[bchampion]

I'm thinking of running some Dunlop SP Sport 8000. 225/50R15 up front and 245/50R15 out back on my new Mag 500's. They are lower profile than the 60 series of that same size. They are a little pricey but????? Looking for some opinions so lets have 'em, good & bad.

 

[Jay]

Pricey 15 inch tires??? Maybe slicks or drag radials but I don't think an expensive 15" tire still exists...

Anyway, I think 50 on a 15 is too short... 60 is the general size for 15s. Remember you want the rim size to change and the overall diameter to stay the same for gearing, speedo, etc.

 

[bchampion]

$100/ea for the front and $126/ea for the rear, and that is from Tirerack.com. BFG's T/A are about half that, so to me that is pricey. :: Who would have thought figuring out which tires I want would give me such grief.

 

[johnpro]

BFG's T/A are about half that

Not any of the ones I've bought. Those are about average prices for any performance 15" tire. One thing about tirerack.com ... be sure to take into account the shipping charges. I was all set to buy my tires from them, but then discovered that by the time you added on the shipping charges, I could get them cheaper almost anywhere, because most places give you free mounting and balancing when you buy from them, and you don't pay the over priced shipping charge. So look at their price per tire including shipping, then add on mounting and balancing to that, then use THAT number to comparison shop.

I agree with Jay, though, on the 50's vs. 60's. I think you'll be disappointed in the way a 50 series 15" tire looks in your wheel wells, when it doesn't fill them up.

 

[bchampion]

I just use Tirerack to see what's available in the sizes I'm interested in. I know I can save money locally by not having to pay shipping then the mounting fees, blah, blah.

 

[johnpro]

Cool. You did spark my curiousity, though, and so went and looked at their prices for the T/A's, since I just put a set on my '69 a couple months ago. I don't think the prices they have on their site now are what they were then, because you're right ... they're about half the price of what I paid for them

 

[Guest]

hey i got these tires on my 66 coupe....except i use the 205/50 in front with the 245/50 in back.....these are awesome tires......great cornering traction and handling....very responsive.......i love the look and always get compliments on the tires...they wrap around my cragar ss 15x8's .the 245/50 are wide but fit snugly in the back...i have no tire rub at all...i drive my car very hard and these tires dont dissapoint....

 

[geegee]

I run P205R65-15's on my '65 providing a larger patch on the ground. Its about as bold a look as I wanted. Strikes a good balance between new and old.

 

[sharkmouth]

Ive got the sp8000 245/50-15's mounted on centerlines and waiting until I get around togetting an alignment...



Let me tell you....they look TOUGH!!!


Theyre not quite as tough as the 295's on the back of my 70 (duhhhh), but theyre basically 2" smaller in diameter....



One thing to consider is the cost of 15's versus 16 and above..going to 17's could double the price of wheels and tires.........I looked high and low knowing how much tire crossection I could stuff in the front of my 70, looking for the maximum treadwidth versus crossection in 15" tires and the sp8000 245/50-15's seemed to fit what I was looking for.



They make radial T/A 245/60's look like truck tires!!!!!

 

[bchampion]

:: I would luv to see some picts. Is your front lowered any? I have the 1" drop 620 coils.

 

[gt350clone]

One thing to consider is the cost of 15's versus 16 and above..going to 17's could double the price of wheels and tires.........

Hey now - My 17's ran about the same money he's paying for 15's!!! (Falken GRB FK-451's) He's talking $452 for 4, and I paid $468 for 4...

Next thing, you'll be telling us that Cleveland parts are cheaper than Windsor parts!!!

 

[gt350clone]

Yeah, they ARE pretty pricey, because between www.discounttiredirect.com and www.tirerack.com , there are a grand total of 2 tires avalable in a 245/50-16. Not much selection = high price.

A 225/55-15 might be a better match height-wise, it's 24.74" in height, vs the 225/50-15 at 23.8". The 245/50-15 are 24.64" in height. Other altenatives might be a 215/60-15 at 24.74", or a 215/55-15 at 24.31". Again, tire choices will be pretty limited in any of those sizes...

Most of the performance tire dealers are only carrying 2 or 3 15" sizes anymore, compared to DOZENS of sizes in 16" & 17".

 

[JeffTepper]

I ran SP 8000's (205/55ZR16 front, 225/50ZR 16 back)on my 91 Carrera 2 and I was very pleased with the performance, tire life and price as compared to the Bridgestone RE 71's that came with the car. My son is also running a set on his 87 VW Cabriolet (195/55ZR14). Not real pricey at all in my opinion.

 

[Restomod66]

100 for a tire ? i had a set of Kumho ecsta's (225/50/R15's) that i only paid about 75 a tire for. and these tires were rated AAA in traction and had a high treadwear rating. id never pay 100 for a tire....and now i have a set of falken's that were only about 80 a tire, and they have very much the same high ratings as the Kumho's...both of these tires have water channels as well as a nice agressive looking tread pattern as well as nice looking sidewall lettering.. . and with my car as lowered as it is i feel like these tires really fill the wheel wells up just right

 

[bchampion]

Yeah I know I have been able to find a good selection of the 50 series 15" tires, the only problem is I either have to go 225 or 205 or 215 or 245 all the way around because everyone I've found usually only makes one size and not the other. Dunlop is the only one I've found in the same model(SP 8000) for the size combo I want. I went to every manufactures website, and I mean every manufactures to check out their tires. I really liked the Yokohama AVS ES 100, but the biggest 15" is 225

 

[sharkmouth]

LOLOLOLOLOL.....you kill me!!