Tire choices in 15 inch size?

[AC Bill]

I badly need some new shoes for my Cobra. Lot's of tread on the Yokohama Avids, but they are a bit old, and may be risky especially for any spirited driving on our winding Island roads.
15" performance tires in the size I require (235-60 r15) are almost non-existent in my neck of the woods. If I order a set from out of town, some fellows in the local car club have warned me I might have trouble finding someone willing to mount and balance them. Not keen on losing the sale I guess, but they don't carry performance tires. Looks like I may have to settle for a mid-performance tire to get any somewhat locally. They should be fine, as I'm not racing, but I prefer a higher speed rating than most average passenger car tires.

Anyone running Cooper Cobra tires? Yay or nay? A tire dealer in the closest city to me said he could still get them in 15" size I need, but he would have to order them in. A few other Cobra guys I know think they are ok, while others are kind of down on them for not having decent grip. This was also a concern for some of the guys running BF Goodrich T/A's. (In fairness they are an all season). some love the expensive AVON's but I'm pretty sure i can't get them locally.
Not many seem to run Michelin's which is a bit of a surprise as I always thought they made a decent tire. Maybe the 15" size's available are limited?

Any other makes you may have experience with, that you would recommend? Must be some owners of older Mustangs on here still running 15" tires..?

 

[67 AGAIN]

I wouldn’t compromise on tires just to appease a local shop.
I would approach whichever one you like and tell them what you wrote here and ask if they are willing to work with you?
Your car deserves good tires.
If they decline, that’s on them, not you.

You have access to Courtney, Nanaimo or Victoria for big tire shops.

Having said that, I just checked Tire Rack for your size, and there is not much available.
Your 15 inch wheels are working against you.
Tire Rack carries all brands and their tire sizer works great for research. You don’t have to buy from them.

The Coopers Cobra Radial GT’s are there as well as the BG Goodrich Radial T/A’s.
Those seem like your only options.
There’s a Hoosier drag radial, pretty much a slick, and a Hankook SUV type tire also.
That’s it.

The Coopers have a one speed rating higher than the BFG’s but the BFG’s have a softer tread-wear rating, so they should give you better traction off the line and slightly better cornering grip within their speed rating range.

The Coopers are T rated, good for 190 km/h, and have a tread-wear rating of 440.

The BFG’s are an S rated, good for 180 km/h, with a tread-wear rating of 400.

The speed ratings are self explanatory.
The tread-wear ratings give more traction, the lower the number and consequently, wear faster.
However, the difference between a rating of 440 and 400 is not a big difference.
If it were me, I would opt for Coopers to get the extra speed rating.

I went one step further and Googled Avon tires in your size and nothing comes up.
Only motorcycle tires come up for Avon.
A bit more research shows Goodyear closed the Avon factory in 2023.

You would need to look for NOS (New Old Stock) Avons.

The Copper or BFG’s look like your only accessible options.

Or, you upgrade your wheels to a more modern larger diameter.

 

[67 AGAIN]

Screen shots of the Tire Rack info on the Cooper and BFG tires.
You can see the speed ratings and the tread-wear ratings.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Ohtobbad]

IMO tires should always get better than you neeed,
15's being what they are, you might have to loook forward to
adjustments and go to 16's at some point.