Wide 15" Tire choices - Drag Radials?

keitho64 · keitho64's Garage

My 69 has Dunlop D40 245/45-15 tires on the rear. They are about 30 years old, hard as a rock, cracks and will not stick to the road.

I tried a set of Hankook Ventus 265/50-15 but they were terrible. While the car cornered OK, it was terrible at anything over 50MPH. The tread squirm was unreal. I thought about having them shaved to eliminate the block tread. The salesman at Discount Tire recommended a Nitto NT555 Drag Radial 275/50-15. I was VERY leary but he was confident they would be way better than the worn Dunlops or the Hankooks. He offered me a deal where I only had to pay the difference in the price of the tire. I figured I had nothing to loose since the Hankooks were so bad.

I may be one of the few people with Drag Radials on an old 911 but I have to say they work fantastic. I was expecting a lot of sidewall flex but that is not the case. The car corners every bit as good, and better than ever before.

If you are in the market for a wide 15" tire I would recommend checking out Nitto NT555 Drag Radials. I am very happy with them!

Elombard · 08-27-2016, 08:25 PM

I have wondered about those. They look like R comps. How wide are your rims. 9"?

Elombard · 08-27-2016, 08:27 PM

There is several other 245/45 options did you consider those? The 275s look a little tall.

RarlyL8 · RarlyL8's Garage

I run drag radials as well, however the side wall height of 315/35-17 is much shorter which makes a lot of difference.

SiberianDVM · SiberianDVM's Garage

What are y'all running in the front?

keitho64 · keitho64's Garage

I did not want to go shorter than 245/50 and did want a bit taller. With the gearing I have 4,000 was about 78 in 5th. The taller 275 drops that down some. I know they are a bit tall, but they serve my purpose.

These tires are R compound.

I am running Falken 225/50 on the front.

I believe my rims are all 15x8 but the rear's may be 9. I didn't check.

If I decide to go with a 17" Style Fuchs I would have better choices however personally I like the period look of the 15's on my car.

keitho64 · keitho64's Garage

I have had time to put some more miles on the car. I am very happy with the results. The car holds the corners better than ever. I never would have expected them to perform this well.

If any of you are looking for a nice wide 15" tire make sure to add Nitto NT555R drag radials to your short list. I am sold on them!