19s and good tires--what to buy?

[TheFleshRocket]

I have 18x9 and 18x10s on my Cobra now, with R888s in 265/35R18 and 295/30R18. The R888s were great the first year, okay the second year, and mostly crap the third year. I have maybe 5K miles on them and the grip has gone to shit.

The first problem is the cold. The R888s are summer-only tires, and my Cobra gets parked from late fall until early spring and never gets driven when it's below 50F or so. I live in southern Illinois where the winters are mild (for the midwest), and my garage stays about 20F above ambient, but it occasionally gets down to around freezing in the garage. Even though the car isn't being driven, the cold temps permanently hurt the grip of the R888s. Previously I used to be able to punch it in first gear on a warm day and the car would just hook and go. Now if I punch it in second, it's all over the place and doesn't get traction until third.

The second problem is the tire compound. Prior to the R888s, I had a set of Falken RT615s, which are comparable in tire compound. Their grip also went to shit after a couple years. The RT615s were 200-compound tires and the R888s are 100-compound. Soft rubber designed for competition that doesn't tolerate the cold. At all.

So, what I need are 300-treadwear summer tires that are also not okay for winter driving, but which aren't going to turn into butter if I don't pull the tires and bring them inside when I park the car for the winter.

The next problem is that when shopping for 300ish treadwear tires in 18" sizes, there pretty much aren't any that are Cobra sized. I can get 265s or 275s for the fronts all day, but when looking at 295s or 315s for the rear, I'm looking at pretty much 100-treadwear competition tires. But, if I move up to a 19" wheel, there are a bunch of options in the 300-treadwear range that have suitably sized front and rears available.

Here's what TireRack has for 295/30R18. The only 300-treadwear tire is a Kumho HTR Z III, and that's not exactly a well-rated tire for the 550RWHP+ level.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Tire...8&rearWidth=255/&rearRatio=40&rearDiameter=17

When looking at 315/30R18, it's all 200-treadwear or below, so forget that.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Tire...8&rearWidth=255/&rearRatio=40&rearDiameter=17

But, when I step up to 19" wheels, there are plenty of options in the 295-325 width that have 300ish treadwear. For example, I just put a set of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s on my '15 Audi S4 and have been very pleased with the grip and price, and they're available in 275/35R19 ($170) and 325/30R19 ($280) and have a 300+ treadwear.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...ear=2004&autoModel=Mustang+Cobra&autoModClar=

The Continental Extreme Contact Sport is available in comparable sizes for a bit more money, too. I had a set on my '08 BMW M5 and they were very impressive. So much so that I switched to UHP all-seasons so that the car would have less grip and be more tossable! https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...dewall=Blackwall&partnum=03YR9ECSXL&tab=Sizes.

So, where I'm at is trying to figure out which 19" wheels to put on my Cobra. I like the traditional 5-spoke style with the fat spokes. I want to run 19x9 up front and preferably 19x11 in the rear. Tell me why this is a bad idea, and what could go wrong.

 

[Live Wire]

To be honest, I didn't know 19" wheels were really a thing on our cobra's. Anyway, I can't offer any advice, but found a thread here regarding 19" wheels. Maybe something in there that would help.

https://www.svtperformance.com/threads/03-04-cobras-running-19-wheels.718030/

 

[ShootyMCstabby]

I pretty much do the same as to regards in storage times and my garage temps.
Yeah those R888's are dead @5k miles. And to be honest any high pro tire is going to feel dead around 5k. But below might be helpful.

Michelin Pilot Super sports.(come stock on some high end cars)
There 300* thread wear.
Offer them in 275/35/19, 305/30/19 & 325/30/19.
Under 300$ each through TR. You are not getting a better tire for your money.

Nice aggressive looking on rim. Hold up well, I owned a matching set after 4/5 years and 3-3,500 the rears were shot. fronts still good, Bought a new rear pair, with new thread design. Lasted a couple more years. Fronts held up the whole time.

 

[TheFleshRocket]

Michelin Pilot Super sports.(come stock on some high end cars)
There 300* thread wear.
Offer them in 275/35/19, 305/30/19 & 325/30/19.
Under 300$ each through TR. You are not getting a better tire for your money.

I actually had a set of 255/35R19 PSSes on my '15 Audi S4 when I got it. One of them got a bulge in the sidewall. By the time I'd have ordered a replacement, had it shaved (so all four tires are the same tread depth) and installed, I'd be at around $300. A set of the Firehawk Indy 500s was under $600 shipped. They're also 300 treadwear, just like the PSSes, and feel at least as grippy. And they're about half the price of the PSSes.

I called up Firestone and asked them about the tires permanently degrading and losing grip due to being stored in the cold, and they recommended bringing them inside if the garage will be at or below freezing. I think I'm just gonna have to set up a heater permanently in the garage. Probably be cheaper than buying new tires (for multiple vehicles) every couple years.

 

[ShootyMCstabby]

Every single big tire manufacture has sold defective tires. It happens, just like Comp cams put out bad cams a couple years back. When you make a bazillion somethings, bound to be some mess-ups.

TR has a deal so the tires Firestone(500) and Michelin(pss) are only a couple bucks difference. I would buy the PSS.

The weather does not help but it's the miles that kill these High pro tires.
You get them warm and they get greasy and grease makes them soft. You do that over and over and no longer greasy and the tire gets dried out and hard.

 

[Brutal Metal]

The Firehawk Indy 500's are the best bang for the buck summer performance tire out there. Just put some 275's on the rear of the Cobra. Yeah their not as grippy as the previous ET Street I's I ran but it superior in ride quality, noise etc..