MT 26x12-15 Rear Tires

These thread have some pics of Panteras with 295-50-15 Toyo Proxes S/T tires on the rear, both 8" and 10" rims.
http://pantera.infopop.cc/eve/...0042044/m/1370000094
http://pantera.infopop.cc/eve/...0045562/m/9410098175
http://pantera.infopop.cc/eve/...611029146#4611029146

Here's the Mickey Thompson Sportsman on a Cobra:
http://pantera.infopop.cc/eve/...591032036#5591032036

I should also add that I have the 8" wheels in the back. The tire manufacturer says that 8" are acceptable. I've seen Cowboy's chart explaining "ideal" tread width, but I have to say, im more about looks than driving performance at this point in my life as a pantera owner. Until I build some confidence and complete some more upgrades, i wont be doing any high speed cornering.

Another question that i have not found a clear answer for: Will a 305mm/12" tire on 8" wheels rub anywhere? Many people have said that the 305s will not rub when on the 10" wide rear wheels, but is the offset/spacing the same? Does this apply to the 8" wheel also?

Garth,
I saw in an old post you once had the 305s on an 8" wheel. Can you provide a picture?

Tire mfgrs say the tread should not exceed the wheel width (+/- 1/2") for max sidewall support in cornering. On many competition cars, the wheel width exceeds the tread width. So for best support and good handling, about the widest available tires one can run on 8" rear Campys are 275-55x 15", and Pirelli currently makes such a tire in P-7R with W-speed rating (168 mph), on a limited basis (in Turkey). I ran these tires in all sorts of situations for decades without problems until finding an affordable set of 10" Campys that need 295-50x 15" speed rated tires.
The 275-55 Pirellis have just under 9" wide tread, and I was told the 'R' rating indicates a rally-type tire with an extra band below the tread to keep centrifugal tire growth at higher speeds to a minimum, so speedo calibration stays correct for rallys. One of the vendors has a pair of never-mounted Pirellis still in the brown-paper wrappers with a 2009 mfg date.

I can speak for the BFG. It has been trouble free and is relatively inexpensive.

If you use BW criteria, then both are too large for the 8" rim.

I have not had issues with that with the BFG. The MT is a LT, or a light truck tire.

The walls will be stiffer.

On a Pantera if you run cold air pressures of 35psi, you are not going to have issue with rolling the tire off of the rim.

The best tire for your rim would be the P7r 285-55-15. You can get them and they are NICE TIRES! But I paid $275 each for mine and now IF you want them are like $400 or $500 each.

Both the BFG and the MT are really nice looking tires.

You can find good old stock but the dry rot issue on them can not be understated.

You simply will not see it on a brand new old tire until you are about 30 miles down the road and the side wall has blown out.

It's a shame but it's the truth.

It is ironic because I know there are some here that saw guys 10 or 15 years ago running in vintage racing with original tires from the '60s and didn't get killed or wreck the car?

Also there aren't many recappers left here in my neck of the woods but they had no issue at all in recapping old cores for cars.

I will say that the truckers still use them and the sides of the interstates are littered with treads that were thrown off of the core.

It definitely is something to think about.

I have the MT on my list for the rear of my Pantera this year. Hopefully Santa will come soon. I refuse to give up my original "full gusset" 10 in Campis. You just don't find those things around every corner. Not even in Italy. Cio!

quote:

Garth,
I saw in an old post you once had the 305s on an 8" wheel. Can you provide a picture?

Yes, I used to have 305-50-15 Euro TA's on my 8" rear Campys.

Here are a few pics with the BFG's
205-60-15 fronts
305-50-15 rears

A bunch of pics here: http://www.banzairunnerpantera.com/gallery_4033.htm









And a few more...

Beautiful car...

I run the Toyo 295 on 8 inch rims they don't rub and yes they are a little to wide for the 8 inch rims but I don't road race, the 100 shot of NOS has not blow them off do a search here on specific cars to see my cars pics find 6656 PS I run the Toyo 225 in the ft on 8 inch

Thanks for the info guys. Might get the MTs and run Kumho Ecsta ASTs on the front. Then I will have H rated radial tires all the way around, and the tread is in the same ball park. Its a darn shame that those Toyo Proxes have been discontinued. As many others have said the options sure are limited when running the 15" wheels.

Will post some pictures when i get these mounted up.

I have 2 Pantera's that I have put Avon street tires on that are as close to the original Arriva dimensions that you will find.
They are Avon
275/55/R15 REAR
215/60/R15 FRONT
came from http://www.rogerkrausracing.com/
I spent a lot of time comparing actual dimensions of width, sidewall height, section width, all of which are on RogerKrause website.