Road tires

[yucatec]

Dear Panthers,
Most of my travel -20k a year? -is on Interstates going to sheepdog trials. My 89 CP is a boat and boats are dangerous at high speeds. In March I hope to have Scott change my 15 inch wheels to 16's, install heavy duty disk brakes and a police steering box.

I've been running Yokohama Avid ST's (at the list's suggestion) and they've been fine: rain or dry.

Although these trials are often at the end of the road farms and my own farm is at the end of a 12 mile dirt road, there aren't many winter trials in cold country and I own a dandy set of chains.

So ther all-weather feature is neutral but performance is important.

Looking through internet (tire rack) tire ratings the Bridgestone Potenza - summer & all weather get the best ratings.

Are these ratings significant or did the Manufacturer buy them? Does anybody have experience with these tires?

Thanks, Donald McCaig

[Lincolnmania]

for a premium tire, i reccomend firestone affinity lh30's......they are rated treadwear 520, traction A, tempature A..........i have these on my towncar, they stick to the road like glue, and mine are holding up really well after 20,000 mi.....they are warranted to 80,000 mi........i can get them for around 90 dollars a tire mounted and balanced (was 75 a tire when i got mine 2 yrs ago)

a lower cost alternative is the fuzion hri's........they arent as quiet as the lh30's but the price is lower.....about 70 bucks a tire mounted and balanced
gadget has these on his towncar, and my friend mike with a 88 mk7 has these tires.....gadgets got about 15,000 mi on his with no noticeable wear, as i stated they do make a little noise tho

kumho's are decent for the price, those are what david has on the superlinc.......he had 4 goodyears on it....they were horrible....3 out of 4 tires was defective

with your high speed highway driving donald, and the 12 mi of dirt roads to your house, i would choose a tire that has at least a H speed rating...........they have thicker sidewalls than a S or T rated tire, but do tend to cost more money
check tirerack.com for 225/60/16"s.......lots of choices out there, check the ratings and reviews!

[88Vic]

Don't get Uniroyal Tiger Paws. They aren't too loud, but they don't have very good grip. My mom's 02 Grand Caravan has em with about 2000 miles, they're supposed to last 80,000mi. We'll se if they do, but the traction is awful, especially in the snow. But they are cheap.

[gadget73]

I haven't gotten stuck or had any traction issues with my Fuzion tires, and really no complaints other than the minor noise. It isn't severe by any means, but with the windows cracked, I can definitely hear them at high speeds on a slight turn. I haven't run them in snow, so I can't vouch for their snow traction, but wet weather is fine.

[yucatec]

Dear Panthers,
Please forgive my ignorance.
When I go to 16 inch for my 89 CP what would be the better handling tire a 245x60x16 or a 225x60x16. Would there be fit problems - wheel wells or spare tire compartment with either? Donald McCaig

[Southern_Pride]

I would go with the affinity lh 30's. I had some and they was awesome. Great traction.

[gadget73]

A 245/60/16 would give you more tire on the road, but you may have issues fitting that into a spare tire compartment.

[Lincolnmania]

nobody makes a 245/60/16

[yucatec]

Dear Panthers,
Sorry. Scott's right. Meant to ask about a 245/50/16.
Donald McCaig

[Lincolnmania]

i had a set of 245/50/16's on my towncar......they fit, but the profile is a bit low, they looked kinda dumb on the car......didnt fill the wheelwells.......i would run either a 225/60/16 or a 235/60/16 or 215/65/16

[yucatec]

Thanks Scott. Which of these tires puts more rubber on the road? Donald McCaig

[nitroracer]

Don, plug in the tire sizes on this calculator and you should be able to compare them pretty easy.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html

[Archangel]

Thanks Scott. Which of these tires puts more rubber on the road? Donald McCaig

Hi Don, generally the wider the tire (the higher the 3-digit number) the more contact area with the road. I'd recommend getting something in the 245 size, with a set of good tires like that your car will be like glued to the road, which does make a difference when the idiot in front of you on the freeway decides to do a panic stop for no apparent reason. Fuel economy shouldn't suffer much if at all, as a matter of fact it was exactly with a full set of 245-60-15 tires that I managed to pull that crazy 28mpg road tripping last summer, and I have probably the heaviest and most aerodynamically-challenged sedan in here. There's really no reason for installing 215 tires, get something wider and more stable.