Best tires for 88 Foxbody GT?

EnEyeCeeKay · May 28, 2020

Just picked up my first foxbody and was looking for opinions on the best all season/summer tires. Also was wondering what size I should run to get the best grip, currently it has 215/55/R16 in the front and 275/40/ZR17 in the back. Which brings me to my next question, is 16s in the front and 17s in the back effective performance wise or is it just for appearance? I’m not very well versed in this stuff so any input is appreciated.

General karthief · May 28, 2020

Ok, the 'what size/brand' of tire question.
It is really subjective, I personally buy inexpensive rear tires because well, I like to get the back loose and leave black marks on the road
As for the 'staggered ' look, it's a 'my car looks like a fast drag car' thing, if done right it looks good but if you have to put a set of air shocks to get the back high enough to fit you're about 40 years out of date, yes, 1979 wants those cragar ss wheels back.
Also the staggered wheel/tire combo is a negative for yawl response (I may not have used that term correctly but it sounded cool in my head).
This is similar to asking about exhaust systems.

STEVE PATTON · May 28, 2020

EnEyeCeeKay said:
Just picked up my first foxbody and was looking for opinions on the best all season/summer tires. Also was wondering what size I should run to get the best grip, currently it has 215/55/R16 in the front and 275/40/ZR17 in the back. Which brings me to my next question, is 16s in the front and 17s in the back effective performance wise or is it just for appearance? I’m not very well versed in this stuff so any input is appreciated.

You mentioned grip , I just bought 275/40/17 NITTO 555RII drag radials and they HOOK !!

revhead347 · May 28, 2020

General karthief said:
It is really subjective, I personally buy inexpensive rear tires because well, I like to get the back loose and leave black marks on the road

That's because you are a degenerate. Like my friend who likes to slide all over the place, and then complain when I tell him he needs to buy new tires or he is going to die.

The staggered wheel diameters will be fine. We definitely need to know the width of the rims to make size recommendations. Any tire shop can measure the rim width; it is an essential measurement used to balance the tires. The bottom line on tires is what you use the car for (daily driver, weekend warrior), what your budget is, and how much traction you want. If we recommend drag radials, they will hook great, but won't handle well, and only last a few thousand miles. I personally do not drive my car everyday, and do not participate in ignorant activities, so my tires dry rot before they wear out.

Kurt

mikestang63 · May 28, 2020

my only 2 cents is do not cheap out on tires. They account for the majority of braking, handling, and in general keeping you and others safe.

General karthief · May 28, 2020

revhead347 said:
That's because you are a degenerate. Like my friend who likes to slide all over the place, and then complain when I tell him he needs to buy new tires or he is going to die.

The staggered wheel diameters will be fine. We definitely need to know the width of the rims to make size recommendations. Any tire shop can measure the rim width; it is an essential measurement used to balance the tires. The bottom line on tires is what you use the car for (daily driver, weekend warrior), what your budget is, and how much traction you want. If we recommend drag radials, they will hook great, but won't handle well, and only last a few thousand miles. I personally do not drive my car everyday, and do not participate in ignorant activities, so my tires dry rot before they wear out.

Kurt

Oh you bet I'm a degenerate

STEVE PATTON · May 28, 2020

General karthief said:
Oh you bet I'm a degenerate

And I'm a deplorable degenerate !

General karthief · May 28, 2020

It's a stick shift thing welcome to the club.

junkyardwarrior · May 28, 2020

define "best"

with differing sizes front & rear, it tells me you like to go straight and less emphasis given to cornering.

Throw some bias slicks on the back and some front runners on the front wheels and call it good. Grip in the rear will be nice but don't go throwing it into a corner at any kind of speed.

I've had a couple cars like that.

Both current cars share same size front and rear tires. Much nicer. May not look as "good" but I can rotate them, properly, and ain't afraid to throw that sucker into a 25mph switch back at a speed faster than I should. I do not make a habit of it, but these road are so sorry here that you can be driving down the mountains and come into a curve, no signage, and you'll be at or above the posted speed limit....big surprise in a lot of them. I wanted something that'd safely navigate them, and I got what I was looking for. Definitely not a road racer but certainly safe and, well fun.

The comment about the tires being the only thing between you and the road is legitimate. Don't skimp there.

revhead347 · May 28, 2020

You can tell the difference between early evening comments, and late evening comments. The ratio of alcohol talking increases.

Kurt

Warhorse Racing · May 28, 2020

A staggered setup (larger tires in the rear) creates understeer in a car that has factory-installed understeer. Essentially, the front tires can't match the grip level of the rear tires. If you're looking for the best overall driving/handling experience, you want to run the same size tires, and the same overall tire diameter front and rear. And the tires should be the right size for the rims.

As for tire choice, that depends on how you intend to use them, the conditions you normally drive in, and how long you want them to last.

Best tires for 88 Foxbody GT?

EnEyeCeeKay

New Member

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

STEVE PATTON

I smell a conspiracy

revhead347

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

mikestang63

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

STEVE PATTON

I smell a conspiracy

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

junkyardwarrior

Well-Known Member

revhead347

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

Warhorse Racing

Similar threads

Best tires for 88 Foxbody GT?

New Member

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

I smell a conspiracy

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

I smell a conspiracy

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

Well-Known Member

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency