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hi again, can some one tell me the brand of tire that originally came on my 1988 formula? Size is 245/50r16. Was there different brands possible?
I'm almost certain that all factory original tires were from Goodyear. Gatorbacks. I don't think Goodyear even makes that size anymore. I'll probably buy a set of BF Goodrich this year.
I'm probably going to go with the BFG G-Force Sport Comp-2 A/S personally. Seems to be about the only decent looking name brand tire in that size (in terms of traction/treadwear). I'm badly in need of a tire with good wet traction, brakes are constantly locking up when it's wet out. Only thing I don't like about them is the way the edges of the treadblocks look from the sidewall.
I'm probably going to go with the BFG G-Force Sport Comp-2 A/S personally. Seems to be about the only decent looking name brand tire in that size (in terms of traction/treadwear). I'm badly in need of a tire with good wet traction, brakes are constantly locking up when it's wet out. Only thing I don't like about them is the way the edges of the treadblocks look from the sidewall.
Here is the tire I recommend....https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...omCompare1=yes
BTW - I have a set of brand new set of 4 (still in the shipping wrap) that I have been considering selling......if your interested.....I can ship to your door.
I have been considering going to an 18 inch wheel and if I can sell these tires I'll probably do it
I put the Cooper RS3-G1 on my 1989 Convertible. They are not really a "performance" tire as such as they are a bit squishy, BUT for the convertible they are perfect as it makes for a nice ride, and Convertibles are for nice rides to me... Scott Moyer put them on his IROC and hated them, but he wanted more of a performance feel...
I put the Cooper RS3-G1 on my 1989 Convertible. They are not really a "performance" tire as such as they are a bit squishy, BUT for the convertible they are perfect as it makes for a nice ride, and Convertibles are for nice rides to me... Scott Moyer put them on his IROC and hated them, but he wanted more of a performance feel...
I had a set of Cooper Zeons on my '90 Formula sometime in the mid-2000s. They seemed like a decent tire, but didn't last very long.
The big names like Goodyear and Michelin mostly seem to have dropped that size.
I had a set of Cooper Zeons on my '90 Formula sometime in the mid-2000s. They seemed like a decent tire, but didn't last very long.
The big names like Goodyear and Michelin mostly seem to have dropped that size.
As much as I drive the car, I will never wear them out, they will dry rot before I wear the tread out... 500 mils a year, makes tires last a long, long time...
As much as I drive the car, I will never wear them out, they will dry rot before I wear the tread out... 500 mils a year, makes tires last a long, long time...
John
That's the way I'm approaching my next set too. I'll go for performance. I don't need all season as my car rarely sees rain, and it snows here about every thirty years. I put 2,000 miles on it last year and likely will do 2,000-3,000 this year at most.
That's the way I'm approaching my next set too. I'll go for performance. I don't need all season as my car rarely sees rain, and it snows here about every thirty years. I put 2,000 miles on it last year and likely will do 2,000-3,000 this year at most.
One thing to consider, is that tires are usually best the first year only, after that they no longer hook up as well as they used to. I know a guy that used to work for Cooper under their performance division, and he had a customer who bought tires for his drag car (Cooper owns Micky Thompson) and the first year they hooked up great, he was getting great times. But the next year he was not getting the traction he got the first year... If you want them to last, you take them off the car then you put them in garbage bags and Vacuum the air out...
Rubber ages, you can tell when you get that brown film on them, it is the tire breaking down from age...
Rubber ages, you can tell when you get that brown film on them, it is the tire breaking down from age...
John
Yeah that's what's happening with the Eagles on my car now (GS-Cs, not the original Gatorbacks). I don't know how old they are, but they're old. Decent tread still, but the rubber looks old. I bought the car with 32K on it 13 months ago and have now put about 2500 miles on it. Before I bought it, I think the car, based on some CarFax info, had only been driven about 2,000 miles in the prior ten years. It was annually inspected by the original owner back in PA, but they clearly didn't take it out much.
I have Eagle GT HR tires on my GTA and I think that was the last tire they made in our cars OEM size. Currently I havent seen anything GY in 245/50R16. So hopefully mine will last a while. I'm like John...only a few hundred miles a year so maybe they'll last a while. Lol
IMO, tires on a car that get driven around 500 miles a year should be replaced every 7 years or so.
They may look great and have lots of tread but they deteriorate from the inside out. Filling with dry Nitrogen
when new and servicing with dry Nitrogen helps prolong the life
Last edited by BizJetTech; 03-27-2019 at 04:52 PM.
I run the Sumitomo 245 50 16 on both the 89 and the 90 and have been happy with them so far. They ride and handle well for the price, which was around 340 mounted and balanced. The tires on the 89 are Doral brand and the 90 are Sumic brand (both Sumitomo) with identical tread patterns/sidewall. It's a good "all season" tire though neither car is driven in snow, so I can't comment on that. They handle well in the rain on the 89 though.
03-25-2019, 02:21 PM
