for those using 18" wheels what size tires are you running?

[67cougnut]

Been doing a lot of searching and reading through tons of forums and message boards the last few days regarding tire sizes.

Long story short im just about ready to order my rear suspension and will be ordering a housing as well and need to take what tire size i will be running into consideration when deciding how much narrower the housing is going to be.

I can fit a 285 front and a 335 rear max, I was really wanting to do a 275 front and 315 rear, but when shopping for tires it seems like 285 and 295 are the more common large rear tires and hardly anything in the 300 and up. I'm looking to run a size where there are good and a little less expensive tire options. for example: sumitumo offers a 275 in the $150 range and then companies like falken, bfg,dunlop etc also offer a tire when i'm wanting a 200tw option.

Thanks in advance for any insight or info shared on this thread, just seemed like 1.5 years ago when i was looking there were tons of options but now bridgestone and bfg just to name 2 have discontinued some sizes and some models.

[andrewb70]

I honestly think that for a Cougar, having a 300+ tire in the back might look weird. I would look at running a 275/35 in the front and a 295/35 in the rear. These are common sizes and you should have a lot of options for tires. The rear is a had taller than the front which gives then a natural rake. I run this combo on my GTO, which is a bigger car than the Cougar.

Andrew

[67cougnut]

I dunno Andrew, 335 looks pretty bitchn on this:
http://www.mustangandfords.com/featured-vehicles/1402-1968-mercury-cougar-unforgettable/photo-gallery/

295 is an option which will fit with just doing the quadralink, so is doing a mini tub , chopping the rear seat down really worth it if I don't go any bigger then 295?

[72BBSwinger]

335's in 200TW are either a Rival S or Michelin PS2. You can Toyo R888's in this size but they 100AA. 275's are the most widely produced in an 18. RE-71's, Falkens,Hankook,Dunlop and Rival's are a plenty.

[GrabberGT]

265/285 is not bad either and offers more options when it comes to 200tw availability. Nitto and BFG are the only 295 options for 200tw that I have found.

[nokones]

On my C4 Corvette I am running the BFG Rival S 315 in the front on a 11 inch Forgeline wheel and Rival S 335 in the rear on a 12 1/2 inch Forgeline wheel.

[andrewb70]

I dunno Andrew, 335 looks pretty bitchn on this:
http://www.mustangandfords.com/featured-vehicles/1402-1968-mercury-cougar-unforgettable/photo-gallery/

295 is an option which will fit with just doing the quadralink, so is doing a mini tub , chopping the rear seat down really worth it if I don't go any bigger then 295?

Take this for what it's worth, as it is only my personal opinion. I think the Cougar in the link you posted looks very disproportionate. The rear tire is too big, it is sitting way too high, and the front tire is too narrow. There is no balance in proportions. Also keep in mind that the bigger the rear tire, the more understeer you will have.

I think a really great combination for cars like the Camaro and a Cougar would be 275/40-17 front and 315/35-17 in the rear. Although, finding good rubber might be an issue. But those sizes offer just the right balance and have just enough sidewall.

http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/project-cars/sucp-0602-dse-camaro-ss/

Andrew

[BigRedSS]

Been dealing with this issue right now as well. Currently running Foose Legend wheels with

18x8 Front - 245/40/18
18x9 Rear - 275/40/18

I'm upgrading to Rushforth wheels and wanted to get more meat in the back. Originally looked for a 290 series tire but still wanted the 40 series and couldn't really find anything. So I'm settling on 285/40 in the rear and 255/40 up front. Budget is an issue (as it is for most) so I decided on Continental Extreme Contact DW.

[andrewb70]

Been dealing with this issue right now as well. Currently running Foose Legend wheels with

18x8 Front - 245/40/18
18x9 Rear - 275/40/18

I'm upgrading to Rushforth wheels and wanted to get more meat in the back. Originally looked for a 290 series tire but still wanted the 40 series and couldn't really find anything. So I'm settling on 285/40 in the rear and 255/40 up front. Budget is an issue (as it is for most) so I decided on Continental Extreme Contact DW.

Falken offers 295/40 and 255/40 18" tires. I ran that combo on my GTO.

Andrew

[Peter Mc Mahon]

I assume you have not ordered rims yet?

[67cougnut]

No I have not ordered wheels yet.

Andrew, my hope was to run a 315 to give me some more space to work with vs cramming the biggest tire possible. But the more I searched today 295 is gonna be more realistic it's looking like maybe even 285.
With this DSE front end in a cougar I can probably squeeze a 285 up front but I'm afraid tracking issues while street driving may come about.

[andrewb70]

No I have not ordered wheels yet.

Andrew, my hope was to run a 315 to give me some more space to work with vs cramming the biggest tire possible. But the more I searched today 295 is gonna be more realistic it's looking like maybe even 285.
With this DSE front end in a cougar I can probably squeeze a 285 up front but I'm afraid tracking issues while street driving may come about.

FWIW, I have zero tracking issues on my GTO with a 275/35-18. If you can run a square setup, that's ideal. Although a slight stagger looks nice too.

Andrew

[BigRedSS]

Falken offers 295/40 and 255/40 18" tires. I ran that combo on my GTO.

Andrew

Forgot about the Azenis! How did you like them?

[andrewb70]

Forgot about the Azenis! How did you like them?

They are excellent tires. Both fronts balanced without weights and they are sticky. Don't expect more than 15k miles out of them, but if you're like me, that's about two years of driving.

Andrew

[68Cuda440]

Falken offers 295/40 and 255/40 18" tires. I ran that combo on my GTO.
Andrew
I am running these same Falkens on my car with aftermarket Mustang wheels. 18x9 front and 18x10 rear. The wheels are cheap at $150/$160 each, "SVE Drift" wheels from "Late Model Restoration". A few offsets are available depending on what year "Mustang" you specify.