My BBS Boss 302 rims just arrived! Now what tires?
 

I was really thinking about some R compound tires for these 18 inch rims but I am also using my car as a daily driver? I would like to order some tires today but I do not want to rush this either. What is the best bang for the buck and I do not mind spending more if the tires are going to perform. What rubber would you want to wrap these in?

http://www.rehagenracingproducts.com..._RE1282_sm.jpg

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/8985/img2108mn.jpg

Don't ask me, I will send you straight out to the piggy-bank and smash that beast with a hammer :D

Tires are the #1 item in controlling your ride, next to the driver. I ask two questions when posts such as yours appear before me..

Tires should be chosen by the drivers needs and decided by his budget... what are they?

You are in California and actually the "to be" and I will be hitting up Disneyland for a 5 day pass coming up here on Oct. 1, so very cold temps will not be an issue. Are you planning on keeping the OEM wheels for Winter/rainy season driving? I want corner grip, so run R888's and love them, but would recommend an RA1 if you find the sizes you want.

What are your needs in terms of grip? 1/4 mile... launching..... twisties :D

Jazzer :)

PS. Hit up Choosing a new tire thread for TONS of things you need to consider PRIOR to purchasing tires!

Thanks Jazzer and I think I am going to keep my 19s for any winter driving and keep my 18s for the track. I will check out the RA1 and to be honest I never really have a budget. I want the best tires for the money and would not mind if they were $350 each but $200 would be better. I am only interested making the car corner and 1/4 mile is not important to me. I want to go fast through the twisties. :rolleyes:

mac...... I love you!

Depending on how hard-core you want to go, you can get a set of Hoosiers that would be 100% off-road only, but figure they will cost you every cent of that $350 a tire. My R888's are DOT approved on the street and run them from April to October and swap to my PS2's in Winter/rain months.

Jazzer :)

Would you consider buying these used tires? Toyo R888s
 

I need to buy 4 275/35/18 tires and when I was looking around I found these for $145 each? LINK They state that they have 75% of the tread still remaining? What do you think?

I would NOT buy them :(

An "R" compound has only soo many heat-cycles within them prior to them giving up their optimum grip. In some circumstances, this grip will last well past the warning bars. In other cases, they grip can be gone WAY before the tires even get to the warning bars, but is admittedly, not likely.

This link is full of many, many, many of the same such worn tires and can just about guarantee they are tires that were raced and heat-cycled out to the point where the grip has been substantially lost.

Just take a look at the "Additional information" section:
All tires have been used and have 3-5 heat cycles on them.
Tires were shaved to 3/32 then used


Jazzer :)

That is exactly what I needed to hear and thanks for straight talk. That brings me down to the RA1, and the NT01 or NT05.

If you can find the RA1's in your size.... hands down the BEST short of full-out race only tire :D

Jazzer :)

In a perfect world I would want the RA1 in a 295/40ZR18 or 285/40ZR18 all the way around the car but they only come in a 275/35ZR18 and a 305/35ZR18! The Nitto NT-555 comes in a 285/40R18 and a 295/45R18. The NT05 comes in a 275/40R18 and a 295/45R18. The NT555RII will not work. The NT555R has a 285/40ZR18 and a 305/40ZR18! The NT01 has a 275/40ZR18. The NT05R has a 285/40R18 (LL) light load. The R888 really only has the 275/40ZR18 and that is not a bad way to go but I was hoping for a little wider tire.

As you can see I am trying to find the perfect tire but this seems like it is all about compromises? So do I get the RA1 in the 275/35ZR18 (I really would like to fill up the wheel well with a 40 and not a 35). On the Nitto side I have some options with the Nitto in the Nitto NT-555 285/40R18, or the NT555R has a 285/40ZR18 and a 305/40ZR18, or the NT05R with the 285/40R18?

I can open up my options if I decide to go with a 275 and can do the R888 with the 275/40ZR18 and the NT05. Man I would love the see the RA1 in a 285/40/18 or 295/40/18. This is turning out to be harder than I thought it would be?

Several questions for you here...

What size wheels are you running, both front and back?
Unless you are running at least a 10" wheel, I would steer away (< pun intended :D) from the 285's or 295's.

Why do you want a 40 series tire?
Are you trying to fill the wheel well via tire profile? I happen to think this is not the way to go, as you are only limiting your suspension travel at the expense of reduced turn-in response

The NT555's are nowhere near the tire you are looking at in the RA1's or R888's, so just flat drop them off your list.

The NT555"R" is really a combo street/strip tire and a compromise for the 1/4 mile and open track work, so the NT555"R"II would be a better choice, IMO.

The NT01 is a fine tire, but would go "R"II's instead

*just realized, you have two threads here and are related, I will merge them*

Jazzer :)

OK... this makes more sense now, as I kept thinking there was more info that had been dicussed, but was in your BBS wheels thread :D

Jazzer :)

The rims are 18 x 10 for both front and back and I included the sales features below in quotes. I see your point regarding travel of the 35 vs the 40 and I am really glad you brought it up. So the 35s are back in and that opens up my choices big time. The RA1 is my top choice so my search is getting easy now once I know what tire size you would recommend. Do you think I should go with the 275/35ZR18 or the 305/35ZR18 given my 10 inch rims. I would love to run 305s in all 4 corners but again I would rather hear from someone like yourself who has been doing this for a while. :icon_worthy:

Thanks Jazzer!

If you are going to go open track/AX your ride, no question I would say the 275's. This would be for two reasons....

The first being that a 275 is gonna have a nice taught sidewall and be MUCH more responsive in the corners than a 305. This is gonna pay off on hard turns and improve your speeds around the track.

The second reason would be the improved clearance that will be afforded up front. I am nearly positive that Roush runs a 10" wheel up front on some of their S197 rides, I am unable to confirm, but typically the S197 aftermarket wheels are no more than 9" wide. I can say that such a wheel is pushing the clearance up front unless you were to go removing the liner and such under the fender. As it stands, you may have some rubbing issues, but don't know enough about your model to say for sure or how much.

Jazzer :)

PS. When such a time as suspension needs come callin', give me a PM and will help you get the most of upgrades. I can help you to avoid wasting time on useless/ineffective or bad mods that can hurt performance and waste your hard earned $$$'s :D

BTW.... Do you know how to make a small fortune in auto racing? ... Start with a large one!

I almost forgot, I think I am going to need to add the TPMS in all 4 tires since I am going to also be keeping my old rims with the TPMS. I guess that adds another $200 or so.. :icon_doh:

Seems to me I saw you mention this in the Customer wheels thread on this section homepage.

Yup, you will :D... I mean :(

Thanks again Jazzer and I will go with the 275 RA1 tires all the way around with the TPMS then (unless you think I could put 275 up front and 305 in the rear). I can adjust the height of my ride up or down with the Tein Flex coilovers so I hope that keeps me from having any rubbing issues. I was lucky enough to work with Tein directly to help them develop the 2010 GT product and I got a free suspension for my car. I opted to wait for the production model and pay $500 and they gave me the first final version rather than the prototype one they were originally going to give me. They only charged me their cost of the EDFC and I decided to put it in the glove box. After I buy the tires this week I am going to be looking into some brake options.

There are many who keep telling me I am doing all of this wrong and to start and end with more motor, I clearly do not follow that line of thinking. Why the hell do I want more motor when the car needs to turn, stop and corner better? This was very eye opening for me and I feel good about each one of my decisions. I have been working with Magnaflow for many years and they have always taken care of me but I am not allowed to say to what extent so I have been able to do many of these mods on the cheap compared to what they would normally cost.

Wednesday I need to go to Megan Racing and they are going to give me an exhaust for my car but I really do not need another one so I am not sure what to do with it? I am kind of curious how it will sound but in the end I would never give it up over my Magnaflow setup. I am very tempted to give it to Mustang Forums as a gift to use however they want to bring in new members or reward the ones they already have. I really appreciate you and others helping me do something that has always been important to me. I have always wanted to build a car I could track too and this is one more goal I can cross off my list. Would you like to have the cat back as a gift to the website? The only problem would be that it would only work on a 2010 or a 2011.

This is exactly how I feel and what I have been preaching for over 4 years now on this and other forums :D My ride has a scorching 248 HP and happy with its performance to accelerate, but am constantly amazed by its ability rip a corner! I have seen literally THOUSANDS of pepes go after high HP mods without any respect to putting it to the ground or keeping it under control. Tires are the number one item, next to the driver, keeping your car under control and why I have written the Choosing a new tire thread. Suspension is the next in line here and why I assembled/wrote much of the Official Suspension Guide for my pepes to get the most of the power they ALREADY have :D


You are more than welcome, as I am MORE than happy to have an ear for one who is into tires. Moreover, you will come to appreciate your suspension and consider this a double-bonus :D

If you are serious about your offer for the exhaust, let me know and I will put the issue to the mods. I would need to know if you are willing to ship it to a given address, but probably would need to send it to the site admin for some sort of auction or reward for ROTM or something.

Speaking of which.... I am losing big time, but would appreciate your consideration of ROTM for Sept.

Jazzer :)

PS. We haven't even touched on brakes. I can give you some good info in that direction as well, so LMK :D

I am sure that I would like to offer the Megan Racing catback as a gift to the site for helping me and others. I live in southern CA and I am sure we could figure something out depending on where it needed to be shipped. I work for a major carrier and maybe they would allow me to put it on one of my trucks to get it to where it needs to go. The best case would be a winner in soutern CA but that would end up just being the luck of the draw. Let the other mods know I would like to do this and let me know what they would like me to do. I am still not sure how I am going to get it back from LA in my ride yet?

By the way you have another vote. :icon_drink: If you could help me get the right brakes later this month that would be great!

Excellent...

I will post up a thread in the mods section and link to your above post. You may hear from one of them, depending on how feasible your offer is. Either way, it is appreciated and likely will be able to make some sort of auction or contest for your exhaust to be the prize.

Jazzer :)

Works for me Jazzer and my only concern is it will only fit the 2010 and 2011 Mustangs. I would love to see someone benefit the way I have this last year. I love to try and help people the same way you helped me. Check out this price I just found on the RA1 tires! LINK If this is the real deal I am going to order 4 tires from them tomorrow.

PS Just ordered them, I did not want to run the risk that they might go up...

You are gonna LOVE those tires :D

I put a thread in the mods section reguarding your exhast system. We'll see what happens.

Jazzer :)

TPMS 911 Help for 2010 Mustang GT
 

My 2010 Mustang GT uses the Valve Stem style TPMS sensor and it does not fit into my new rims. The BBS rims have a hole much smaller than the one on the stock rim so I only have a few options that I can see? My car is at Ford now and they want me to tell them what I want to do?

1) Find a strap style sensor that will work and turn the red light off in the car?

2) Have the new $2700 rims sent somewhere to cut the hole larger?

3) Leave the red light on in the car?

I would really like to know if anyone has moved their new 2010-11 Mustang from a valve style TPMS sensor to a strap style sensor?

I would not disable such a sensor a the TPMS. For all we know, you may find yourself in a liability issue by having it disabled (crazier things have happened)

I would recommend you get the strap to make your sensor work properly and Ford may have some ideas as well as the tire shoppe you are using for installation.

Jazzer :)

PS. Some pics would be nice :D

It has been at the Ford dealership since Saturday and they have me in a rental car. I get a new Ford (or two) every year so they always take very good care of me. I would be happy to have them put on a strap sensor BUT they are not sure if the 09 sensors will work on the 2010 cars? They called all of the other service departments and parts departments to see if they know anyone who has done it yet and no one seems to know if it will work or not?

When I went to Goodyear and spoke to the manager he told me until they come up with some after market sensor they are forced to buy them all from the dealer so I would be having the same problem with them. I went to a place tat specializes in tires and rims and he wants to drill a larger hole in my rims so the sensor will fit?

The rims are NOT going back so I still do not know what they hell I am going to do? Any other ideas and why can't I just use a strap sensor on my 2010!! This is really getting frustrating. You are going to get so many photos it's not even funny once they are on. :icon_vp:

I am really sorry to hear about Elizabeth. I lost my cat a year ago and I still think about the little fella. :(

Eliabeth is my fiance... the kitty was the real Jazzer The Cat.

How much larger does the hole need to be and has this shoppe done this on other wheels? If it has been done before and they are comfortable, I think it may be the way to go.

Be aware that this will void ANY warranty you have with the wheels, so be sure to carefully inspect them and get some assurances from the shoppe prior to having this done.

Jazzer :)

I would say that the hole in the stock 19s is about the size of a quarter and the size on the 18s is about a dime. I was shocked at how large the difference was? I am going to call BBK this morning and ask them some questions before I do anything.

I am very, very sorry for your loss Jazzer.

BOY! I can guarantee you BBK will not approve of drilling such a hole and not sure I would be comfortable in doing so myself. I would say that it is VERY "punk" of Ford to design in such a way as this. I mean, how many Mustangs go with aftermarket wheels and how many will have such a hole. Eventually, the market will catch up, but will be more expensive as the wheels will likely not be interchangable with other makes/models due to the size of this hole.

Manufacturers will have to make "Mustang only" fitment and see this as just an additional expense for going aftermarket wheels :(

Jazzer :)

PS. Thanks for kind words :D

Alright, I just got off the phone with BBS and they talked about it in their racing group and consumer group this morning and think they might have a solution for me. They have stems that are 8mm and 11mm that they sell that can fit on other cars. I would need the same 8mm valve stem they use on the Porsche GT3 and it should connect perfectly to my ford sensor. They are going to next day it to the Ford service department and I should know by tomorrow if it is going to fit. If it fits he says he is sure it will work and I will document everything with model numbers so others do not run into in the future.

So to recap, I would be using my same stock sensors and because Ford made these new sensors in 2 parts and not 1 part like many valve sensors these days it allows be to find a separate stem (he calls them adapters) that should attach itself to the sensor. If it works this will be the perfect solution.

The last things Eric at BBS said was I might have an issue with the lug nuts? He said I need a 90 degree (seed?) for a .5 inch stud? I have NO IDEA what that means. He said he had 60 degree units that looks great but I would need to machine them to a 90 degree. Man this stuff is confusing.

Typically lug-nuts are 60* to help center the wheel upon torquing it up to your ride. Appearantly, BBS (miswrote earlier post :() needs a 90* contact point on wheels?

Anyway, I like thier idea and hopefully it works, so please post all updates in the TPMS post for future reference to others that WILL run into the same issue.

Jazzer :)

PS. I am not having much luck on your exhaust offer to the higher-ups. People like the idea, but not much happening with it. I will keep you posted if anything develops.

I thought I would follow up and finish the story. The rims were never put on the car or even mounted because they were not going to fit and they got sent back. When I returned the rims they are now claiming the rims were mounted and now they are used? They never even had the tires put on and this sounds like it going to be a mess. What a nightmare!

What's the status on this? Why weren't the wheels going to fit? I was really looking forward to seeing some pics of these wheels mounted on the car...:icon_bump1:

They didn't "fit" or weren't going to work due to the valve-stem/TPMS issue?

I missed this update, as the "to be" and I were in Disneyland/Universal Studios for vaca a the time :D

Jazzer :)