• From: Dallas Tejas
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 527

Topic: Heavy car tire recommendations

As anyone who was at MST last week can attest to our Mark Ate was low on traction.

We are looking to get some new rubber and wondered what do other heavy car abusing teams run and how well do they last?

We are probably going to go to 18x8 rims from the 16x7 stock size.

Or we can get a set of these for amusement's sake http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp … WR8KU31RXL

El Capitan de los Bastardos De Lemons
1993 Linco Mark Ate
1957 Renault Dauphine
Driver with LemonSpeed's V6 Mustang
  • From: Spring, TX
  • Registered: 2009-10-25
  • Posts: 459

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

OEM mustang gt wheels are 17x8 AND cheap AND AND AND you can squeeeze 275's on them although i hope you're joking about the spt's, if you're serious then your problem is 100% because your on the all-season aisle and you need to step up to the high performance aisle on tirerack.com.

get mustang gt rims

run 245/45r17 report back some tires you'd be interested in that are not all-season or "performance" tires like those spt's.

Mike Peters
Former rotary brat pioneer.
3.17.08 Jalopnik Hoon of the day.  #hasbeen
1984 Dodge Rampage, A few SHO engines, a Mustang 8.8, and a lot of hot glue going on now.

mikespeed95's Website

  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,640

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

I ran the regular (non smokey) SPTs in 245/45/17 on my 3200 lb LTD at a track day at California Speedway a few years ago. They were pretty damn decent and held up well.

But last year I ran the same car at the same track with Falken Azenis in the same size and the extra grip was noticeable and I was able to get on the gas much faster coming out of corners.

The Homer: Powerful like a gorilla, yet soft and yielding like a Nerf ball.
  • Riktor
  • Riktor
  • Lemons Staff Stalker
  • Offline
  • From: Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas
  • Registered: 2009-08-06
  • Posts: 1,138

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

Lighten that fat pig up...

Sons of STIG
Judge Jonny, "So, what's the next formerly thought to be immune from winning that will steal the nickels?An MR2? A Fierro (ha ha ha)? A Datsun/Nissan Z? A Camaro?"
  • From: Dallas Tejas
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 527

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

We had the Summitomo HTR Z-II tires on it, extreme perfromance summer.   From the pictures, the main tire problem was too much sidewall flex, 3+ inches deflection.

Riktor wrote:

Lighten that fat pig up...

She goes on another diet before the next race.  Not as drastic as Speedycop's but still, a few hundred less pounds and some better rubber.

El Capitan de los Bastardos De Lemons
1993 Linco Mark Ate
1957 Renault Dauphine
Driver with LemonSpeed's V6 Mustang
  • From: DF-Dubya
  • Registered: 2009-08-19
  • Posts: 820

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

Direzza Star Specs...

Summer's Eve Racing - '09 Yee-Haw; '10 Gator-O-Rama, NorDal Hooptie, Yee-Haw; '11 Gator-O-Rama, NorDal Hooptie (Winner, Class A!)
TARP Racing - '11 Yee-Haw, Heaps; '12 Gator-O-Rama (Winner, Class C ... Looking for a Class B Win to Complete the Trifecta!), Heaps; '13 NorDal Hooptie, Gator-O-Rama
  • From: north of dallas
  • Registered: 2009-11-29
  • Posts: 264

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

mikespeed95 wrote:

OEM mustang gt wheels are 17x8 AND cheap AND AND AND you can squeeeze 275's on them although i hope you're joking about the spt's, if you're serious then your problem is 100% because your on the all-season aisle and you need to step up to the high performance aisle on tirerack.com.

get mustang gt rims

run 245/45r17 report back some tires you'd be interested in that are not all-season or "performance" tires like those spt's.

mustang rims won't fit. different bolt pattern.

8 Reply by sergio (edited by sergio 2010-02-25 07:12 PM)

  • sergio
  • Lemons Staff Stalker
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,185

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

YesIFit wrote:

Direzza Star Specs...

+1
That's what we use. The Falkens get greasy when you push them too hard. Have to back off for a lap or so for them to come back. Then you get a couple good laps and it's back to sliding and crap. The Star Specs are consistent from full tread to the wear bars. Our POS weighs 3100, what's the Ate? We get 2 races from the fronts at MSRH, the rears seem to go forever. That's how it is when 64% of the weight is up front.

  • From: Dallas Tejas
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 527

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

forddragracer wrote:
mikespeed95 wrote:

OEM mustang gt wheels are 17x8 AND cheap AND AND AND you can squeeeze 275's on them although i hope you're joking about the spt's, if you're serious then your problem is 100% because your on the all-season aisle and you need to step up to the high performance aisle on tirerack.com.

get mustang gt rims

run 245/45r17 report back some tires you'd be interested in that are not all-season or "performance" tires like those spt's.

mustang rims won't fit. different bolt pattern.

The hubs can be re-drilled to the 5x4.5 pattern from the stock lincoln 5x4.25 and they share a centering ring size.  Or you can buy new mustang hubs for about $30 each and be done with it.

I have found many surprisingly cheap 17x8 and 17x8.5 rims with decent tires mounted for mustangs so we are going to go that route.

El Capitan de los Bastardos De Lemons
1993 Linco Mark Ate
1957 Renault Dauphine
Driver with LemonSpeed's V6 Mustang
  • From: Dallas Tejas
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 527

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

sergio wrote:
YesIFit wrote:

Direzza Star Specs...

+1
That's what we use. The Falkens get greasy when you push them too hard. Have to back off for a lap or so for them to come back. Then you get a couple good laps and it's back to sliding and crap. The Star Specs are consistent from full tread to the wear bars. Our POS weighs 3100, what's the Ate? We get 2 races from the fronts at MSRH, the rears seem to go forever. That's how it is when 64% of the weight is up front.

We need to get the car on a scale.  Our estimate is around 3100 pounds but I'm not certain.   All the aluminum and plastic they used on the Ate helped to keep the weight down when they added leather and power everything and all the electronics.  All weight we lost so it should be well under the weight of a v8 t-bird, even with the cage.

El Capitan de los Bastardos De Lemons
1993 Linco Mark Ate
1957 Renault Dauphine
Driver with LemonSpeed's V6 Mustang
  • From: Des Moines IA
  • Registered: 2009-06-08
  • Posts: 135

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

too bad they don't make them anymore but the Ventus we ran were great on our Q45a

Formerly an asshole driving an Infinity
Now just another cock with a Porsche
Chief bad decision maker of Team Lowbrau

the head's Website

  • Riktor
  • Riktor
  • Lemons Staff Stalker
  • Offline
  • From: Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas
  • Registered: 2009-08-06
  • Posts: 1,138

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

the head wrote:

too bad they don't make them anymore but the Ventus we ran were great on our Q45a

Huh?! I am assuming you mean the Hankook Ventus HR2's... We ran some for our SCCA and SE-R Cup races. Excellent tires if limited to their class.

But Hankook still makes the Ventus lines and the RS2's are phenomenal tires. Especially if you need the higher treadwear rating. Unfortunately the RS3's are too low of treadwear for Lemons.

Sons of STIG
Judge Jonny, "So, what's the next formerly thought to be immune from winning that will steal the nickels?An MR2? A Fierro (ha ha ha)? A Datsun/Nissan Z? A Camaro?"
  • From: Charlotte N.C.
  • Registered: 2009-07-02
  • Posts: 70

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

We put 1994-2004 18X9 mustang rims on our 1996 CV. Went from 35 to 11 place in S.C.
The hard part is finding the 20-24 off set. I put a 1/4 spacer on the 24's We found ours on ebay for 60.00 shipped. Just have to poke around.

Mello Kab
1996 Crown Vic
2 time  Least Horrible Yank Tank Award
  • From: Spring, TX
  • Registered: 2009-10-25
  • Posts: 459

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

I didn't know the markViii was a different bolt pattern, thats quirky.

If its really 30/corner to convert it I would, wheels/tires/brakes are free, as are wheelbearings now, 120 bux for probably the most popular cheap wheel/tire combo on craigslist would be completely worth it.

just CL ''mustang gt rims'' and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.

Mike Peters
Former rotary brat pioneer.
3.17.08 Jalopnik Hoon of the day.  #hasbeen
1984 Dodge Rampage, A few SHO engines, a Mustang 8.8, and a lot of hot glue going on now.

mikespeed95's Website

  • From: Dallas Tejas
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 527

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

mikespeed95 wrote:

I didn't know the markViii was a different bolt pattern, thats quirky.

If its really 30/corner to convert it I would, wheels/tires/brakes are free, as are wheelbearings now, 120 bux for probably the most popular cheap wheel/tire combo on craigslist would be completely worth it.

just CL ''mustang gt rims'' and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.

Lots of things about the MN12 series are a bit strange.  5x4.25 with FWD offsets is just the beginning.

I have been surfing CL and salivating on some of these wheel/tire combos.

El Capitan de los Bastardos De Lemons
1993 Linco Mark Ate
1957 Renault Dauphine
Driver with LemonSpeed's V6 Mustang
  • Registered: 2009-10-24
  • Posts: 415

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

We got a 94 Caddy Seville and will probably go with the Star Specs

----------------------------------------------
Team Pimpalicous
94 Cadillac Seville SLS DOA 10 Capital Offense
87 325 Convertible
  • From: The other side of the fence
  • Registered: 2009-06-17
  • Posts: 388

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

The GoodYear F1's work great on heavy cars and last also. We ran two races with them on the Jag and then put them on the Merc S600 and they lasted all weekend on that race. The car is still running around Berkley with them on. Yeah they are not cheap but work very well. The trick to not tearing them up is to be smooth and don't try to toss the car around to much.


Pen

  • From: Olympia, WA
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 210

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

We like the star specs.  This is on a 4100 pound car with driver.

Team Oly Express
Current car - 1964.5 Plymouth Barracuda, Former car - Size Does Matter 1967 Plymouth Fury
07 IOE Winner Thunderhill, 12 IOE Winner Sears Pointless
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Team- … 4609354407
  • Serj
  • Serj
  • Lemons Staff Stalker
  • Offline
  • From: Cincinnati, OH
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
  • Posts: 1,601

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

Pendejo wrote:

The GoodYear F1's work great on heavy cars and last also. We ran two races with them on the Jag and then put them on the Merc S600 and they lasted all weekend on that race. The car is still running around Berkley with them on. Yeah they are not cheap but work very well. The trick to not tearing them up is to be smooth and don't try to toss the car around to much.


Pen

+1 I love the GY F1s. They're good in the dry, awesome in the wet. whenever the rain came the vic just pounded through areas of damp/flooded track like it wasn't there, and I've seen them go all weekend @ CMP, and multiple races on the rears.

  • Registered: 2009-10-24
  • Posts: 415

Re: Heavy car tire recommendations

Of course I just discovered the Star specs don't fit our car, and I love the stock rims

----------------------------------------------
Team Pimpalicous
94 Cadillac Seville SLS DOA 10 Capital Offense
87 325 Convertible