noobie question

[ALLSTOCK]

Hi there, apologies in advanced if this has already been asked.

I will be daily driving a 2019 pp2 mustang.

Do you guys have any recommendations for tires that are solid replacements for the sport cup 2's? I heard they dont really last that long, so eventually i'll need to replace them, and they're pretty intense from what i understand.
I'd like to get something that works well in rain/wet conditions. I probably wont be doing much tracking, but if I do, ill probably just keep a set of the sport cup2 tires just for that.


Furthermore, since i will be taking delivery near the end of october/beginning of november, i am going to invest in a set of winter wheels and tires. I've heard good things about blizzaks, but was wondering what kind of wheel set up i should go? (same tire width on all 4's? or have that slight offset of half an inch or whatever on)
For the winter setup, im not really concerned about performance, more about my safety when its snowing/icy/wet out.

Thanks so much!

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[NightmareMoon]

So, some MP4S tires are good 3-season summer tires that do exceptionall well in the rain, and their the standard for the PP1 cars (Ford made a great choice going with this tire). MP4S are good down to around freezing temps, and can crack if temperatures change too quickly from hot to very cold. Continental ContiSport are also good. There are some cheaper brands too.

The Sport Cup 2s will out grip the MP4S when good and hot, but the Sport Cups 2 need the heat to work well. They're really track tires more than anything else. I'd run them in the summer no doubt, but they're NOT a good choice in cold conditions.

For winter tires, I ran the Blizzaks years ago and have nothing bad to say. They're squishy heavy mush when its dry, but you don't judge a snow tire by its dry handling, you judge it by how well they handle snow and ice, where the Blizzaks did their job very well. You don't need wide wheels and tires for your winter set (narrower is usually better). Some takeoff 8.5" or 9" factory wheels are fine and should be easy to find cheap in the Classifieds section here, just make sure they're 19 diameter if you want to ensure they'll fit over your Brembo brakes.

 

[ALLSTOCK]

oh wow, i didnt even know i needed at least 19's for them to fit over the brembos. Thanks for that tip!

So, when i go to tire rack and input all the model information, i see results for like 305/30/19 tires.

Am i safe to assume that the half inch width difference (10.5'' and 11'') from the front and back is not an issue? In other words, the tires will just fit over both widths?

 

[NightmareMoon]

Yeah you got it. Most tires work for a range of wheel widths. The 285s I use can squeeze on a 9.5" wheel or as wide as an 11" wheel.

If you pick a specific tire on TireRack's site and then look at the specs it will show the min and max wheel width you can mount it on. If Tire Rack is showing 305s for both your front 10.5" wheels and rear 11"s then yeah, that size fits on both (which sounds right).

 

[Silver Bullitt]

I'm not sure I've even seen 305's in an all season. I run 305/30/19 Bridgestone Potenza Pole Position S-04's on my PP2, but they are a summer tire (not good for freezing temps). If you are looking for an all season, Toyo Proxes 4 Plus come in a 295/30/19 which would be fine on the stock PP2 wheels. I run them on my daughter's Camaro (staggered 245/275). Dry performance is pretty good. They are ok in the rain and snow, but they are not the same as a true winter/snow tire like the Blizzacks. I'm not sure you are going to find much in an all season wider than 295.

 

[ALLSTOCK]

for my summer set up (once the sport cup 2s are ran? runned? out) i just want to use the same wheels with a tire that will not get me killed when it rains. (doesnt have to be all season specifically)
tire rack seems to have a bunch of options for 305/30/19 that score well in wet/rain.

I will have a dedicated winter tire/wheel setup with the blizzaks.

 

[sdiver68]

Where do you live where you need winters? I've been using blizzaks for years but reality is there were maybe 5-8 days per year where they were needed. And more 55+ degree days vs snow days...so this year I went with all seasons for my Winter wheels/tires.

Granted I have other options and mostly wfh... but the sacrifice of winters (performance, ride, and road noise) on non-snow just isnt worth it anymore at mid-latitude.

And FYI, not all 19s or even 20s will fit over your brakes. Double check when you buy a winter set. My vote for summer tire is mp4s or firehawks on a budget.

 

[ALLSTOCK]

Im in Maryland. (very bi polar weather here)

Yea, so for my summers ill probably just end up downgrading to the mp4s on the pp2 wheels.

Im probably gonna just pick up a set of the pp1 wheels, and put blizzaks on those for winter?

I figure having two sets of wheels will also help them last a bit longer, since i wont be driving on them year round.

Im still not sure if i should have a (square setup? vs staggered?)
does square just mean all 4 wheels are the same width? Staggered is just wider rear tires?
Id figure for the winter stuff id get the same sized wheels all around so i can do tire rotations every other season? (also, how do tire rotations work in general with different width wheels? do you just not rotate? or swap like left and right, for the front and rear?


Again, sorry for asking trivial questions, i literally am Jon Snow. I know nothing.

 

[sdiver68]

Im in Maryland. (very bi polar weather here)

Yea, so for my summers ill probably just end up downgrading to the mp4s on the pp2 wheels.

Im probably gonna just pick up a set of the pp1 wheels, and put blizzaks on those for winter?

I figure having two sets of wheels will also help them last a bit longer, since i wont be driving on them year round.

Im still not sure if i should have a (square setup? vs staggered?)
does square just mean all 4 wheels are the same width? Staggered is just wider rear tires?
Id figure for the winter stuff id get the same sized wheels all around so i can do tire rotations every other season? (also, how do tire rotations work in general with different width wheels? do you just not rotate? or swap like left and right, for the front and rear?

Again, sorry for asking trivial questions, i literally am Jon Snow. I know nothing.

PP1 Wheels with Blizzaks will work for a staggered winter set-up. However, you can then only rotate left-right (assuming Blizzaks aren't directional have to check on that!)

Yes, with each set on for a proportion of the year each set will wear at that proportion. So if 50/50 duration each set will last twice as long versus being on 100%.

You have the definition of square and staggered right. SHOULD is a different topic, depends on your goals. If you want to rotate all 4 than make sure the tires you buy aren't directional, the wheels/tires are the same size, and "universal" offsets. In my case I went to a square set-up for my summer tires to maximize handling (19x10 +35 offset), and stayed with OEM PP1 staggered for my winters to minimize cost by reusing stock wheels.

 

[Grimmer]

The Blizzaks I have for my car are directional. Freaked me out when they arrived with 3 passenger side stickers and 1 driver side sticker. But a closer inspection revealed that the tires were correct, just the stickers were wrong.

I just searched TireRack for the MP4S tires mentioned here, and they came back saying that they are not available in the size for my car (255/40R19)... Am I missing something? Maybe I'll have to skip the searching by car and try searching by size.

 

[Grimmer]

I found the page that lists all available sizes and there is actually no 255/40R19. I guess I'll have to look at another tire, or go rogue...

 

[sdiver68]

I found the page that lists all available sizes and there is actually no 255/40R19. I guess I'll have to look at another tire, or go rogue...

Funny, what are these? I have 2 sets of front 18 GT takeoffs in my basement. So yes MP4S are available in 255/40/19.

I used Tirebuyer vs Tirerack. With available discounts and coupons they were much cheaper with great customer service.

 

[Grimmer]

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+4S

In their sizes tab they have dropped the 255/40R19. I'll have to check out Tirebuyer instead. Thanks for the tip!

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