[DeTomaso] tire opinion

Garth Rodericks garth_rodericks at yahoo.com
Fri Mar 9 17:49:40 EST 2007


More tires to choose from. I just found that Hankook offers a 
  295/50/15 tire in a V speed rating. The only problem is their 
  limited selection of Hankook Ventus tire sizes for the front.
   
  Rear:  Hankook Ventus ST RH06
  295/50/15  420-A-A  V speed rating  $134.99 ea.
  http://www.1010tires.com/tire.asp?tirebrand=Hankook&tiremodel=Ventus+ST+RH06
  
Front:  Hankook Ventus HRII H405
  205/50/15  340-A-A  V speed rating  $94.99 ea.
  205/60/15  340-A-A  V speed rating  $86.99 ea.
  http://www.1010tires.com/tire.asp?tirebrand=Hankook&tiremodel=Ventus+HRII+H405

  I currently have 305/50/15 tires on the rear of my car, and 
  205/60/15 tires on the front, which provides a nice visual balance.
  See pic at bottom of this page:
  http://pantera.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3350045562/m/6900094662/p/35)
   
  Switching to a 295/50/15 tire on the rear means the rear tires 
  will have a shorter sidewall and shorter overall diameter.
   
  Rear Tires:       Current Tire    Toyo       Hankook
                      305/50/15   295/50/15   295/50/15
  Sidewall Height:      4.84        4.43        4.43
  Section Width:        8.07        8.86        8.86
  Overall Diameter:    24.69       23.86       23.86
   
   
  I was previously planning to go with the Toyos 295/50/15 on the 
  rear and 225/50/15 on the front, which I believe would yeild a 
  nice visual balance in sidewall height and overall tire diameter. 
  However, Hankook does not have a 225/50/15 size available. Hankook 
  offers a 205/60/15 (same as my current front tire) and a 205/50/15.  
   
  Front Tires:      Current Tire    Toyo       Hankook     Hankook
                      205/60/15   225/50/15   205/60/15   205/50/15
  Sidewall Height:      4.84        4.43        4.84        4.04
  Section Width:        8.07        8.86        8.07        8.07
  Overall Diameter:    24.69       23.86       24.69       23.07
   
  So, my concern is that if I switch to the smaller 295/50/15 rear tire, but keep the current 60 
  series size on the front, it may create the illusion that the front tire/wheel is larger than the 
  rear. However the 205/50/15 just strikes me as too small.  Maybe I should forget my quest 
  for "V" rated tires and just go with the Toyo tires like I was planning to do.
   
  What's your opinion?  What size combinations are others with stock wheels running?
   
          ----- Original Message ----
From: Garth Rodericks <garth_rodericks at yahoo.com>
To: Stephen Lebowitz <edlebby at yahoo.com>; detomaso at realbig.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 6, 2007 11:06:30 AM
Subject: tire opinion

  Stephen,
   
  I'm in the same situation and have been researching and searching for tires since last 
  Summer. I just visited one of my local tire shops to check their prices and availability 
  against what I found online. So, here's my opinion...
   
  Buy Toyo Proxes. I've included links to the best prices I've found so far. FWIW, each tire is 
  approximately $40 more from Americas/Discount Tire. You have two different options for the 
  front tire - Proxes 4 or Proxes T1-R.  I prefer the Proxes 4 on the front because I think the 
  tread pattern more closely matches the tread pattern of the S/T on the rear. Anyway, I've 
  included them both so you can decide for yourself.
   
  Front: 
  Proxes T1-R  225/50/15  91V (149mph)  $97
  http://ec-securehost.com/OnlineTires.com/Toyo_PROXES_T1-R.html or
   
  Proxes 4  225/50/15  95V (149mph)  $71
  http://www.ec-securehost.com/OnlineTires.com/Toyo_Proxes_4.html
   
  Rear: 
  Proxes S/T  295/50/15  HR (130mph)  $100
  http://www.ec-securehost.com/OnlineTires.com/Toyo_ST.html#ToyoST
   
   
  My comments on your choices follow:
1.  Dunlop GT Qualifier T - T speed rating - 225/15/50 front and 295/15/50 back - about $430 mounted
  >>> These tires are only rated to 115 mph.  You will likely exceed that in "spirited" street 
  use. And, the GT Qualifier is not known for excellent grip. The Toyo's I listed above offer a 
  better combination of performance, handling and style at about the same price point.

2.  Nitto NT 555R Drag Radial - VR speed rating - 275/15/50 all the way around (only available size) 
  - about $750 mounted (these are the tires Dennis (aka Dawg) wrote about last week)
  >>> These are NOT the tires the Dawg wrote about last week. These are Drag Radials.  
  DO NOT use these on your Pantera. The are not designed for the side loads your Pantera 
  can generate. I believe MD mentioned the Nitto NT01, which is a DOT approved road race 
  tire. However, it's not available in a size suitable for the rear of our cars.  Anyway, do not 
  mount drag radials on your Pantera.
   
  Cheers!
  Garth
  #4033




 	 
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