[Jack21]

You may not like this answer, but here goes.

Faced the same dilemma putting car on street. All the Cobra people were telling me which 15" tire to use, and don't even think 17's, because they look too out-of-place on a Cobra. All the tire people were telling me don't even think 15's on any kind of a performance car. The 17's are the way to go to get the performance I was looking for.

Rolled the dice, and sprung for the 17's. After day 1, never looked back. Only regrets that I didn't equip the car with brakes that would fill up the 17" wheel cavity.

Although there are perhaps a dozen comparible tires, I used a set of Falken FK451's; 235/45ZR's in front (could have used 245's), and 275/40ZR's in back (could have used 285's).

Everything I couldn't get in a 15" tire, I got in Spades in the 17".

Traction - dry. These things have an "AA" traction rating. You can't steer the car with the throttle anymore. In fact you have th get on them really hard to break them loose at all. These things just chirp, and go.

Traction - wet. No hockey puck in the rain anymore. Most Cobras, the best theing to do when it starts raining is park the car. Not anymore.

Wear. Have nearly 10,000 miles on these things now, and there's hardly any sign of wear. And that's with some alignment problems in front (now solved). Have no idea what the life expectancy in mileage is going to be, but replacement looks to be a few years off.

Cornering and braking. The car is a virtual roller coaster. No squealing in tight turns, no screeching on hard braking. Car just goes where you point it without a single complaint.

Ride harshness. Expected my teeth to rattle with these. They didn't. Firmer, but not harsher. Adjust your shocks a click or two softer if need be.

Cost. Bought the Falkens on-line from vulcantires.com. $495 including shipping. Not a typo. 4 tires for under $500. For wheels, I used TeamIII's for $300 each. A lower cost option would be Centerline Style 13 in a 17" for about half the above from Summit.

Looks? It looks like a factory setup. Everything tucks neatly under the car, and gives it an "All Business" like appearance. Rubber where you need it - horizontally. (The rears are nearly a foot wide!) Have yet to be told, "It doesn't look original". I have been told, "It looks better than original".