Anyone have any good recommendation for an upgrade to current technology tires?
I just ordered a set of Michelin Pilot Sports for my 86 TR. I located a set of original 16 inch wheels and am getting rid of my original metric wheels and tires. I was limited to only 4 brands that would fit and Michelin seemed to get the most thumbs up from folks I talked to. I would have preferred the Bridgestone SO3's but they don't make my size.
According to The Tire Rack a 255/50/16 Pilot Sport will not work safely on the 10" wide rear rim. The specs and cust serv reps say it will only go to a 9" wide rim. The best tire they offer with a matching front & rear model that will work is the Dunlop SP8000. Kenny K.
Thanks for the information. I just looked at the Tire Rack Web site and couldn't find this information listed there. Can you point me to where you found this? This was actually the tire that they list first when you type in 1986 Ferrari Testarossa to look up tires by car type. The 16 inch wheels that I bought still have the original Goodyear's on them and they look brand new. They are 255/50-16 x 10 inch wheels on the Rear and 225/50-16 x 8 inch wheels on the Front. It seems odd that Michelin's same size tire wouldn't fit.
When searching the Tire Rack site, it seems that amongst the matching front/rear tire sets, only the Dunlop is rated to fit on a 10" wide rim. I wonder if there is another width/profile that might work as well? Perhaps a 265-45 or some such? I see that Kuhmo makes some "competition" tires in that size that are rated to fit a 10" rim. That is an unusually wide rear rim, for the tire width. Even a BMW M5 which has a 275-35-18 tire uses only a 9" rim. My BMW 540 has a 255-40-17 and has a 9" rim.....
Ugh, not my "cup of tea"...I prefer the 512TR or 512M wheels as an "upgrade" over the 360 wheels. I just don't understand everyone jumping on slapping 360 wheels on Mondials, TR's and 308's... looks odd to me....
This sucks. I have had those tyres on the car for about two years now, and they were put on as per recommendation from both the dealership and Tire Rack. Now, this is my question: What type of dangerous affect does this situation presents? TIA
I have an early 85 with metric wheels and TRX tires and looked into upgrades/more modern tires awhile back. I was pondering stock 16" wheels and called Tire Rack to confirm that the Pilot Sports would only go to a 9" rim per their specs for that size on their site. They were adamant that it was not safe to use the P/S's on a 10" rim. Maybe a second opinion is needed from another source but the Tire Rack generally know from where they speak. But since Anthony C. has been running these w/o problems perhaps there is no issue with these on a stock rim. The rep at Tire Rack also emphasized that you should follow the manufacturers specs for a tire and that not all of the same sizes fit all the rims. As the 255/50 SP8000 will go to 10" whereas the Mich P/S will(or maybe should) not. Kenny K.
I have put Firestone "Firehawk" tires on my TR and am very happy with them. They are reasonable priced, a performance tire and great in the rain. I only drive the car in the summer, so that is what I was looking for..........performance and a great rain tire.
I used the same size as the original tires.........the rears are wider than the fronts. I don't have the sizes off hand. My car is a US version, 88.5 TR.
FYI, I just got this off the Tire Rack website: Rim Width Range Because tires have flexible sidewalls, a single tire size will fit on a variety of rim widths. A tire's rim width range identifies the narrowest to the widest rim widths that the tire is designed to fit. The width of the rim will influence the width of the tire. A tire mounted on a narrow rim would be "narrower" than if the same size tire was mounted on a wide rim. NOTE: Because the overall diameter of a steel belted radial is determined by the steel belts, there is little, if any, change to the overall diameter of the tire due to differences in rim width. The industry rule of thumb is that for every 1/2" change in rim width, the tire's section width will correspondingly change by approximately 2/10". For example: a tire in the P205/60R15 size is measured on a 6.0" wide wheel and this size tire has an approved rim width range from 5.5" to 7.5" wide. The tire has a section width of 8.23" (209mm) when mounted on a 6.0" wide wheel. If that tire were mounted on all of the rims within its range, the tire's approximate section width would change as follows: Difference from Measuring Rim Rim Width Approximate Tire section width 0.5" narrower 5.5" 8.03" Measuring Rim 6.0" 8.23" 0.5" wider 6.5" 8.43" 1.0" wider 7.0" 8.63" 1.5" wider 7.5" 8.83" Because of the different wheel widths used in the above example, there is a 8/10" projected difference in tire section width when comparing a tire mounted on the narrowest rim to the widest rim within its range. This may affect fenderwell and frame clearances when selecting optional aftermarket wheel and tire packages Additionally, some vehicle manufacturers and tire companies have permitted rim widths that are not within the tire's original approved rim width range. For example: BMW has combined 235/40R17 sized tires on 17x7.5" rims (which are 0.5" less than the narrowest 8.0" wide rim listed for the size) on certain M3 models; and Chevrolet has combined P255/50R16 sized tires on optional 16x9.5" rims (which are 0.5" wider than the 9.0" wide rim now listed for the size) on certain Corvette models. While these applications have received the approval of the vehicle and tire manufacturers, staying within the approved rim width range helps assure that the tire's internal stresses are within its design parameters. I am not sure what the OEM Eagle Gatorbacks' specifications are (Searched the net with no prevail), but I am hoping that the Testarossa falls under the similar "Factory-Tyre companies approved" situation as the BMWs and the Corvettes.
Are Michelin readily available in the US? The Michelin engineer who works for us has been struggling to come up trumps for me. In the UK TR are VERY difficult to find :-( Anyone tried Kumho as they seem to make a set-but heard mixed reports... Thanks. Pete
Great info thanks for the post. However, both examples used above vary only .5" from recommended rim widths. The stock Tr wheel is a full 1" wider than Michelin recommends for the Pilot Sport. I wouldn't feel comfortable with this combo unless Michelin gave its blessing to it. Although it will work, it perhaps is not the safest thing to do. Especially since Michelin did not provide tires for the Tr from the factory. Kenny K.
I got the Michelin Pilot Sports for my 91TR and they are worlds better than the original Goodyear Eagle F1s that were fitted (I got one of the last batches of F1s from Goodyear before they stopped production). The Michelins fit the same as the OE Goodyears did, but hold the road MUCH better in the dry and wet. David P.S. The Dunlops are not near as good.
Considering lack of inputs from the other TR owners, I guess you and I are the only ones that are: 1) Still using the OEM wheels and staying with OEM tyre sizes. 2) Not having a garage queen of a car, for the love of God, the OEM tyres have to be at least 13 bloody years old already !!! Oh well, I was hoping to hear more on this subject from the other owners.
FYI: I'm told that using wider tires in the rear on the stock rims will rub the fenders on suspension compression when cornering (so I'm told). Best of luck!
"Especially since Michelin did not provide tires for the Tr from the factory." My 86 TR came with Michelin tires. They still look brand new but they are 18 years old. My original Michelins are metric in size and are no longer available for sale. It would be great if the original supplier still offered a tire that would work for me. I now have two sets of wheels and tires. I have the original metric Michelins and the original 16 inch Goodyears. If the newer Michelin Sport Plus won't work for me it looks like I am down to making a decision between the Kumho's and the Dunlops. They are cheaper but I'ver heard that they are not as good. Does anyone have anything positive to say about either one of those tires? Is anyone running either one of those tires right now on their TR?
Michelin did not supply Pilot Sports from the factory for the TR which is why I question and Tire Rack does not recommend the use of those tires on rims 1" wider than Mich recommends. And no longer available for sale ?? TRX tires using today's materials are still available my friend. Try Coker Tire as has been posted many times before. I wish there were more of newer designed tires available for the odd 16" rim width and tire size we need. But the fact remains the choices are few for a matching front/rear set of high performance tires for these cars with stock wheels. I'll stick with the TRX as I don't feel the cost of a new stock 16" wheel/tire package has any significant performance advantage over the metric size. But going to custom wheel sizes over stock opens up alot more options. K.K.
Hi Anthony I have the original Goodyears on my 1990 car and because the cars only done 6800 miles there still like new and as far as I can tell there not flat spotted thro years of being laid up. They feel good and go well but as I have not tried the Mich's I cant compare. Interesting to get everybodys views tho. There seems to be a lot more Testa's in the US than here in England.
Simon, I am sorry to say, that those tires are unsafe for anything beyond "boulevard cruising". Age degrades the rubber compounds. Please contact Goodyear and your Ferrari dealer if you question my logic. Generally it is thought that tires should be replaced at 6-7 year intervals for any high performance car that will be driven at freeway speeds or higher. It will be very obvious if you drove another car with newer tires that it rides better and sticks better...that is a function of the older tire compound getting "hard" with age....But there is no telling what is going on inside that tire. I have had an "old" tire that had tons of tread on it on a Volkswagen, that visually looked fine, start to delaminate while driving down the freeway. Fortunately it did not lose pressure, and I was able to safely get to the shoulder. Dave
Thanks Dave All information is gratefully recieved now if I do get new tyres which do I go for as people have been saying that although the Pilot Sports are the right size their saying they dont work safely on 10" rims
I will be replacing the tires on my '91 TR in the late winter/early Spring. The current tires are Bridgestone Potenza RE 750, and have been on the car since I acquired it back in March '03. There isn't a lot of tread left on them, and as Dave said, tires do degrade with age (I.E. dryrot, etc.), so replacing them is a definite must. Here are the options I'm looking into #1 - Pirelli P Zero Nero M+S (I know what you're thinking... A Mud + Snow tire on a TR??? WTF???). It is an ultra-high performance all season tire, and carries a W speed rating (160+ MPH, I believe). Customers gave it very good reviews on TIRERACK. And Pirelli does make them in the TR sizes. #2 - Kumho ECSTA Supra 712. An ultra-high Summer performance tire, with a V + Z speed rating. Customers gave it good reviews citing mainly quality for the price. #3 - Goodyear Eagle HP ultra Plus. Pulled it off Goodyear's website. $182 per tire. Speed rating ?? Anybody try these?? #4 - Yokohama Advan AO32R. It looks like an all out track tire!! It carries a Z speed rating (186 + MPH). Also, looks to be pricey... Currently, I'm thinking of going with the Pirellis. More research to be done over the coming months...
