dmacalli

Hi all...

I will be getting new tires all the way around come spring (before anyone ask's, I just want brand spankin new on it ). I was curious about opinions of the wiley vet's out there. It currently has BF Goodrich Radial T/As on it. Any preference or others that I could / should look at?

Backs = 255 60R15
Fronts = 245 60R15

Thanks...

Fun71

That's the size I ran on my 70 Supreme for 20 or so years. Now I run 245-60s all around so I can rotate the tires.

Allan R

If you want brand spankin new, be sure to check the tire manufacture date, and specify that to your tire shop when you're making the purchase. Some tire shops sell tires as 'new' because they haven't been mounted, but they could be up to 2 years old already.

dmacalli

Good call... May consider that.

dmacalli

Thanks Allan. Any thoughts on brand of tires besides the BFG?

Fun71

The selection is limited.

This site shows five different ones:
https://www.tires-easy.com/tires/245-60-15

droptopron

JMO but I don't think you can justify the cost of a BFG. Its a nice looking tire but nothing more. Def nothing special. I'd look at the Cooper Cobras or the Mickey Thompson if you want to keep the 15's.

dmacalli

Thank you sir!

dmacalli

Thanks droptopron!

Fun71

That might depend upon where you live and what's available in your area. Discount Tire has BFGs for $149 per tire whereas I would have to online order the Coopers and the lowest price I can find is $127 per tire, for a difference of $22 per tire or $88 per set. That's not enough difference for me to rule out the BFGs purely on price.

Olds64

Don't forget about Diamond Back Tire if you are considering redline or OE style tires:

https://dbtires.com/

droptopron

Another option is to store the 15's and get a reasonably priced set of 17's. You get a better tire for less $$ and more selection. I had the stock 14 SS1's with repro belted. I loved the look but got sick of how they drove. I bought 17" rims from an EBay seller and tires from Tirebuyer.com. All in I was about $1,050. I have the 14's set to the side for show duty but the car drives so much better with the 17's.

dmacalli

This is true... I can get the BFG for under $200 per tire (CAD), so not bad at all. Quite frankly, I expected them to cost more than that...

dmacalli

Thanks! This is why I am asking you all... LOL

droptopron

dmacalli

Thanks Olds64...

dmacalli

Very nice...

Allan R

I've run Kelly Chargers on my car and they're great tires. You can also check out Cooper Cobra's.
Personally I wouldn't go with 17" rims and tires simply because I've noticed that lower profile tires tend to ride rougher.

Note: If you're a Costco member you can get smokin deals on their tires. I bought BFG Radial T/A's for my car last year (225/70/14) - Yup - they can get the original wheel size and I believe I paid right around $150.00/tire including balance, nitrogen, new stems and installation. In Canada I really shop around for my rubber products and so far, I can't beat Costco for best price and carrying the products I want. You're not going to drive your car in the snow and Calgary doesn't really get that much anyway. I'd go with a good road tire that's quiet, has good tread wear, and tread compound that gives good fuel economy too. I was impressed with the Costco staff. They double checked to make sure the date codes on the tire weren't more than 3 months old and their installation time and service was incredibly fast.

I just checked Costco.ca and found BFG's in your 245/60/15 for $640. Add install (15/tire) and tax =$735.00 Not many stores can compete with that IMO. You can get 2 245s and 2 255's. The only difference is the 255's are $10 more / tire.

dmacalli

Just checked Costco myself, and yes, a really good deal for the BFG. I am pretty sure I will purchase from there, 255's for the back and 245's for the front... Can't beat it really.

Thanks Allan!!

dmacalli

Also, just noticed... If I order the tires now, up to Dec 9, they throw me a $50 Costco gift card as well. May just buy them now and throw them in my storage locker.

Olds64

I've got to mention Sam's Club. They're so much better than Costco in about every conceivable way. I always... well almost always buy tires from them. I had to buy 235/75 R15s for my Olds from a local tire shop because I didn't want a knobby SUV tire available at Sam's. Plus, I bought some Atlas cheapies on Amazon for my sister and brother-in-law once because I wanted to buy the cheapest tires available. Anyways...

Let us know what tires you get. We look forward to seeing pics.

dmacalli

Unfortunately, no Sam's Club in Canada... appreciate the input though!

droptopron

That was a concern but I wasn't obsessed with the largest rim and lowest profile tire possible. I have 215/55 and 245/50 on 17x7 & 17x8 respectively. Overall height is about the same as I had w the 14's. Ride is still pretty nice. That being said, foot print isn't as wide as some guys like.

Mr Nick

If you are worried about DOT codes, you may have to be patient while your installer locates a set. Tires like what you're looking for are not in high demand, and as a result the inventory doesn't turn very often.

I'm a tire wholesaler, we move 1,500-2,000 tires per day out of my location. I rarely see a BFG Radial TA or Cooper Cobra go out the door.

Also, I wouldn't be worried about a new tire that's a couple years old. Stored inside and out of sunlight, the rubber doesn't break down nearly as fast as it would while on the car and exposed to the elements.

dmacalli

Thanks Mr Nick...

oldcutlass

I got my Coopers from discount tire, they did not have BFG nor Cooper in stock at the time. The price difference for your size, P245/60/15 BFG ($149) vs Cooper ($112) per tire is $37x4 = $148+tax for the set. That to me for my sizes, which is actually more, is enough of a difference. In addition I decided to run black walls out this time around, so make is not a factor.