Tire recommendations for 15" Campy's

My vote...

Front: Toyo Proxes 4 225-50-15 (V rated)
Rear: Toyo Proxes ST 295-50-15 (H rated)

Best prices I've found are here:
http://www.ec-securehost.com/OnlineTires.com/Toyo_Proxes_4.html ($71ea.)
http://www.ec-securehost.com/OnlineTires.com/Toyo_ST.html#ToyoST ($100ea.)

My local Wheel Works store matched their price (incl. freight $55). My tires are there now waiting for me to finish restoring my Campy wheels so I can get them mounted. I'll post a pic as soon as they're on the car.

garth - glad to hear you pulled the trigger on these - pls let us know how they work out - i can't remember...do you have 10" rears? thanks, stephen

Thanks guy's, my reply is a little late thank you all for the info! Will process the info and let the rubber hit the road. 160 plus! mister.g1

My Campys are 7's and 8's. However I bought an extra set of 7's and 8's (only to get the 8's) so I could mount 8's on the front of my car. It's taken me so long to get my new tires mounted because one of the 8's I bought was cracked. I sourced another wheel which a fellow member on this board generously donated to me, but it was corroded and pitted beyond being safe, and now I'm waiting for another wheel to arrive from Texas from another generous benefactor on this board (Thanks guys!). Hopefully I'll finish restoring the wheels next week so I can get my tires mounted.

Anyway, here are a list of tires I found a year ago when I began investigating tire options for my stock Campy wheels:
http://www.banzairunnerpantera.com/tech_info_tires15.htm

What awesome research. My Comp T/As are about 8 years old, but little wear.

I have 10s and 8s (campys) and found these:

http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_garage/WishList.jsp?index=user&oEvent=event3

Is this a good combo? I realize the fronts are possibly undersized (and would appreciate your input) but the steering effort is high with my 215/60s right now, which fill up the wheel well pretty good.

I CAN go to a 245/60 in this same tire if advised. Any comments?

Link doesn't work, so I can't be sure of the sizes you're looking at. I believe the original front tires were 185/70, with a load rating of around 91-92. I wouldn't go any lower than that. A 215/60 should be around 94, so that's fine. I also wouldn't go lower than an H speed rating.

I like Garth's combo and after talking to him about it, I ordered the same thing. I have stock wheels but I think the Toyos would work even better with 8's and 10's.

I'm an idiot. The link timed out on 'my garage' function at Tire Rack, but it was for

Yokohamas
295/50 x 15 for my rear 10's
215/60 x 15 for my front 8's

"Minor" problem is that the max wheel width for front is 7.5" and I'd have to stretch for these. Perhaps Garth's rec is good for me too! Back to the website...

Adams,

If it helps any, the original tires on GTS Panteras with the 8 x 15 & 10 x 15 wheels, were 225/50R15 front and 285/50R15 rear. So Garth's recommendation is right on, within the limits of what's available in todays market.

Pairing one model of tire in the front with another model of tire in the rear is normally to be avoided, but under the circumstances, one can't afford to be picky. Its very fortunate to have this quality of tires available in 15" sizes at all.

cowboy from hell

The only Yokohama I see in a 215/60-15 is the AVS ES100. In a 295/50-15, all I see is the AVID S/T. The ES100 is a great tire, very sticky and V-rated. The AVID S/T is a decent tire, but T-rated and not in the same league as the ES100.

The Toyo Proxes S/T and Proxes 4 are much closer together in terms of speed ratings and performance. I spent a lot of hours looking for tires that came in sizes I could run at both the front and rear, and never did come up with anything better than the Toyos.

Toyos it is then. Thanks Nick. I'm not keeping track, but I believe this is the 327th time I've gotten my money back from this board. Georgie, you may need to use this in your marketing!

Thanks all, and Garth too for keeping up with this stuff. Super site also.

Got my Toyos today, exactly as specced. Can't put 'em on til I get back from vacation with my son.

I'll be having a set of 10's and 7's with exceptional TA's for sale very soon. Wheels were obsessively cleaned, repainted Argent, cleared. Just keep 'em in mind.

Thanks all.

Glad you got your tires. Can't wait to hear your driving impressions on the Toyo's. I also look forward to hearing about your trip with your son.

Thanks Garth. My BFG TA's were light years beyond the ice-age Arrivas that came on the car. (The vehicle's second set of tires which were purchased by the one and only previous owner. Cleaned, saved, tons of tread.)

I just felt the renewed suspension could use a more modern tire and I'd relax more having them. My 'stance' will look exactly like yours, except I'm mounting on the 10s and 8s.

Since these fronts are decently wider than my old 215/60s, I HOPE I CAN STILL TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AT LOW SPEED!

One potential cure: Don't ever go low speed.

Thanks for the well wishing. We leave tomorrow (Friday) for Sacramento. We've got the BlackHawk in our sites for Saturday, then EuroSunday in Sacramento, then up the state to Etna late Sunday (JH Ranch). Some time with nature, God, my son, and well... what else do you need?

Thanks all.

There have been reports of inferior tires coming out of China lately, does anybody know if Toyo tires are having any problems? I am getting ready to buy new tires for my 15" Campys and have decided on either Toyo or Dunlap GT Qualifiers, Toyo is the first choice.
Richard T.

A Hudson,

Are the tires on your avatar the new Toyos or your old BGFs?

-William
#3331

Sorry, didn't see this post for a while...

"Yes" those are the new Toyos in place. First day I had them, I thought they looked a little large for the rears, but a friend of mine wisely counseled, "IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?"

Good question.

I've gotten used to them and most onlookers think they're great. Driving wise, I haven't pushed the car hard, but the initial turn in is better, steering effort is oddly slightly lighter at speed.

And another...

Then this...

One more...

Thanks,

I got mine and I love them! They look meaner than I was expecting. I'll post pics soon.

-William

I know Garth has been pushing these tires. I have had my reservations about mixing wheels. George your comments sealed the deal for me. I got my Toyos on yesterday.



Thanks again they look awesome on the car!
Jeff

Here we go:

Two

Three - Thanks for the find!

IN a word: WOW.

Looks fantastic. Great photos too!

I'm searching for a local dealer to order me up a set too. Very nice.

Took me 2 months to get my Toyos, but they're finally on the car. Everything about these tires is an improvement over the Goodrichs. The Toyos look great, even on 7s and 8s, the car sits lower, handling is improved, the ride is better, feedback is excellent, and steering effort is indeed lighter. The car is more fun to drive than ever. I haven't tested the breakaway characteristics yet, but cornering limits are definitely higher.

quote:

...initial turn in is better, steering effort is oddly slightly lighter at speed.

quote:

...handling is improved, the ride is better, feedback is excellent, and steering effort is indeed lighter.

I found the same to be true when I first mounted the Toyos. It surprised me, but it was a pleasant surprise.

FWIW, I'm not necessarily "pushing" the Toyos. I just think they're the best combination available today for stock Campys. And believe me, I looked at just about every possible combination - Coker Tire repops, limited run Pirelli's, Hoosier DOT legal road race tires, other brands and sizes, etc. - for over a year before I finally pulled the trigger on these tires.

Anyway, I'm glad everyone is enjoying their new tires. Now get out and drive!

Found a set of Dunlop GT Qualifiers in 15's 'hidden' on the Porsche side of the ebay listings that may work for some of you with stock Campys...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-911-ST-RSR-911-T...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

These will likely be a bargain. Best wishes.

I had the Dunlop GT Qualifiers on my '74 Pantera in sizes 215/60/15 on a 7" front, and 295/50/15 on a 10" rear. They were nice tires that performed well. I liked them alot. A 225/50/15 on the front would also have looked nice. It would've been a little wider and a had a little less sidewall height.

Michael

quote:

Found a set of Dunlop GT Qualifiers in 15's ... that may work for some of you with stock Campys

These look like they could be a good deal for someone, although IMHO the rear tires will look a bit narrow. Just be aware that the Dunlop GT Qualifier tire has a "T" (118 mph) speed rating, whereas the Toyos carry "V" (149 mph) and "H" (130 mph) speed ratings, front and rear respectively.