tire question

82 GT · 03-05-2002, 10:21 PM

It's time for me to buy tires for my '88 and I was considering going to a 50 series tire. What would be a nice size tire that would fit on the stock 7 inch turbine rims?

Fox Body · 03-06-2002, 01:43 AM

I'm not sure I understand your question 82GT in terms of a "50 series" tire, unless you are talking about something like going from 235/60/15 to 235/50/15. If so, 245/50/15 would be the widest I'd go. Also, why do you want to go to 50s?

82 GT · 03-06-2002, 03:33 PM

Well, since I need new tires anyway, I was thinking about going from the stock 225/60/15 to something like 225/50/15.
It was just an idea I was entertaining

90LxDroptop · 03-06-2002, 05:02 PM

is 245 the widest u can fit on stock gt wheels?(16x7) I also need some new tires...

Fox Body · 03-06-2002, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 90LxDroptop
is 245 the widest u can fit on stock gt wheels?(16x7) I also need some new tires...

I thought stock GT (fox bodies) wheels where 15x7s. Anyway, to answer your question: No. You can put 275s on there but it's not a good thing (the bulge on the sides). I think the normal recommended size for those are 225s or 235s, but 245s will be better (than 275s) on the stock wheels.

82 GT · 03-06-2002, 07:50 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Fox Body
[B]
I thought stock GT (fox bodies) wheels where 15x7s.

They are, at least from 83-93 they were.

91PA5liter · 03-06-2002, 08:03 PM

i thought the 87-90 turbine rims were 15"-7" and the 91-93 5 star pony rims were 16"-7". I was pretty sure about this cuz i have the pony rims and a friend has the turbine rims and my pony rims are bigger then the turbines. I could be wrong but just my 2 cents.

lx mike · 03-06-2002, 08:12 PM

91pa is correct, 91-93 had the 16x7 ponys and also fenderwells where made a little bigger for the diff in tire size.

82 GT · 03-06-2002, 10:45 PM

I stand corrected. That is true. I forgot about that. I was thinking that 94 was the year they went to 16 inch but you are right 91pa.

MiracleMax · 03-06-2002, 11:22 PM

Be careful when sizing tires, load carrying ability is probably the most important thng to consider. next on the list would be the minimum and maximum rim widths the tire is desinged for. This data should be available at the tire dealer.

At the very least a tire with a low load rating will overheat and wear out quickly, at worst you and the guy who put the tires on will have a lawsuit and attendant collateral damage to deal with
and tire suits are pretty easy to win

Fox Body · 03-07-2002, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 91PA5liter
i thought the 87-90 turbine rims were 15"-7" and the 91-93 5 star pony rims were 16"-7". I was pretty sure about this cuz i have the pony rims and a friend has the turbine rims and my pony rims are bigger then the turbines. I could be wrong but just my 2 cents.

Whoops!, my mistake. I totally forgot the change to the 5 stars.

84LX89GT · 03-10-2002, 10:51 PM

I have both wheels, turbines and ponies. The turbines were on GT's from '87 to '90 and in '91 they switched to the Pony wheels as stated.

I have 245/50/15's right now on my GT (on the back) BFGoodrich Euro T/A's and they're good handling, OK traction tires. I wanted to get a wider tire with a larger contact patch and they work pretty well for that. On the Pony wheels (came with my GT) it had some Z speed rated 225/50R16 tires Bridgestone RE940 and those tires were unbearably stiff, the car wandered everywhere, caught every groove and had horrible bumpsteer as well as reduced ground clearance. You can really feel the flaws in the stock suspension with those tires.

If you get wider tires, you'll have to run slightly lower air pressure to maintain a good contact patch because as tires get wider on skinnier rims they tend to balloon out not only on the outsides, but also in the middle of the tread area. As a result the wheels can tend to shift on the tires a bit, but not very noticably.

the next time i get tires, i'm just going to get some quality stock size tires with a higher speed rating (higher speed rating tires have stiffer sidewalls and subsequently handle better) and relatively decent treadwear rating. You can get lower profile tires with an aspect ratio of like 50 or 55 but then they start riding rough and usually have a higher speed rating anyway because the shortness of the sidewall strengthens it.

I personally like to get tires with a lower treadwear rating because they leave more rubber on the road to stop/grab traction with. I also like have a margin of error in case i enter a corner too fast and have to rely on the tires.

As far as load rating of the tire goes with a 3000 lb car you're not likely to exceed the rating of a reasonable size tire and probably won't cause enough stress on the tire to cause it to fail unless it's underinflated at high speeds.
This is just my opinion though, so only you can decide what you want for your car.

03-05-2002, 10:21 PM	#1
82 GT Import Slayer Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 2,241	tire question It's time for me to buy tires for my '88 and I was considering going to a 50 series tire. What would be a nice size tire that would fit on the stock 7 inch turbine rims? __________________ '82 GT 351W (.060)Comp Cams 274* Extreme Energy cam, ported & polished heads w/ 1.94/1.60 valves 10.3:1 flat top pistons,stealth intake, Mallory dizzy,Holley 750dp carb, BBK shorties,Flowmaster exhaust,C-4 with 3700 stall converter, B&M pro shifter,8.8 rear, 4:10's, subframes, electric fan, powermaster alternator, 4 core radiator.

03-06-2002, 01:43 AM	#2
Fox Body Mustang Maniac Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: GA, U.S.A Posts: 2,266	I'm not sure I understand your question 82GT in terms of a "50 series" tire, unless you are talking about something like going from 235/60/15 to 235/50/15. If so, 245/50/15 would be the widest I'd go. Also, why do you want to go to 50s? __________________ 351W-powered 1979 Ford Mustang Ghia notchback '79 Video @ Idle Stock 5.8L under 4" cowl 'glass hood, C4 w/ Transgo shift kit, Holley 750 cfm, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake; Fluidyne Al radiator, Flexalite 175 electric fan, 1 5/8" MAC shorty headers, FRPP Al driveshaft; S&W 6-point cage; 2.5" Off road H-pipe, 2-chamber Flowmasters, 8.8" Rear w/ 3.55s; Weld wheels (15x6;15x8), Front: 225/60/15, Rear: 275/50/15 Nitto NT 555R Drag Radials; 14 x 4” K&N X-stream air filter. '92 GT (5-speed) Small In Car Video Stock 5.0L, 2-chamber Flowmasters, MAC CAI, Tri-Ax, Al pedals... "Red, thou art my companion. Hasten now your quickened metamorphosis to Green that I may conquer all who dare abide there beside me. May they be left thither behind burnt black." ---Fox Body

03-06-2002, 03:33 PM	#3
82 GT Import Slayer Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 2,241	Well, since I need new tires anyway, I was thinking about going from the stock 225/60/15 to something like 225/50/15. It was just an idea I was entertaining __________________ '82 GT 351W (.060)Comp Cams 274* Extreme Energy cam, ported & polished heads w/ 1.94/1.60 valves 10.3:1 flat top pistons,stealth intake, Mallory dizzy,Holley 750dp carb, BBK shorties,Flowmaster exhaust,C-4 with 3700 stall converter, B&M pro shifter,8.8 rear, 4:10's, subframes, electric fan, powermaster alternator, 4 core radiator.

03-06-2002, 05:02 PM	#4
90LxDroptop Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arlington Hts. IL Posts: 315	is 245 the widest u can fit on stock gt wheels?(16x7) I also need some new tires... __________________ 90 LX Convertible 5.0 AOD 3.73 Gears, Underdrive Pulleys, TransGo shift kit, A servo, Subframe Connectors, o/r h-pipe, 2 chamber flows, Pony Wheels

03-06-2002, 07:50 PM	#6
82 GT Import Slayer Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 2,241	[QUOTE]Originally posted by Fox Body [B] I thought stock GT (fox bodies) wheels where 15x7s. They are, at least from 83-93 they were. __________________ '82 GT 351W (.060)Comp Cams 274* Extreme Energy cam, ported & polished heads w/ 1.94/1.60 valves 10.3:1 flat top pistons,stealth intake, Mallory dizzy,Holley 750dp carb, BBK shorties,Flowmaster exhaust,C-4 with 3700 stall converter, B&M pro shifter,8.8 rear, 4:10's, subframes, electric fan, powermaster alternator, 4 core radiator.

03-06-2002, 08:03 PM	#7
91PA5liter Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: PA Posts: 79	i thought the 87-90 turbine rims were 15"-7" and the 91-93 5 star pony rims were 16"-7". I was pretty sure about this cuz i have the pony rims and a friend has the turbine rims and my pony rims are bigger then the turbines. I could be wrong but just my 2 cents.

03-06-2002, 08:12 PM	#8
lx mike Undescribable Join Date: Sep 1998 Location: Ft Myers Fla Posts: 1,539	91pa is correct, 91-93 had the 16x7 ponys and also fenderwells where made a little bigger for the diff in tire size. __________________ Rice Haters Club Member #101

03-06-2002, 10:45 PM	#9
82 GT Import Slayer Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 2,241	I stand corrected. That is true. I forgot about that. I was thinking that 94 was the year they went to 16 inch but you are right 91pa. __________________ '82 GT 351W (.060)Comp Cams 274* Extreme Energy cam, ported & polished heads w/ 1.94/1.60 valves 10.3:1 flat top pistons,stealth intake, Mallory dizzy,Holley 750dp carb, BBK shorties,Flowmaster exhaust,C-4 with 3700 stall converter, B&M pro shifter,8.8 rear, 4:10's, subframes, electric fan, powermaster alternator, 4 core radiator.

03-06-2002, 11:22 PM	#10
MiracleMax Registered Member Join Date: Apr 1999 Location: Hayes, Va, USA Posts: 798	Be careful when sizing tires, load carrying ability is probably the most important thng to consider. next on the list would be the minimum and maximum rim widths the tire is desinged for. This data should be available at the tire dealer. At the very least a tire with a low load rating will overheat and wear out quickly, at worst you and the guy who put the tires on will have a lawsuit and attendant collateral damage to deal with and tire suits are pretty easy to win __________________ 2002 5M GT (99% stock) 1991 5M LX (30% stock) patiently awaiting my satin silver 07 Mach 1, and don't forget the shaker

03-10-2002, 10:51 PM	#12
84LX89GT Mustangs Join Date: Jul 2000 Posts: 1,938	I have both wheels, turbines and ponies. The turbines were on GT's from '87 to '90 and in '91 they switched to the Pony wheels as stated. I have 245/50/15's right now on my GT (on the back) BFGoodrich Euro T/A's and they're good handling, OK traction tires. I wanted to get a wider tire with a larger contact patch and they work pretty well for that. On the Pony wheels (came with my GT) it had some Z speed rated 225/50R16 tires Bridgestone RE940 and those tires were unbearably stiff, the car wandered everywhere, caught every groove and had horrible bumpsteer as well as reduced ground clearance. You can really feel the flaws in the stock suspension with those tires. If you get wider tires, you'll have to run slightly lower air pressure to maintain a good contact patch because as tires get wider on skinnier rims they tend to balloon out not only on the outsides, but also in the middle of the tread area. As a result the wheels can tend to shift on the tires a bit, but not very noticably. the next time i get tires, i'm just going to get some quality stock size tires with a higher speed rating (higher speed rating tires have stiffer sidewalls and subsequently handle better) and relatively decent treadwear rating. You can get lower profile tires with an aspect ratio of like 50 or 55 but then they start riding rough and usually have a higher speed rating anyway because the shortness of the sidewall strengthens it. I personally like to get tires with a lower treadwear rating because they leave more rubber on the road to stop/grab traction with. I also like have a margin of error in case i enter a corner too fast and have to rely on the tires. As far as load rating of the tire goes with a 3000 lb car you're not likely to exceed the rating of a reasonable size tire and probably won't cause enough stress on the tire to cause it to fail unless it's underinflated at high speeds. This is just my opinion though, so only you can decide what you want for your car. __________________ 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300-R 1980 Ford Thunderbird - 255 V8 ported heads, 5.0L ported stock headers, O.R. H-pipe and Flowmaster 2-chambers, dual roller timing chain hi-po Mack Truck hood emblem 1985 Mustang GT 5.0L T5, F-303, GT40p, headers, off-road h, flowmasters, MSD stuff, etc. Sold 02/06/04 1989 Mustang GT ET: 13.304@102.29 mph (5-24-03) Sold - 1998 Mustang Cobra coupe, 1/4 mile - street tires: 13.843@103.41 (bone stock)

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