Hi Folks, Trying to find some rear tires 255/50 16 for my 1989 TR and having no luck. BF Goodrich makes the sport tire with a matching front but no where has any rears in stock including tirerack! I was not able to find any other brand that does a matching set. Any suggestions? What are you all doing for tires or are we keeping it 'original' for life?! Take care and much appreciated! Pic attached of the two staring eachother down on the driveway! Image Unavailable, Please Login
I was about to ask the same thing about the metric size rear tires - Michelin TRX - for the 1986. Coker's had the fronts last year, but not the rears - and I really need to buy a rear pair.
Good day James, You could try Longstone tyres in the UK: http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/ I ordered from them (XWX's for my BB) as opposed to Coker, as they had newer date codes and were a lot cheaper too. Cheers, Sam
I have flagged it to my folks at Goodyear, Spasso noticed it a few months back... I'll let everyone know what they say.....
Discount Tire Direct is showing some BF Goodrich in stock in that size, but not very many... http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?pc=38587&counter=1&ar=50&rd=16&sw=false&cs=255
cheers! I looked at discount tire and they have the 'drag'radials' available. Anyone ever used these?
Drag radials are for going in a straight line. You would be nuts to use them on a sports car unless you have a death wish.
I just went to the Tire rack site (US) and they have BF Goodrich G-Sports for 113.00 each. 255/50-16 http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResultsB.jsp?width=255%2F&ratio=50&diameter=16&x=81&y=2&sortValue=22 Are you saying they are simply out of stock or no longer carry them? You can also run these Kumho Ecsta XS (Extreme Performance Summer), 265/45-16 which are only 1/10th of an inch shorter than the Goodrich tires, softer compound too, http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResultsB.jsp?width=265%2F&ratio=45&diameter=16&manufacturer=Kumho&startIndex=0&search=true&pagelen=20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&x=16&y=11&sortValue=22
Ooooh! I don't know squat about the BF Goodrich drag radials - I just searched for a tire in the specified size & thought it might help somebody who absolutely needed SOME kind of tire to be able to enjoy their TR. Now as to the Kumhos - I've gotten great use out of their Ecsta series tires on my (non-F cars) and if they are that close in rolling radius, I'd sure say they are worth a try! As I'm not a TR owner/driver, I'll humbly bow out at this point & just hope this thread helps more of those beautiful beasts make it onto the roads this driving season.
No harm no foul. I used to sell tires for a living. Every tire is designed for a purpose, some have a wider range of uses than others like your typical passenger car tires. They are usually not "speed rated" for use on an exotic. Speed rated tires come in graduated ratings, see the Tire Rack Tech section on speed ratings to understand what I am talking about. A "Drag" tire is just that. Specifically for drag racing. The sidewalls are very thin and you can see them wrinkle up at the start line when the light goes green. Trying to take a fast corner with these kind of tires will buy you a trip to the ditch, and upside down in many cases.. Summer Performance are just that, FOR THE SUMMER. When I hear people gripe about how bad their Pirelli P-Zeros are in the snow I just shake my head. The rubber compound for summer and winter tires differ greatly. My Yokohama AVS tires were crap below 40 degrees but fine in warmer weather. I run Cooper Weather Masters on my BMW in the winter and the grip is great at cold temps. As far as tires for the TR, The BF Goodrich tires have a treadwear rating of 340, really a pretty hard compound for performance driving. They'll last a long time though. The Kumho Ecstas have a treadwear rating of 180. Nice and grippy but will wear out faster. I could go on but you get the picture.
Looks like my old neighborhood in Ontario...but I digress... Get the Kumhos...I did and they look great and work great. You'd have to be slightly mad to get the TRX tires (25+ year old tire technology??). Are you going for a Platinum/Concours car? If not, swap out the wheels and get the BFGs or Kumhos (I'd say Kumhos). Expensive swap, sure...but worth it if you're gonna drive it.
Thanks for all the advice. I will check on the Kumhos as they sound to be a great overall tire. Ontario... correct you are. When did you live out here? Cheers!
Dear Ferraristi, Wow...the lack of tires is getting serious. I've been calling the Tire Rack once a week to see if the BFG's are in production....nope. I can no longer find ANY tire for my 91 Testarossa. I have been checking since Jan and my current tires are so bald now that I now have to pull the car off the road....for lack of tires?!? I even tried calling T Rutlands for a set of used tires....hahaha...USED tires on a Testarossa just to get me by till new tires come into production. Nothing. So...now what?? Are we really at the end of the line for OEM tire sizes on the Testarossa? Is the only thing to do now is upgrade to 18" wheels and tires? Any suggestions.... Shamile Freeze...Miami Vice !
Have you checked to see if the Kumhos I mentioned are available. They seem to be in the UK recently. Those are what I will be using the next round if they are still in production.
Kumhos are actually pretty good tires, though some will scoff at their reasonable price and say they don't belong on a Ferrari. I've ran them before and they perform very well.
I run them on the rear of my car and...... They look better than the old Michelins They stick better than the old Michelins They are cheaper than the Michelins And get this.... they are cheaper than the tyres on my wifes Toyota Aygo and those tyre would not be out of place on a push bike £65 thats about $100 a piece. I am a happy camper P
Kripe!!!!! I've done a bit of searching and I can't believe how scarce that size of tire has become! A quick search on ebay shows a few new ones in brands like Falken, etc....
Just checked Falken. Has both front and rears. Never heard of them...anyone here have any knowledge of Falken tires?
The Kumhos are available in 265/45-16. Treadwear rating of 180 versus 340 on the Goodrich tires. They are about 1/10th inch smaller in diameter than the BF Goodrich tires and slightly wider. Refer to my previous post. Philwozza is running a set. I will be running them on my next purchase if they are still in production. I hate my Goodrich tires when it comes to cornering at high speed. Great for a Ford Explorer, not so for a TR.
Yes, I have a set of the Falken Ziex ZE-512 on my BMW. Discount Tire and Les Schwab sells them. They are "okay" for conservative use but are even harder than the Goodrich tires, treadwear of 360. I DON'T recommend them for a TR. Recheck the Kumho site for 265/45-16 (Kumho Ecsta XS). You will thank me later. Tire Rack (195.00 ea) and Discount Tire (215.00 ea) has them.
http://www.performanceplustire.com/products/tires/?searchType=searchBySize§ionWidth=255&aspectRatio=50&rimDiameter=16&submit=Submit&manufacturerID[]=29&manufacturerID[]=27 toyo seems to still make this size. Can't help on the fronts as I don't know the spec for the front tire. D Image Unavailable, Please Login