Build Thread 1978 Fairmont. I bet somebody back home’s thinkin’…I wonder why he don’t write..?

  • Sponsors (?)


Mike, I have the tires you bought on the back of my 92 coupe, and while I maybe have 300 RWHP on it they are only "ok" for traction in a straight line. The NT555G2 that you posted here I had on my 2014 GT and I wouldn't call them great for traction there either off the line unless you have the computer helping you. This is a point where you need to decide do you want traction where you cannot drive in the wet, or do you want safety where you won't get the traction you're looking for? There is no magic solution here, you have to choose.
And I really appreciate that. Your “ actual experience” input is what I look for when I post stuff. It makes sense that I’m not the only one here with a decent amount of power, having to find a way to deal with it via a tire purchase, yet you’re the only one chiming in. Im sure that the gen 2’s won’t rival the starting line traction of a true drag radial, and for me that would be acceptable, as long as they offered at least half of what i would expect from one.
 
And I really appreciate that. Your “ actual experience” input is what I look for when I post stuff. It makes sense that I’m not the only one here with a decent amount of power, having to find a way to deal with it via a tire purchase, yet you’re the only one chiming in. Im sure that the gen 2’s won’t rival the starting line traction of a true drag radial, and for me that would be acceptable, as long as they offered at least half of what i would expect from one.
Well, since I don't know what you're expectations actually are, I'll just say that I don't think you'll be any more impressed by the G2's than you are the ones you currently have on there. At your power level the only thing that will really work for you I think would be some drag radials... any other tire is going to spin on the streets. I will say that the G2 tires were quieter than whatever I had on the car before (traded the GT a year ago) and they rode well as my daily driver. They had decent traction but again I had a car with all the nanny stuff on the computer that I pretty much left on all the time and only 420 HP. On the monster, I expect they will not perform much better than what you have on there except maybe in the wet... they are better in the wet than the current tires although your current situation will be better in the wet than drag radials. Most tires as wide as yours will be susceptible to hydroplaning even with enough tread though if there's enough water on the road... it's all a trade off.
 
Why all the love?? :rlaugh:

Seriously though, if I wasn't caught up in OTHER projects I'd be posting fun stuff in one location or the other. But, unfortunately, I have to live vicariously through your posts for the time being. :D
Cmon now…Do I have to post pictures of the kitchen remodel i’m involved in now?
Ill raise ya Two weekly lawn mowings, one yard cleanup, a small kitchen remodel a manual trans swap, and tire choice dilemma to whatever OTHER projects you got.
 
Well, since I don't know what you're expectations actually are, I'll just say that I don't think you'll be any more impressed by the G2's than you are the ones you currently have on there. At your power level the only thing that will really work for you I think would be some drag radials... any other tire is going to spin on the streets. I will say that the G2 tires were quieter than whatever I had on the car before (traded the GT a year ago) and they rode well as my daily driver. They had decent traction but again I had a car with all the nanny stuff on the computer that I pretty much left on all the time and only 420 HP. On the monster, I expect they will not perform much better than what you have on there except maybe in the wet... they are better in the wet than the current tires although your current situation will be better in the wet than drag radials. Most tires as wide as yours will be susceptible to hydroplaning even with enough tread though if there's enough water on the road... it's all a trade off.
I hear ya. And like our resident tow truck driver was quick to point out, traction on the monster is directly attached to the input levied by my right foot. The problem with traction on this car is pretty simple I think..
Boost. If I didn’t have boost, or the noise the turbo makes while in boost, or the noise the bov makes when out of boost, there’d be no traction issues.

Why didn’t I think of this before?….I can fix all of the traction issues by simply removing the turbo.:doh:
 
  • Haha
Reactions: 1 user
2 weekly lawn mowings?! Sounds like you need more concrete poured. I'm sure they can dye it green for ya.

As for your tire dilemma, I'm absolutely no help. I've had the same cheap-o street tire on the back of my car since forever ago. They're good in the rain if/when I actually get caught driving in it, and I keep my foot off the go-pedal if I don't want to roast them. But I don't have the powerband you do, either, so they're apples and oranges. Some day I'd like to upgrade to a drag radial just to feel the difference, but I don't see that happening for a while - too many bigger fish to fry unfortunately.

But if you want to share your kitchen remodel, I have a thread you can do that in where we can see the fun stuff you've got going on. Hell, we all might like what someone else has done and start a Better Homes and Gardens type section right here on Stangnet! Come to think of it, maybe I should re-title it.... :jester:
 
I hear ya. And like our resident tow truck driver was quick to point out, traction on the monster is directly attached to the input levied by my right foot. The problem with traction on this car is pretty simple I think..
Boost. If I didn’t have boost, or the noise the turbo makes while in boost, or the noise the bov makes when out of boost, there’d be no traction issues.

Why didn’t I think of this before?….I can fix all of the traction issues by simply removing the turbo.:doh:

LOL, I get it... it's fun, but remember burning rubber smells good. Just embrace it and be careful while roasting the tires.
 
I need tires for Dusty. The tires were made in 06. They have cracks all over and are hard as bricks. Steve did his magic and pulled some power down low and I haven't had an issue. At first the gas pedal was an on off switch.
 
Last edited:
I pulled the driveshaft, fully intending to take it to my driveshaft guy to check it.
He can’t get to it till Thursday, and will have to remove the yokes to put it on his machine….

I don’t know if I wanna go through all that.

One one hand, it’s out. I’m not necessarily going anywhere in the car in the next few days….On the other hand…..

* I can’t help thinking he’s just gonna tell me “ Everything checked out OK, it must be something else causing your vibration.”
 
It's too bad that you can't try on tires like shoes at FootLocker. It's sort of like buying a CD that turns out to be horrible and you can't return it. (Before you could listen to everything on Youtube first.)

Have you looked into any of the production high performance super car tires from late model cars? The high dollar ones like Michelin Sport Cup 2s might be more in the zone of what you're looking for instead of aftermarket brands. (I'm not sure if I've got the model or brand names right.) It seems like a lot of the high end Mustangs, Vettes, and Camaros are running these tires as well as some exotics. Yes, they have traction control, but they're also putting big numbers to the ground. I remember reading how the Z28 had a knurled finish around the tire bead of the wheel because it would hook so hard and spin the tire on the rim, and it probably makes similar numbers to your motor. Just a thought....
 
Last edited:
Well like it says, The Nitto tires, arent out there. Whether it be a shortage as a result of the bottle necks occurring at ports along the west coast ( where as many as 56 super-freighters sit anchored, waiting to get off loaded) or some other Covid-related supply chain BS, I’ve decided to go the path of “ I know this’ll work”, and chosen to buy some of the Toyo Proxes, despite the fact that they will not be that great if I get caught out in the rain.

Ill apply the 95/05 rule to justify that.

The likelihood that I’ll be out in the rain with this car is about 5%.

As it sits right now, If it even “ looks” like it’s gonna rain, the car will sit sidelined. Lets face it, it’s almost a freakin show car in my head ( minus a whole bunch of chrome, perfect paint, and a buttload of polished non-essential bling), and show cars don’t get driven in the rain.

(Whether it actually rates as one is irrelevant….I treat it like it’s one with regard to whether or not I’m gonna drive it.)

All this to say that around town when I wanna go to a cruise-in that’s an easy decision. Now when it comes to making this 600 mile round trip in a couple of weeks…entirely different.
The MH race masters were too tall. I didn’t like the way they looked. They also had a really large center contact patch ( about 5” wide) totally devoid of any tread grooves. Although they completely solved the lack-o-traction issues, They absolutely were treacherous to drive on even the dampest of roads. I had them on the last time I went to Panama City to the Emerald Coast cruise-in, and got caught in a light rain about 30 miles from home. I slowed to about 60 mph, but could still tell the rear would come unglued at any instant without any warning.

They had to go.

The Nitto brand had a decent looking DR ( NT555 RII) that had more tread grooves across the entire tread surface but wouldn’t be available until November. The NT 555 G2’s until sometime in late October, but there were too many guys telling me like @bird_dog0347 , that that tire will be a weak compromise.

( I already have too many weak compromises laying around in the garage )

So,…..fish, or cut bait.
I chose to fish. I bought the Toyo Proxes TQ.

The Proxes are drag radials. They are the same size as the street tires, w/regard to height and width. They have tread grooves across the entire tread surface.. They’ll still be treacherous if I get caught in the rain….MOF, i may just have to stop and pull over.
5% of the time.

I also bought a line lock solenoid, and a manual brake lock valve. The reason for the Line lock is obvious, :burnout:but It’ll serve its primary purpose as a hill hold in the event I end up at some hilly intersection ( hills in florida……that’s funny). The manual brake lock valve will get routed to the rear brakes and serve as a park brake. I have a fairly steep driveway, and if I stop the car on the driveway and shut it off in gear. I can watch it ever so slowly creep down the hill. ( what you’d expect with only 8.5:1 cr)

So brake work on thursday…And praying for no rain in early October in Gulfport MS.
 
  • Like
  • Hell Yeah!
Reactions: 2 users
I need tires for Dusty. The tires were made in 06. They have cracks all over and are hard as bricks. Steve did his magic and pulled some power down low and I haven't had an issue. At first the gas pedal was an on off switch.
I have a set of ( why did I take these off 7 year old 315 x17 Sumitomos i’ll let go for really cheap)
 
It's too bad that you can't try on tires like shoes at FootLocker. It's sort of like buying a CD that turns out to be horrible and you can't return it. (Before you could listen to everything on Youtube first.)

Have you looked into any of the production high performance super car tires from late model cars? The high dollar ones like Michelin Sport Cup 2s might be more in the zone of what you're looking for instead of aftermarket brands. (I'm not sure if I've got the model or brand names right.) It seems like a lot of the high end Mustangs, Vettes, and Camaros are running these tires as well as some exotics. Yes, they have traction control, but they're also putting big numbers to the ground. I remember reading how the Z28 had a knurled finish around the tire bead of the wheel because it would hook so hard and spin the tire on the rim, and it probably makes similar numbers to your motor. Just a thought....
Meh…when it all comes down to it, the solution to the problem has to have a compromise. The cars you listed all run on 19-22” wheels, and the tires are 400-700 ea. a BMW M5 comp makes 627 hp. It comes with tires that are super soft (Pirelli P zero Corsa’s). With these things on the car, and driven like most of the goobers that buy this thing drive,( normal) 10k miles tread life would be too much to expect. A 17” wheel is quickly becoming an undesirable size with regard to tire choices..and is absolutely non-existent in availability when it comes to super car tire size.

Ill take 2 315x17 Toyo Proxes for for 450.00 and stay out of the rain instead.
 
Last edited:
Meh…when it all comes down to it, the solution to the problem has to have a compromise. The cars you listed all run on 19-22” wheels, and the tires are 400-700 ea. a BMW M5 comp makes 627 hp. It comes with tires that are super soft (Pirelli P zero Corsa’s). With these things on the car, and driven like most of the goobers that buy this thing drive,( normal) 10k miles tread life would be too much to expect. A 17” wheel is quickly becoming an undesirable size with regard to tire choices..and is absolutely non-existent in availability when it comes to super car tire size.

Ill take 2 315x17 Toyo Proxes for for 450.00 and stay out of the rain instead.
This is why I didn't reply earlier...

My experience with tires is limited, and not directly applicable. I had the Nitto 555R on my 95 GT, and thought they did well enough in the rain (but that was Alaska rain, not FL rain). Plus, I was at about 1/2 your power level.

My car that had your power level was running 20" rears, and after shredding the Goodyears that came on it, I went with Michelin Pilot SS 2 something-or-others. I thought they handled the power reasonably well and were suprisingly good in the rain (raced tornadoes from Memphis to Nashville during the 50th anniversary Pony Drive), but track tires are the only thing that's going to handle that kind of torque.