I'm trying to decide which tire brand to purchase. Any thoughts on the BFGoodrich T/A radials? They are going to be mounted onto a 1988 Cutlass, with 15" rally wheels. Will 215/65/15's do?
Tire Recommendations
- Thread starter 1988 Cuttlass
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I've personally never been a fan of the BFG Radial T/As
... they look great, but that's about it
they have a very low performance rating, low wear rating, and low speed rating. They are not particularly good in the rain, and I find they become hard and start to crack very quickly.
maybe they're not so bad in warmer weathers, but for someone like me who parks the car over winter months, the tires dry out very quickly.
I'm assuming you chose those based on price range,
in the same price range, I've been impressed with the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires. By no means the best, but they have higher performance, speed, & wear rating than the BFGs. They seem to last longer, and look good too, offered with raised white lettering as well.
I also like Cooper Cobra GTs
but recently I discovered their sister company Jetzon Tire, and I bought a set of their Jetzon Revenger GTs... great tire, AMAZING price!
and I bought their Revenger APRs for my truck, E rated, cheapest E rated tire I've ever seen. Flawless in summer, hardly wore down, amazing in rain, and plowed through snow like snow tires!
... they look great, but that's about it
they have a very low performance rating, low wear rating, and low speed rating. They are not particularly good in the rain, and I find they become hard and start to crack very quickly.
maybe they're not so bad in warmer weathers, but for someone like me who parks the car over winter months, the tires dry out very quickly.
I'm assuming you chose those based on price range,
in the same price range, I've been impressed with the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires. By no means the best, but they have higher performance, speed, & wear rating than the BFGs. They seem to last longer, and look good too, offered with raised white lettering as well.
I also like Cooper Cobra GTs
but recently I discovered their sister company Jetzon Tire, and I bought a set of their Jetzon Revenger GTs... great tire, AMAZING price!
and I bought their Revenger APRs for my truck, E rated, cheapest E rated tire I've ever seen. Flawless in summer, hardly wore down, amazing in rain, and plowed through snow like snow tires!
Can't go wrong with the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires for the price. I would suggest 235/60/15 over the 215/65/15 though. Same tire height, just a bit more meaty for better grip/traction.
Firestone sucks & a g-body cant even reach the type of audobahn speed ratings for extended period of time you guys are citing as a weakness on the BFG. Who is going to drive at 140 mph for 8 minutes straight except a complete jackass? Too many stories of sidewalls collapsing make me shy away from anything that says firestone on it these days + their prices suck too. The BFG is a much better tire, maybe not on paper but if you doubt it put the two tires next to each other and just look at them. The firestone looks nice but it's all sales pitch. The BFG sidewall will never break down on you and leave you stranded at the side of the road swearing. It is, however, a TERRIBLE choice for winter conditions and wet weather that I do agree from experience (in ice I couldn't stop and nearly plowed into an escalade then a ferrari lol)
I'm not a fan of the BFG's they are ok on dry pavement, but if this is a daily driver I would buy something else. I have had good luck with Cooper, Pirelli, Michelin, and Sumitomo I also would go a little wider then 215's
pencero said:
I can't speak for other Firestone tires, but if you're specifically saying the Firehawk Indy 500 tires suck then I will just say you are most definitely in the minority on that.
Who do you mean by 'you guys'?
What exactly can you discern from just looking at them? Also, are not the reviews from people who have actually used either tire better for the Indy 500's over the BFG's? I don't know, but whether they are or not there is one thing for certain; the Indy 500 tires do not suck. They are a good quality tire for the price..... unless they just changed how they are now made in the last couple of years.
Thanks all. I won't be driving it daily. It's more for show than anything else. With that said, I'm leaning toward either the Indy 500 FH or the BFG's because of their aggressive appearance. I have a truck now with All Terrain BFG's, and have liked their durability and how they handle. As a result, I am leaning toward BFG's for the Cutlass. Each tire at a local Chevy dealership is about 125 bucks.
What is the major difference between 215/65/15 and 235/60/15? Just as an FYI: the stock tires/wheels for my Cutlass are 205/70/R14. When I was a kid, my dad drove the car after replacing the tires at a local Big O Tire shop, and complained that after the installation, the front passenger side tire would rub somewhere on the wheel well area. I don't know what tires were placed on the car that caused it to rub, but I remember the noise it made. Will switching to 15 inch wheels and 215/65/15's cause an rubbing issues?
What is the major difference between 215/65/15 and 235/60/15? Just as an FYI: the stock tires/wheels for my Cutlass are 205/70/R14. When I was a kid, my dad drove the car after replacing the tires at a local Big O Tire shop, and complained that after the installation, the front passenger side tire would rub somewhere on the wheel well area. I don't know what tires were placed on the car that caused it to rub, but I remember the noise it made. Will switching to 15 inch wheels and 215/65/15's cause an rubbing issues?
No, it won't rub with 215/65/15 tires. I imagine the wheels are 15x7? The 235/60/15 tire is slightly wider for a more aggressive look & is the same height.
What about the Firestone 500? If not for those crappy tires shredding my uncle's navigator would still be alive today. How is it that Firestone still continues to release low quality tires with weak sidewalls after such a fiasco as that. One time Wendy's sold me some bad food & I got food poisoning so I didn't go there for nearly 4 years again, but I eventually got over it and if nothing else is open I will still occasionally go there these days because that isn't a huge deal @ the end of the day I let that go. I fail to see how a good looking tire gets the best of your principles; some of the victims of the Firestone 500 died and it still has an effect on their families to this day. It is only due to the heavy nature of the SUV my uncle was driving that he survived his crash. I have a pair of BFG's and I had them on my chevy with no issues whatsoever and they never lost air. The BFG's on my Cutlass cracked at the seams very shortly after I bought them and easily got curb rash, but they never lost PSI. They don't look nearly as nice as a firestone tire, and even a whole can of meguiars or armor all tire foam can't fix that, but they do what I want them to do which is keep me off the side of the highway where some dumbass could smash into me while I am trying to change a tire.
My 79 monte came with Firestone tires in the rear and they consistently lost air pressure & I was constantly refilling them. I was disappointed to learn firestone was also responsible for some 'pathfinder' tires that went flat on my Jeep (which I no longer own) setting me back nearly $200 unplanned expenses during a road trip. I am not a mechanic or a tire expert either, but in this case I was speaking from real life experience. I didn't speak on other tire brands bc I really don't have experience w them, but I would imagine Michellin/ Bridgestone make a much better tire for nearly double the cost of a Firestone or BFG T/A, but you get what you pay for at the end of the day and not everyone has money to blow on tires. However, I think everyone could agree that a blowout on the interstate can be so costly as to warrant holding back and spending the extra few $$$ on a better tire whenever possible. I would sooner throw some used continental limo tires on my car for $50 than pay $100+ for some new Firestones that are going to suddenly blow out with no warning when they get old.
My 79 monte came with Firestone tires in the rear and they consistently lost air pressure & I was constantly refilling them. I was disappointed to learn firestone was also responsible for some 'pathfinder' tires that went flat on my Jeep (which I no longer own) setting me back nearly $200 unplanned expenses during a road trip. I am not a mechanic or a tire expert either, but in this case I was speaking from real life experience. I didn't speak on other tire brands bc I really don't have experience w them, but I would imagine Michellin/ Bridgestone make a much better tire for nearly double the cost of a Firestone or BFG T/A, but you get what you pay for at the end of the day and not everyone has money to blow on tires. However, I think everyone could agree that a blowout on the interstate can be so costly as to warrant holding back and spending the extra few $$$ on a better tire whenever possible. I would sooner throw some used continental limo tires on my car for $50 than pay $100+ for some new Firestones that are going to suddenly blow out with no warning when they get old.
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