What Brand tire are you running on your 308 & why?

Hey Andrew, the paperweight is from Verell and as for the tires I this they brought back the old Pirelli P7 which was a good tire, also you can call TireRack and they will tell you all your options and why they recommend it.

I don’t know if I told you but as for my car, I’m using the Sumitomo HTR Z III, they heave great grip for both wet and dry road, they are quiet, the price is reasonable, and they have good reviews.

 

Heck, any current tire with the appropriate speed rating is a better tire than what was available/came on a 3x8. In the practical world of driving a 3x8 on the road, they all exceed the car's performance capability. Just pick one that you like the look of or the price, or whatever!

 

I run Michelin XWX's on the original 14" wheels. I love the look of these tires and, although expensive, they are the only thing that look correct. After years of running 16" wheels the move back to the 14" wheels has lightened the steering and make for a nicer ride.

 

I think you've got some great selections in your sizes for 16's available.
BFG G-Force's
Continental Extreme Contact Sport
Michelin Pilot Sport
Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R or S-02
Dunlop Durezas

Im running the BFG G-Force Comp 2 A/S's 225/50/16 and 245/50-16's on HRE 505's. Nice tire. I'm happy for the price.

 

Using Firestone Firehawk Indy 500; 16", stock tire sizes.

Read that another 308 owner was happy with them, and they're very popular with the Porsche crowd. I thought they were pretty affordable and so far I'm pleased.

 

Tire Rack shows 31 tires available right now in the 205/55-16 with 225/50-16 combination. That's limited? How many choices do you want? (Pick a vehicle search, choose a 1985 Ferrari 308, it will default to show 14" options, then click the Optional Sizes tab and pick the radio button for the staggered front/rear sizes)

I have 2 sets for my QV right now - Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3+ (high performance all-season) on the original 16" wheels; and Continental ExtremeContact DW, the predecessor to the current ExtremeContact Sport, on BBS E50 3 piece wheels.

I tried the Conti because they're considered one of the best Max Performance summer tires, and they are great. The tread pattern looks traditional too, without big V direction pattern tread. But...

I prefer the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3+ - it still has better grip and traction than any street tire from the 1980s, also has a good looking tread pattern, rides well, is very responsive, AND can handle the occasional frosty morning in the mountains where the temps can be below freezing. It's got a good mileage rating, and it won't age out as quickly as a summer-only max performance tire will (Summer max performance tire shouldn't be used beyond 5-6 years because the rubber gets hard with age; the all-season performance tire will get you an extra year or two of tire life.) I don't drive the 308 to anywhere near the limits of the tires nor do I need even higher limits, bit I still want a precise feel and predictable handling. These two choices both provide those characteristics, without being the soft mush that touring tires would be.

Bonus point - 205/55-16 tires are about the cheapest size on the market, because they are so common!

Cheers,
Gordon

 

I'm running Toyo Proxes R888. They are are track day tyre for the road. Fantastic dry grip and still okay in the wet. I don't drive my 308 in the wet anyway, and if I get caught in the rain I take it easy anyway (regardless of the tyre!). They are a softer compound so will wear a little faster than a straight road tyre, but for the km's (miles) I put on the car, I'm still getting 5 years out a set, and after that most tyres start to go hard on the sidewalls anyway. Here are the sizes in 16"
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Cheers, BB

 

I believe several porsches also use the 205/55/16 front 225/50/16 rear and probably why there is still a great selection of tires in these sizes.

Gordon had given the best advice and I would add, what is it you want from your tires?

Are you a two hands on the wheel type driver or a one hand and an elbow out the window type?

 

As I have grown older I am more and more the latter.

I am even undoing the suspension "mods" I installed on my Alfa and Scirocco when I was in my teens and 20's. Back to stock and elbow out the window.

 

Continental SportContact 3 205/55/16 front 225/50/16 rear, made fo P-car specifications, on 16" Compo FH600.
///TRS

 

On my 17x8" rims, i currently have Potenza Grid G019, which is no longer produced.
I would look at maybe the Potenza REO50 RFT as replacement, since a spare is out of the question.

Edit: i haven't made up my mind of the RFT ties, as the car does ride harsher with the current 17" tires vs the 14" OEM due to shorter sidewall. Not sure how much more harsh the RFT would make it.

Size I have is 245/45-R17. I don't drive in snow/cold, or even rain.

Doug

 

The current Contis look perfect and perform well on my "85QV.

 

XWXs on 6x14 rims, mostly for show; CN36s on 7.5x14 rims, mostly for driving

 

Michelin, Pilot Sport A/S 3+ (Ultra High Performance, All-Season). Purchased on Tire Rack for a fair price. I must have lamented for three days deciding between other top notch companies like Goodyear, Bridgestone, Continental, and Pirelli. I need a tire that will perform well when temps are cold (UpState NY) as well be comfortable when driven in Louisiana. My car never sees wet roads but we have some very curvy roads up here in the Adirondacks so good grip is a must. The All-season made the most sense as far as category and the Michelin brand met all the other requirements at the top of the list. My mech recommended the P Zero Rosso (Porsche loves this tire) but that was out since it's a Max performance summer tire as well as pricey.

 

I'll put in a good word for the Bridgestone Pontenza R007A. I put these on about 18 months and 1400 miles ago and they were a big step up in grip from the Michelin Pilot Sports I had on before. You can dig your fingernail in the tread when dead cold, and when I park them hot in my garage, they tear up the paint on the floor. (That may be more a problem with the prep-work the previous owner of my house did on the garage floor, but still, my other tires don't do that.) One thing about going with gumball tires on these old cars, they tend to make you more aware of the understeering tendency dialed in to the stock suspension set up. You have to get really deep on the throttle to get the back end to rotate--uncomfortably so for street-driving, I would say, but maybe I'm just getting old.

 

FWIW, I replaced the 11 YO Bridgestone potenza GRID with the Michelin Pilot Sports A/S 3+ tires yesterday.

The price for all four installed in 245/45-17 at Discount Tire was the same price as it would have been from Tire rack, plus i didn't have to figure out how to get four unmounted tires,and the 308 to a place that could mount the tires.

The Michelins are less harsh riding that the old Bridgestones, but that may be due to the tires being new vs 11 years old. The Bridgstones only had about 5K miles on them, so they weren't worn out by any means, just old.

The new tires seem quiet, and allow the car to slip through roundabouts at speed, very nicely, but i haven't tried them at their limits,and probably won't.

Doug

 

I have an '87 16v that I'm most likely going to be selling if/when my 308 arrives.

 

Any thoughts on tires for the original 14" wheels? Also can you put a wider tire on the original rear wheels.

 

I’m running some Bridgestone Re07 R’s right now, which are autocross tires, which have been replaced by the RE71’s. They’re absolutely super for grip and quiet. Based on how much I drive the car I’ll get years out of them and the performance is really satisfying. I rarely drive in the rain unless I get caught out somehow so that’s not an issue.

 

Pirelli PZero Rosso 225/50 in the front and 245/45 in the back. Love them! A bit wider than stock but not at all obnoxious...just gives it a little more meat on the bone and has definitely improved the handling over the Eagle GA’s the car came with in the original stock sizes.


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