Ran across a couple of interesting tires for 15" tires

rficalora · February 03, 2015, 05:10:42 PM

Both are pretty wide -- and about 26" diameter -- about 1.5-2" taller than the 205/55/15 or 225/5/15 a lot of us use. Could be good options for folks with flares & the right wheels...

* P275/50R15 Nitto NT555R 101V

* Hankook Ventus H101 Radial Tire - 265/50R15

The Nitto is stickier but maybe too wide. The Hankook doesn't have as good traction ratings but a little less wide.

Even with my restrictive exhaust, I could use more traction; I'm sure some others could too.

MGBV8 · February 04, 2015, 03:18:55 PM

Rob,

The Nitto NT555R is a drag radial. The sidewall is going to be too soft for cornering. Probably pretty sketchy in the rain, to boot.

BlownMGB-V8 · February 05, 2015, 10:15:03 AM

I'd like to find a 23-24" tall 15" tire that is wide enough to fit an 8" rim. (Sport radial) Any ideas on that one? The only things I've seen so far have been racing tires.

Jim

MGBV8 · February 05, 2015, 11:16:23 AM

A 225/50-15 would fit the bill.

Kumho Ecsta AST

BlownMGB-V8 · February 05, 2015, 06:48:13 PM

A 225 might be wide enough... Is 50 the lowest profile they make in a 15"?

Jim

MGBV8 · February 05, 2015, 09:00:21 PM

A 225 fits great on a 8" rim. Miata racers do it all the time.

You can get a G-Force Rival in 225/45-15. It's only 22.9" tall.

BlownMGB-V8 · February 06, 2015, 09:20:11 AM

That sounds interesting, I think I have a 255 or 265 on there now (I will look) but they are too tall. I've decided to run a California Rake as that will increase my header clearance and let me get more suspension travel without raising the front end of the car. Got time to find something though as the tires I have will do for awhile. With an 8.8 width a 225 should be wide enough, but since when was enough ever enough?

Jim

255/45-17 on the front

rficalora · April 13, 2016, 11:06:31 AM

I realized g-force Rival comes in both 225/45/15 & 205/50/15. Rather than selling my current wheels & going to 17", I'm thinking that's my answer.

MGBV8 · April 13, 2016, 01:21:28 PM

TireRack is not showing it, but BFG brought back the Rival in more sizes because they are now a sponsor of ChumpCar.

http://forum.chumpcar.com/index.php?/topic/14339-bfgoodrich-rivals/&page=1

rficalora · April 13, 2016, 01:37:26 PM

I did a little more research - looks like three ultra performance summer tires that come in both 225/45/15 & 205/50/15 (my rear/front respectively). Looks like:

BF Goodrich g-Force Rival S
Kuhmo ECTSA V720
Toyo Proxes R1R

Anyone know if one is better than the other in the wet? Reviews rate all three high for dry traction. I don't drive in the rain often but can get caught in it from time to time so wet traction would be the differentiator for me.

MGBV8 · April 13, 2016, 08:36:17 PM

The BFG Rival S is for autocross. The compound is softer & will not last very long compared to the Rival. Can't speak to the others.

rficalora · April 13, 2016, 09:18:29 PM

Rival S, along with the other two are listed as extreme performance summer vs. streetable track tire. I think I'm going to give them a try as the only other option is to sell my wheels & move to 17". New wheels like the ones I have would cost the same as 3 sets of tires so I'm thinking it's worth a shot?

MGBV8 · April 14, 2016, 08:50:46 AM

It's a great, sticky tire that was primarily designed for drive 'em to the track day/ autox & back home without swapping tires.

The Rival will last 10K-13K miles (unless racing). The Rival S will not go near that distance.
The Rival & the Rival S both have a tread wear rating of 200. There is no real standard for this number.
I'd run 'em, but I still have some life left in my R-compounds.

QuoteRival S

The g-Force Rival S is BFGoodrich's Extreme Performance Summer tire developed for sports car, muscle machine and pro-touring car driving enthusiasts who want their tires tuned to lower their run times in solo, autocross, track attack and hill climb events.

Rival

The g-Force Rival is BFGoodrich's Extreme Performance Summer tire developed for sports car, muscle machine and pro-touring car driving enthusiasts who want their tires to turn heads on the street and lower lap times at the track.

BlownMGB-V8 · April 14, 2016, 10:47:23 AM

Depending on how many miles you drive in a season those could last anywhere from 1 to 5+ years.

Jim

MGBV8 · April 14, 2016, 01:20:14 PM

...and the type of driving.

DiDueColpi · April 14, 2016, 09:26:52 PM

I put the Toyo Proxes R888 on the blown P1800.
225/50/R15 on an 8" wheel.
Mounted on the car they have a pretty square shouldered 9.250" cross section and 23.125" height.
Dry traction and cornering are excellent. As long as it's warm out. On a cold day, (0' C) they don't bite at all!
Tread wear is rated @ 100 but has held up well so far (2500 km)
Wet traction is better than I expected. It is not a tire that I would use in the rain regularly. But at normal road speeds it's perfectly acceptable.
And it's got a DOT rating.

Cheers
Fred

rficalora · April 17, 2016, 02:53:51 PM

Ok, based on Carl's info + similar from philstireservice.com, I ordered the Toyo Proxes R1R. The g-force Rival S is, indeed more of a track tire and the plain Rival (no S) isn't available in the sizes I need. Will update with impressions once they're on the car.

MGBV8 · April 17, 2016, 04:28:45 PM

You should be able to get the regular Rival in 205/50-15 & 225/45-15. They just started making them again for ChumpCar racing.

R-compounds are not supposed to be used at near freezing temps. I'm sure you knew that, Fred.

rficalora · April 17, 2016, 05:57:25 PM

Might be so Carl, but I couldn't find them so already ordered the R1R's. They have to be way better than what I had.

billymgb1000 · April 21, 2016, 07:45:58 AM

I just bought BF Good Rich 235/50r15 radial TA'S for the rear they are 26 inch dia 9.5 wide and they look awsome

MGBV8 · April 21, 2016, 01:48:15 PM

Gonna need stickier tires than that, Billy.

rficalora · April 21, 2016, 10:30:16 PM

Billy - typo? I see 235/60/15 T/A radicals, but doesn't appear they come in a 235/50/15.

billymgb1000 · April 22, 2016, 04:02:07 AM

No your right rob 235/60r15. you think so carl? I thought these were sticky enough, I haven't run them yet, I will be painting my car this week end then it's putting her all back together.

MGBV8 · April 22, 2016, 10:50:29 AM

Yours are UTOG (treadware, traction, & temp range) 400, Rob's are 200, mine are 100. Lower the number the stickier & the quicker they wear out.

Of course, with that 5.3L, I'm sure you will wear them out plenty fast.

rficalora · April 23, 2016, 01:31:37 AM

I've had UTQG 400 tires on mine since I built it. For daily driving, they're fine. But even with my mild 302, I could spin the tires in the 1st two gears when I wanted to - 3rd gear too once they got a little older and started to harden. Your 5.3L will make it even a bit easier.