First Gen tire choice - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

68bird · 07-20-2010, 06:19 PM

Does any one know how good BF Goodrich Radial T/A's are for a first gen firebird? It seems like they have the best rating of all the sets I can find [my front tires(215/60 R15) are smaller than my rear ones (225/70 R15)]. My only concern is how well they handle in the rain, and taking them on a road course every so often.

Tru2Chevy · 07-20-2010, 07:20 PM

Are you stuck with that tire size, or do you have room to go a little larger Front and Rear? What size are the wheels?

- Justin

68bird · 07-20-2010, 07:41 PM

I think that's as large and wide as I can get. Any larger in the front and they would hit the wells to easily and I think that's as wide as I can go in the back, but I'll have to double check that.

68bird · 07-20-2010, 07:57 PM

I was more concerned w/ how the tires performed than anything else. Because I don't know how much longer I'm going to keep the rims (I may sell them in a few months or maybe in a year or two depending on how my money situation is, and if I can figure out how to get wider rims on both front and back)

Anti_Rice_Guy · 07-20-2010, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 68bird

I was more concerned w/ how the tires performed than anything else. Because I don't know how much longer I'm going to keep the rims (I may sell them in a few months or maybe in a year or two depending on how my money situation is, and if I can figure out how to get wider rims on both front and back)

How much different are the inner fenders from Camaros? I'd maybe shoot Chris67 or Mark68 a PM. They both have slightly wider tires than that without minitubbing or anything.

68bird · 07-20-2010, 08:26 PM

The first gen firebirds are all like an inch lower to start with than the camaros

And for some reason the steering knuckle gets in the way of the inside of the rim if I go wider. I'm trying to figure out how to change that w/o breaking something or hurting the way the car handles

BonzoHansen · 07-20-2010, 10:17 PM

I can't see why you can't run 235/60/15s on it. Or maybe 215/65/15 up front.

Here is my advice on RWL (raised white letter) tires: buy the ones that meet your aesthetic and economic needs. you're not leaving anything on the table picking a over b.

IMO no, there is no discernible performance difference. Especially on an occasional driver/sunny day car. People who run BFGs like the BFGs and will tell you that. Same with the Firestones or the Coopers. None of those are high tech tires, they are just white lettered passenger tires that come in more interesting sizes. We aren’t talking p-zeros va Michelin pilot series vs Goodyear eagle f1s. If I were buying 235/60/15 RWL street radials I’d look long & hard at Firestone and cooper as they seem to be easier to get on a regular basis.

FWIW, if you ask 10 people their opinion you'll get 10 opinions, and tires are funny things to rate so all 10 opinions are probably valid to some extent. My experience is based on personal experience and 7+ years in the tire business - including what the tires companies told me. They weren't categorized as ‘cosmetic performance’ for nothing.

These would be my choices:

Firestone Indy 500
BFG Radial T/A
Cooper Cobra GT
Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/T

What's with the rain concern? Is this gonna be your DD?

68bird · 07-21-2010, 12:00 AM

It kind of is right now, but even if it wasn't i'd still like to be able to get some semblance of traction in wet weather.

CHRIS67 · 07-21-2010, 07:38 AM

I'm running 215/50 17's on a 8" rim on the front and 245/45 17's on a 9" rim on the rear. I went with Hankook Ventus tires.

I think Mark68 is running 275's on a 17 X 10" rim on his car. He had 18's but was smoking the sidewall over bumps.

I ordered mine through the below web site, fair prices, but will replace any tire rim package (including shipping) that doesn't fit at no charge.

http://www.rimsntires.com/packages.jsp?startfrom=1

BonzoHansen · 07-21-2010, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 68bird

It kind of is right now, but even if it wasn't i'd still like to be able to get some semblance of traction in wet weather.

It's a RWD car that is relatively light on the back, no tire is going to make is stick to wet roads. The driver is the #1 part of wet traction. Wider makes wet traction worse too.

I'd go with the Firestone or the Cooper. Neither of them will be any better or worse than the other in the rain and they will be easier to replace locally if you have an issue. BFG has been sketchy with their stock.

JL8Jeff · 07-21-2010, 02:08 PM

On my old 68 Camaro I had 245/50/16's up front on 16x8 (with 4.5" backspacing I think) and I think they would just barely rub at full turn. I ran 255/50/16's in the back without any problems. On my first car, a 69 Camaro conv I ran 235/60/14's on 14x6 Rally wheels. They would just rub a little at full turn. The wider tires will really help the car handle a lot better. I've run 215/65/15's as well and they fit with no problems.

chknhwk01 · 07-23-2010, 06:47 AM

whey b/f,s.......... the new, nitto,s n550r,s are the ''killer,s now!!!!!!
u will love them, they will do every thing you want them to do.......
and they last a lot longer,player, the super drag radial, warrior....

deadtrend1 · 07-23-2010, 07:35 AM

you mean N555r?? And he doesn't want drag radials, just street tires.

68bird · 07-27-2010, 09:50 AM

Thanks guys, I need to do a little more research on the exact size of the rim and what I can fit under the wells on the front and back. Unfortunatly when I got the car those rims and tires were on it and from what I've been told those rims (the way they were made) were discontinued 15+ years ago so I have to measure everything out myself. I guess that's what I'll do if I get a spare minute.

WildBillyT · 07-27-2010, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deadtrend1

you mean N555r?? And he doesn't want drag radials, just street tires.

Gotta be. N555's aren't offered in a 15" size. I know, I looked

BigAls87Z28 · 07-27-2010, 10:57 AM

I wouldn't recommend any RWL tire for any sort of aggressive driving.
If you were gunna take it on a road course, Id suggest getting bigger wheels and tires.

BonzoHansen · 07-27-2010, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigAls87Z28

I wouldn't recommend any RWL tire for any sort of aggressive driving.
If you were gunna take it on a road course, Id suggest getting bigger wheels and tires.

This is true too. I purposely ignored the road course comment since he is using 15" wheels.

68bird · 07-27-2010, 04:22 PM

I'm kind of looking for tires that can be put on a daily driver and not be afraid to push to take to the track and roadcourse. So I don't need ultra grippy tires.

BonzoHansen · 07-27-2010, 04:38 PM

No disrepect, but you are never hitting a road course with 15" street tires. I sure wouldn't. An autocross, maybe.

Again, there is zero perceptible difference in 15" RWL tires. Buy the ones you like to look at and are the right price. Don't over think this decision.

WildBillyT · 07-27-2010, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 68bird

I'm kind of looking for tires that can be put on a daily driver and not be afraid to push to take to the track and roadcourse. So I don't need ultra grippy tires.

You won't find them. I have looked- I've got a brand new set of 15" Greg Welds I regret buying for that very reason.