I don't know if this has been covered, but since we know now that the 05 GTs are going to come with 235/55 ZR 17s, I did some quick research:

The old '04 and back 245/45 ZR 17s start at $109 per and go up from there. That's for their Hankook tires, and there are cheaper, but they don't show many in stock (less than 4.), so these are the first ones that you can really get.

The 235/55 ZR 17s used for the '05 are going for $185 and $200 for the two they have. They're the Goodyear Eagle RSAs which aren't quite right, but are Z rated, and the Michelin Pilot Sports, but those are very low stock. And that's it.

Sams Club also has a similar disparity issue. I'm thinking that these new tire sizes kinda suck, y'all.

Now comes the interesting part. If you go Plus Zero on the '04, they say it's a 275(!)/40 ZR 17. Dude. So the Plus Zero on the '05 would be, what, 255/50? That could get you BFG g-Force T/A Z tires at $141. Better...

If it were 245/50 (one up/one down) that'd get ya some Dunlop Sports at $153. 265/50s would be impossible, and 275/50s aren't avail in Z

Just for grins, the 215/65 R 16s used for V6s (Unknown speed ratings) are $103 (Michelin Symmetry) each and up and only get 3 choices. Compared to 04's 225/55 R 16 start at $72 each and up. Hankooks.

So, to sum up, in addition to the cool beans cars, the cost of shoes has gone up on them to the tune of:

V6's cost $31 more, or $124 extra for a set. (288 vs 412 for 4)
GT's cost $76 more each, or $304 for the set. (436 vs 740 for the set of 4)

That don't include taxes, road hazard, mounting, shipping, or balancing, so add that too. And I know it's not exactly apples to apples, or BFGs to BFGs as it were, but still, it's something to look into, I think.

Price of progress? :scratch:

You decide!

"I know engineers, they just *love* to change things." - Dr. McCoy, Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Laters.

 

yeah.

 

what hankook tires on a mustang? The eagles they use now are over 200 bucks RSA are very good tires, even for goodyear

 

Try this on for size. The tires on my Saleen, 245/40 ZR18 were $300 each for BF Goodrich. So just think about it before you want to switch wheel sizes to the 18s.

 

You guys have heard of Tire Rack right?? (www.tirerack.com)

 

Yeah, I went to Tire Rack to get my new Pirellis. Like them a lot and they were half the price of the BFGs.

 

they dont have the 05 on tirerack yet do they?????

 

america's tire has them for $408/set

free lifetime balancing and rotation
get the $23/tire road hazzard.

any flat or blister you come in pay $23 for road hazzard on new tire and your done.

 

Ebay is your friend. I got a complete set of tires _and rims_ for my M3 for less than the price of new tires. Tons of people will be selling almost brand new stock tire/rims on ebay when they take them off to upgrade. Buy some, take off the tires and then turn around and sell the rims yourself on ebay.

 

Tire prices will go down as more companies start making that particular size.

It is interesting though that while the consumer trend has been to go with lower profile tires, Ford is actually putting on tires that have a taller profile than the previous models. I'm sure it will help smooth out the ride, but that's at the expense of some handling.

 

Guys,

I have a stupid question. Is it possible to put 17s on front and 18s on back? If so, would it look cool, or lame? How would it affect handling?

 

I wouldnt do anything to help anything. Oh, and look strange.

 

no...just searched by tire size.

 

I wouldnt do anything to help anything. Oh, and look strange. [/b][/quote]
well many hot rods have different sizes for tires and wheels front to back and it doesnt look odd. Its called big and littles. In fact the Prowler and I believe the SSR have them stock.

 

Why?

 

yeah but the prowler and SSR SUCK

 

Corvette does this too...18s in the rear, 17s in the front...

Hey if it floats your boat...
but having uni directional tires, means, you wouldn't be able to rotate them at ALL.

at least with all 17s or all 18s around, you can move the backs forward.

 

A quick search by size at Tirerack.com shows that in the tire lines where the new and old sizes are available, the 235/55/17s tend to be a little less expensive than the 245/45/17s. Same with the 215/65/16s vs 225/55/16s. The new tire sizes are a bit less agressive, but I think that will improve ride quality somewhat. Also the taller rubber will visually appear to fill out the wheel wells better, reducing the fender-to-tire gap.

It is a little amusing, though, that the Mustang GTwill now have the same tire size as a Freestar Limited, and on the base models, the Freestar has wider, lower profile tires.

If I had an 05 V-6 and was looking for tires, I'd probably go with a 225/60/16. A little wider, and also a lot more choices.

 

For summer tires, I'd want at least 255's. The 235 are a bit skinny for my personal liking.

 

I went to TR cause I wanted to see the price of what 255/45-17's would cost since the Bullits will only come in 235

Well I came up with 3 matches:
BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDWS - $135
Kumho Ecsta ASX - $106
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S - $233

I don't find $233 to be all that bad for some very nice Ultra High Performance All-Seasons.