Need Tire Advice - 2013 Mustang GT

Hello All,

Looking for Tire advice for my 2013 Mustang GT which I just bought.

Current Setup
245x45x19 all round. Wheels are from American Muscle - 19x8.5 all round. All 4 tires need to be changed.

The previous owner gave me 2 used 245x45x19 with 7/32 tread from the same car before they changed the wheels. Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season.

New setup

Looking to keep the 245x45x19 on the front.
For the rear I plan to buy a pair of 275x40x19.

Where do I live?

I live in Miami Florida so I am pretty sure I need All Summer Tires.

What I need?

I need tires with good grip when it rains aka pours here. I mostly drive my car on weekends, say 75% highway and 25% city. Only Street Car. Will never be on track.

My research

I went to tirerack, and decided to use their recommendation guide, and they showed me below options.

Sumitomo HTR Z3
Kumho Ecsta Ps 91
Bridgestone Potenza S04 Pole Position

Not looking to spend $300 a tire on the Michelins.

Questions
1. Is the setup of 245x45x19 on front, and 275x40x19 on the rear fine? I checked the overall diameter, and it will be same.
2. Can i have different set of brands on front and rear (as I already have a pair of 245x45x19 for the front). If not, would it be wise to go 275x40x19 on all 4 tires?
3. Is the Sumitomo HTR Z3 a good tire? I have read mixed reviews about them on various Mustang forums.
4. Any other tire recommendations


Thanks.

Good morning Rohit. Go to the New User section and introduce yourself. Kind of a forum rule. LOL.

Jeff B

Deja vu.

Pick a tire based more on its wet weather performance capabilities. Use Tire Rack's own testing and perhaps magazine comparative testing over subjective comments by most individual consumers.

I'd stay with the 245/45's at least for now. Actual tread width probably matters more than the difference between 245 and 255 once you've settled on a tire make & model (tread width does not always follow tire size designation).


Norm

The HTR Z3 is a vast improvement over the Z1 and I think you'll like them in the rain. The Bridgestone Potenzas, Nitto NT555 G2s, and Continental ExtremeContact DWs are well reviewed too. I am currently using Pirelli P-zero MOEs and like them so far. Very good wet and dry grip and I can't get them to break traction with 429whp/380wtq unless I dump the clutch. My only complaint about them is they wear fast. I went from about 7/32 to 3/32 in 8k miles. These tires haven't seen any burnouts or track time.

I think the better question to ask would be which tires to avoid as there are a lot of good choices available.

And if it were me I would keep same size tires front to back. These cars are front heavy and it doesn't make sense to have more tread width in the rear. And for a street car it's nice to be able to rotate tires.

46addict said:

Pirelli P-zero MOEs

Click to expand...

What kind of a tire is that? Can't find much on it except some link to BMWs that seems to want a VIN in order to go any further.


Norm

Here is a Tire Rack link. MOE is a step below "run flat" that allows some mobility after a puncture, but not as much as a true run flat tire. I did not pay new retail price for these. They were ebay specials that were supposed to get me by until I get proper tires for my stock 18" wheels, but I was pleasantly surprised by how they've performed. I am using 275/35/20s.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...4173!&ef_id=WcUdlgAAAIO-7kX5:20170925144845:s

You can't install a 275-40-19 on a 8.5" wide rim, so forget that. Measuring width of NT-555-G2 is 9.5". Min width is 9.0" Max width is 11". You typ lose 5mm for every 1/2" above or below the measuring width. Even if you managed to stuff a 275-40-19 on a 8.5" rim, it would only be 265mm wide.

A 265-40-19 won't work either, requires at least a 9" rim.

With a 8.5" rim, you only have limited options. A 245-45-19 would be the ticket. On a 8.5" rim, it would end up being 250 mm wide. Tires handle better when they are on rims that are their measuring width, and preferably a 1/2" wider. A 245-45-19 has a measuring width of 8.0".

A 255-40-19 on a 8.5" rim would be 250mm wide. Measuring width of rim is 9.0"...and min rim width is 8.5".

I tried a 275-40-18 on a 9" rim on the front (ends up being 270mm wide). Its too sluggish for handling. Previously I had 255-45-18's on the same 9" rims ( = 260mm wide). The 255's handled good, since they were stretched a 1/2".

Long story short, I bought a pair of new 10" rims, and installed the 275-40-18s on the new 10" rims. They end up being 280mm wide. Again stretched 1/2".

Nitto NT-555-G2 is a good rain tire..with a tread wear rating of 320. Summer tire, also good in the rain. http://www.nittotire.com/passenger-tires/nt555-g2-ultra-high-performance-tire/

Nitto Motivo is also a good tire....with a tread wear rating of 560. All season radial, superb in the rain. http://www.nittotire.com/passenger-tires/motivo-all-season-ultra-high-performance-tire/

AM sells both the NT-555 G2 and also the Motivo. You can buy em anywhere. Lots of other options out there.

If you want to run wider rubber, you require wider rims. 10" wide on all 4 x corners would have been ideal. Then you could have used a 275 or a 285. With a square setup, then you can rotate. If you can't rotate, typ the warranty is reduced by 1/2.

I'm not impressed with the MT street comp tires. (tread wear rating of 300). They seem to harden up after just 2-3 months. Any of these 'summer tires only', will lose traction at lower temps, like < 55 F.

Yes you can easily and safely mount a 275/40R19 on a 8.5" wheel.

A lot of your other info is not exactly correct either, yes the section width changes with wheel width but your tread width, tread plies and overlay ply did not change with wheel width.

http://s197forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2379367&postcount=25

Racer47 said:

Yes you can easily and safely mount a 275/40R19 on a 8.5" wheel.

A lot of your other info is not exactly correct either, yes the section width changes with wheel width but your tread width, tread plies and overlay ply did not change with wheel width.

http://s197forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2379367&postcount=25

Click to expand...

Points well taken, I stand corrected. But as far as FRONT tires /wheels go, I still contend that the ideal rim width is the stated.. 'measuring width'...+ 1/2"...at least from a handling point of view.

My 275-40-18 on a 9" wide rim was very.. 'sluggish /unresponsive' vs the same 275-40-18 on a 10" rim...day + night difference. Measuring width per nitto is 9.5". So the 1st combo was 1/2" under.... and the 2nd combo is 1/2" over.

On a side note, I'm contemplating changing the REARS from their current 285-40-18 on 18 x 10" rims.......to a 305-35-19...on 19 x 10" rims. Nitto sez the measuring width is 11"..and 'approved widths' are 10"-12". If the tread width increases with the wider tires, ( even though they are on rims that are a full 1" below measuring width)... I suspect it may just be enough (between the pair of wider rears) to do the trick, and solve some traction issues in lower gears.

Then replace the front 275-40-18's with 285-40-18. IE: remove the old rears + rims...and move em to the front.

The link you posted to the 03-01-17 thread was very informative..and a good read.

Where I can see some possible issues arising, is when a FRONT rim is used, that's at it's max... 'approved width' and also say -2 to -3 degs of negative camber. IE: older GT-500's with their 255-45-18's on a 9.5" rim, etc..and camber tweaked. With a lot of straight line hwy driving, the insides are almost riding on the edges of the sidewalls... promoting inside shoulder wear. On staggered setups, you can't rotate front to back. On directional tires, you can't rotate side to side. So you are stuck, and front inside tire wear could easily manifest itself.

Automobile designers and engineers have a great deal of experience selecting wheel and tire packages that suit general-use vehicles. In the 2013 Mustang case they decided on a mild upgrade for performance use, making the Brembo version pretty good at 19x9 and 255-40.

Similar to jigsaw and crossword puzzles, the challenge of wheel/tire purchases involves sifting through a plethora of facts to arrive at a viable result. Unlike the puzzlers, there is no hard-and-fast test for perfect resolution. No matter what choices you make, there is always the knowledge that there is likely a better solution than the one you chose.

At some point it's necessary to make a judgement about how much deviation from the perfect combination you can tolerate. My experiences with quite a few Mustang wheel/tire setups, from stock 16x7 through 19x9/10, in daily-driver through on-track laps, showed me that the factories often get it right in their basic configurations. It's only when you try to do something special that the problems occur.

What I've decided is that a one-inch increase in rim width and one- or two-size larger section width adds enough capacity to handle just about any reasonable use without degrading comfort or fuel consumption.

I like the look and feel of the Brembo combo (19x9, 255-40) and all else equal would get as close to that as I reasonably could. The Ford-supplied Pirellis on those rims are expensive, but work well. My next set, on Shelby 18x9.5 wheels were 275-40 Michelin Pilot Super Sports, also expensive, but quite comfortable and quiet on the street, grippy on the track. In daily use on my current car, 2014 GT convertible, unless I'm pushing it close to the edge, there isn't that much difference between the expensive after-market options and the original set, 18x8 with 235-50 Pirellis. The stock sizes are much more comfortable, and if I hadn't already had the Michelins and Shelby wheels in the garage, I'd have been quite happy with the skinny tires and "narrow" wheels. (I do remember when we'd commit serious crimes for 7-inch-wide wheels.)

I swap to the wider rims at the end of april...and take em off b4 the end of oct. I notice no change at all in gas mileage or road noise between the 235-40-18 Motivo's..and the wider 285-40-18 NT-555's. Same deal when I used to use the oem 235 Pirellis in fall /winter...then swap to the wider 285's. With loudish exhaust, any road noise soon gets masked.

The wider tires have a wider contact patch of course, but I think the front to back contact patch shrinks a bit.... from my rudimentary measurements. The tire shops around town, all tell me the weight per corner stays the same, so the wider stuff really doesn't buy you anything..... which I disagree with. Heavier cars need wider tires.

Wider is better, end of story...everything else being equal. 235's + lotsa Tq = spinfest. As far as looks, nobody can tell if you are staggered or not.... unless they lay on their stomach at the front end.

In the end, use whatever you want. I have to use the car as a DD year round, hence swapping rims. I don't want chrome rims on in the fall /winter..+ summer tire compounds lose grip in lower temps. The 285 rears used on the 600+ rwhp 13/14 GT-500 are inadequate for the job. They shoulda been a bare min of 305. An 11" rear rim, with either a 305/315 would be the obvious quick fix...with a 10" or 10.5" front rim...and a 285/295 front. Look at the Mopar forums. Common complaint is the oem 275 rears turn into charcoal.

I am pretty pleased with my BF Goodrich G-Force Sport Comp IIs. I just stuck with the OEM 255/40x19. They seem to dig in and push the car forward nicely when accelerating hard under conditions where the OEM Pirellis would break loose and spin. They are a good deal cheaper than some of the choices as well.

wet performance?

Continental ExtremeContactSport

255/40R19
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...dewall=Blackwall&partnum=54YR9ECSXL&tab=Sizes

Pentalab said:

Points well taken, I stand corrected. But as far as FRONT tires /wheels go, I still contend that the ideal rim width is the stated.. 'measuring width'...+ 1/2"...at least from a handling point of view.

Click to expand...

About what I've found. Though if I was buying tires AND wheels I'd take the wheels 1/2" further up toward/to 'max width' before going 1/2" down to 'measuring' . . . every time. The 265/40-18's that are my DD tires mounted on 18x9.5's would be on 10's if I didn't already have the 9.5's (which previously wore 255/45's). For me at least, the slight improvement in steering response and precision/linearity is worth the smallish ride penalty.

Max-wheel-width fitments perhaps do require a driving mix that includes cornering that's more enthusiastic than "average", though. Certainly if cambers are out to or past the negative ends of the official factory range.


Norm

Pentalab said:

The wider tires have a wider contact patch of course, but I think the front to back contact patch shrinks a bit.... from my rudimentary measurements. The tire shops around town, all tell me the weight per corner stays the same, so the wider stuff really doesn't buy you anything..... which I disagree with. Heavier cars need wider tires.

Click to expand...

This is way more complicated, and if the people in your local tire shops really understood much of it they'd be even more inclined to be hand-waving your questions/concerns away.

For starters, unit force loading at the contact patch can vary over a 2:1 ratio depending on where in the contact patch you're looking. And there is nothing truly linear about tires (or rubber in general). You probably have to look at the actual tire tread distortions, which aren't even going to be some constant value across the tread, not even in a steady-state cornering situation. Some of the assumptions people make about tires are reasonable generally, others are reasonable only at low levels of cornering g's, and a few fall somewhere between being not all that useful and flat-out wrong.


Norm

Thenorm said:

wet performance?

Continental ExtremeContactSport

255/40R19
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...dewall=Blackwall&partnum=54YR9ECSXL&tab=Sizes

Click to expand...

Or MPSS.

285/35-18 on 11" wide wheels

https://www.youtube.com/g6brVFxPSPw

Norm