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Originally Posted by ACHiPo
The Mickey Thompsons S/Ts and Cooper Cobra tires are the same tire with the same treadwear of 440 and T speed rating, but the MT S/Rs look different and maybe stickier? The S/Rs are H rated (130 mph), but I can't seem to find a treadwear rating on them. The Avons are definitely a step up--a race compound tire with a wear rating of 80. Not that it matters much, but Avon is owned by Cooper, which also owns the Mickey Thompson brand.
I also need to figure out which tires I'll run on my new ERA, but I've got some time to do it. It's good to read a direct comparison of MTs to the BFGs, as they're in the realm of the reasonable. The Avons are ~$450 each and by the time they're mounted and balanced (needs to be done in a race shop) it's north of $2k for a set that will likely last less than 10k miles on the street. Sure would be nice to be able to get Michelin Pilot Super Sports in 15s!
How do the MTs behave at the limit? Do they break free gradually or grip well then release?
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You have only 2 good choices when it comes to tires you want to use aggressively on the track. Avons or 17" ultra performance summer tires. Huge selection of very affordable ultra performance tires in 17" sizes that will fit our cars. I have had the Cooper Cobras on a couple cars and they are just fine for street use. I opted for the Mickey Thompson STs for my current project just because I prefer the sidewall over the Cooper and wanted to give them a try. I don't suspect any difference from the Coopers. The SR's have a very different tread pattern that I just can't accept for a Cobra and I've read here that some prefer the STs for the street over the SRs.
One option is to have 2 sets of wheels/tires. A set of 15" inchers with affordable street rubber (like Cooper) and another set of 17" inch wheels/tries for track days and such. Best of both worlds. It doesn't take long to swap them out, especially with PIN drive wheels.