear tires look like they are just about flush with the outside fender already, still a little room on the inside but, were you planning for a stiff spring setup? I know many folks have used 275's up front with success but larger may have to deal with other issues.

I'm also wanting to put some track tires/rims on and have been agonizing over available sizes. I want to stick with the 18" dia. but the rest is open for suggestions. I was thinking about Hoosier R6's in 275/35 and 295/30 or the Yoko A048's in 265/35 and 295/30 but I'm still thinking and listening. Anybody have any experience here?
 
#26 ·
CajunCobra after reviewing the tire sizes on Miata.net tires size calculator http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html I can see that my approach is quite extreme. In reviewing your tire size combinations all seems acceptable and with the combination of Yoko 265/35 front and Hoosier 295/30 rear the only significant change is a .2 of an inch drop in the rear. Input from anyone with experience would be greatly appreciated.
 
#27 ·
CajunCobra spoke with a rep at Tire Rack and his advice was for what we are looking for he would wait till spring. His opinion was there currently is no appropiate tire size for our Shelby's, other than good street tires, in the performance range we are seeking. Over all diameter in sizes available, as to how it effects gearing, is the issue at hand. Odly enough he recommended our current stock tires, without knowledge this was the stock issue, as the best street tire for our vehicles.
 
#28 ·
Well, the 295/30 rears have a diameter of 25.3" according to Hoosier. The stock 285/40 are 27". The smaller dia. tire in effect turns a 3.31 rear gear into the equivalent of a 3.55 gear. So the gearing issue is improved. The actual tread width is also improved with the Hoosier/Yoko tires even when section width remains fairly equal to the stock Goodyears. Check out the Tire Rack's "specs" tab under each tire you view. There you will find all the dimensions for every size tire in that brand type. I copied and pasted into an Excel sheet and did some comparisons on my own. I can send it to you if you like.

As to the recommendation of Goodyear F1's, hey that's pretty cool! I haven't had the car on track yet but a few cloverleafs and backroads around here sure feel good with the stock shoes!
 
#29 ·
Great information CajunCobra. I think I will still wait to see what is available by spring as more may be available to choose from by then for our cars. Thanks and keep me informed as to what you hear and see other folks using and leaning towards for track application.
 
#31 ·
Smaller tires does change the rear ratio but it does come with a negative effect to me which is more space between the tire and fender. I already think the car should be lower to fill the gap between the fender and tire, at least on the rear so this solution will make that gap larger... I would have been happy with 17inch from the factory and lowered car. The larger the rims the more power it takes to turn the wheels over. Like some I had a 4x4 truck and did the lift kit, big tires and wheels. It looked good but was slugish off the line, lost power but at highway speeds the tach turned less rev's. So I learned real fast big rims and tires = less snap when you stand on the gas.
 
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