Thoughts on BFG v Cooper v Sportsman S/T for front 245 60 15 or thereabouts?

[XH29N0G]

I need new front tires.  My BFG 245 60 15 still have tread but are getting old.  My thoughts:

• I did not like BFG on the back so am leaning to M/T or Cooper
  
• I understand Cooper and M/T are slightly different but made in the same factory.  (I will run blackwall and the M/T looks simpler without the cobra on the side so I lean to that.)
  

Other than looks, is there any other reason to favor one of these over the other?  I usually drive in dry weather when the temperature is between 45 F and 95 F.  If one is safer, let me know.

Are the rubber compounds roughly the same between these?

Are there other brands that make tires with diameters of 26 to 27 with widths of 225 - 255 that you would consider?

Thanks for your thoughts.  If I weren't reserving funds to bridge possible furlough, I would be looking at larger rims 16 or 17 which appear to have a much larger selection - Thoughts on those are therefore also welcome - but I need the information on the 15's sooner.


I am guessing none of these will stick if put on the rear.  (I had BFG 295 60 and it wouldn't stick below 45 mph so am now with 255 E/T streets that work.

[RallyeMike]

The Cooper has a minimally softer rubber than BGF or MT Sportsman ST. I also like the looks of the tread pattern more on the Cooper than the BFG. It just looks like there is more rubber on the ground. Otherwise I think they are all pretty equal, though I have never gone through a set of Mickeys.

[b5blue]

My Coop's are riding sweet. 

[XH29N0G]

Thank you for the replies.  I found some other brands, but much more expensive.  

Anyone running the Sportsman S/R?

[c00nhunterjoe]

The rubber is basicly the same. Bfg used to be the tire to use based on cost. Now they are double that of the cooper. So everyone runs the coopers. The m/t are no different. You are paying for the name. None of them will hold torque. They are a weekend cruiser tire. Buy whichever one is on sale.

[Bad B-rad]

Personally, I am on my 4th full set of Cooper Cobra's.
2 sets for my 1966 w/ 14 inch rims. 1 set on a Duster, and I just got a new set in 15 inch for my 1969.
I have had no issues, but I don't drive my Chargers like I would our family Hemi Magnum or 2016 R/t, so I cant say how they are when you push your car hard.(Taking corners hard)
I did have a set of the BF's on a 1974 Charger, and they didn't wear as well as the coopers IMO.
The Coopers  are great for the $$$, and  work very well the way I use them
Like c00nhunterjoe said "weekend cruiser" style driving.

Plus if you don't buy the cobras, you got to listen to your "Uncle Cooper" bitch all day, and haunt you, during the commercial breaks of your favorite TV show.

[darbgnik]

Thank you for the replies.  I found some other brands, but much more expensive.  

Anyone running the Sportsman S/R?

I just spooned a set of S/R tires onto mine. I haven't driven them aggressively enough to make any judgements on them really.

That being said, the rears spin easy enough, despite these things having the softest feeling rubber/sidewall I remember feeling. But they ride smooth and quiet, and didn't take much weight.

[XH29N0G]

Thank you both.  Good to hear about the S/R version.  I will be grateful if you pass along information as you learn more.

[c00nhunterjoe]

Ive driven on the sr's. At more double the cost of the same size cooper cobra, they are junk in my opinion. For 250 dollars you can buy a drag radial and actually hook. The sr tread design is ugly to me, and horrible in the rain. For a weekend cruiser in a name brand, the cooper cobra is the way to go.

[XH29N0G]

thanks.  I noticed the jump in cost and was curious about whether it made a difference with performance aspects related to street driving. From the sound of it, they will not hold sufficiently if on the rears.  I like the ET street SS I have and it looks like cooper is what the front will likely get.

[darbgnik]

thanks.  I noticed the jump in cost and was curious about whether it made a difference with performance aspects related to street driving. From the sound of it, they will not hold sufficiently if on the rears.  I like the ET street SS I have and it looks like cooper is what the front will likely get.

This is true. The S/R are not sticky. But then again, they're perfect for my old stocker HP440. They stick enough not to be dangerous, but still spin easily enough to make the car fun. I knew I wasn't buying a drag radial.

[XH29N0G]

The other thing I am weighing is how the S/R are to drive on vs Cooper or S/T, and whether my car as set up, would benefit.  I suppose the best way would be to look into larger rims and lower profile. 

Right now I am leaning toward Cooper or S/T based on cost.  This would mean running drag radials on the back and S/T on the front. 

If the S/R made a difference in terms of how the car drove, I would consider S/R on all 4 and reserve the drag radials for when I went to the strip.

Thanks to everyone for the comments and feedback. 

[HPP]

SR are actually a newer carcass design that was downsized from their 17 and 18 inch lines. It is the newest of any 15" street tire out there. It also is H speed rated. They are a softer compound but in no way are they a drag tire. MT claims they are good for 15,000 miles, give or take depending on  punishment dished out to them. Their sizing is spot on and does not cleanly adhere to traditional metric sizes, but can come close.

[XH29N0G]

Thank you. 

I will be interested in hearing more about any tests or real experience comparisons between the S/R and S/T or Coopers.  Also seeing pictures on the Wheel Sizes Thread (http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,63191.0.html) would be a huge help for my future decisions. 

My assumption is that there has to be a difference.  I sent a note to the Mickey Thompson Tech support last week but have not had a response (probably should have just picked up the phone and called). 

In the end I decided to go with the Coopers.  I could get a below their list price from my local tire person and I needed to be a little careful in lining up my house budget since it is almost certain that I will face reduced pay (furloughs) in the near future because I work for the state that has to have a balanced budget each year .

While this is not me because my rear tires hold pretty well .... .... you get the idea of why I want to get back out on the road.  The cars are a joy to drive.

All I want to do right now is to get the car out to drive and that wasn't going to happen without good front tires.

[HPP]

There are several differences.

Design and materials in the carcass of the SR are more inline with modern performance tires than the ST.  Carcass design dictates a tire's load capacity and balances its handling, damping and comfort. The ST is made by Cooper for MT, so construction of the ST and Cobra are the same as it has been for decades, although the Cobra does have more tread sipping than the ST.

The SR tire compound is softer and MT has not assigned it a UTQG rating.  When I spoke to them about this, this is where the 15k mileage feedback came from. By contrast the ST has a UTQG rating of 400. ie, its a fairly hard tire that will have minimal grip with maximum wear.

The SR has a speed rating of H, which is sustained running at rated loads at 130 mph.  The ST has a speed rating of S, which is 112 mph.

The SR only comes in inch dimensional sizes, so some sizes directly translate to metric sizes  while some do not. For example a 28x10x15 is pretty darn close to a 275/60R15 while 26x10x15 SR would translate into a 255/55R15 metric size.

The SR does not offer a raised white letter sidewall. It is only available in blackwall.

Can the butt dyno feel the difference between an SR and an ST? For the vast majority of drivers, probably not.

[Birdflu]

Good info! 

[darbgnik]

So a little more feedback on the SR tires.

I went out last night to test my new disc brake setup, complete with electric vacuum pump, for proper booster function. This meant a bunch of panic stops on a clean road with no traffic.

I will say that they hold up very well under braking, much more so than I was expecting. I would agree to these seeming like a modern rubber compound.

[XH29N0G]

Thank you.