Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/T's Any Good?

[Zoom This]

It's time for new tires soon and I have worn out my Yokohama Avids and replacements are no longer being made. So...if anyone is using the Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/T's I'd like to hear from them. The Yoko's were a good tire for the price and handled well for a street tire on the track with no surprises at the limit. What can I expect from the MT's?

Bill

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Zoom This

The Yoko's were a good tire for the price and handled well for a street tire on the track with no surprises at the limit. What can I expect from the MT's?

Bill, I don't know the answer to your question, but you had such a great quote ("no surprises at the limit") in there that I had to respond. Yokos are great tires and they give you plenty of warning before they start to break away. Avons are better tires, but when they let loose, they really let loose. For those of us who are not as skilled as, say, the Kirkham bros., a tire that lets you know well in advance that it is going to break can be better than a tire that sticks more, but gives less notice. I don't think I've seen that mentioned around here much.

[cdnus]

I replaced my 295/50/15 yoko's this summer with the M/T S/T's because I was never pleased with the straight line grip of the Yoko's & also very loose turning corners with any power at all.
I found the M/T's to be about 15 points softer on my durometer, the straight line grip is greatly improved & the car is not so nervous when turning corners. They are about 1" larger on the dia. Other than that they are the same dimentions.
Short story ---- I am very happy with them, very smooth running & balance easily.

Craig

[vanoochka]

Consider the S/R's. I replaced a set of Goodyear Eagle II's with them and it's like driving a different car. Lots of grip and lots of notice when that's about to change.

[cdnus]

I phoned M/T & their tech guy told me the S/R's were WAY too hard for a cobra & that they were originaly designed for looks not traction on street rods. For street use on a Cobra he said the S/T was what I wanted as they were much softer compound.
I had considered the ET/street drag radials, but after actually seeing the tire I decided it did not have enough of a tread pattern for me. JMO.
You might want to call them & confirm this for yourself.
I might add I could puchase the S/R for less money so my choice was not based on price.

Craig

Craig

[vanoochka]

Originally Posted by cdnus

I phoned M/T & their tech guy told me the S/R's were WAY too hard for a cobra & that they were originaly designed for looks not traction on street rods. For street use on a Cobra he said the S/T was what I wanted as they were much softer compound.
I had considered the ET/street drag radials, but after actually seeing the tire I decided it did not have enough of a tread pattern for me. JMO.
You might want to call them & confirm this for yourself.
I might add I could puchase the S/R for less money so my choice was not based on price.

Craig

Craig

Yep, I too spent a lot of time on the phone with them before I made my decision. Was told the S/R's were a great choice for a Cobra.
Chuckle notwithstanding, based on the experience of driving on them for a year I have to agree with the tech I spoke with. I really like the way the car handles with them.
There are a few cc.com threads on M/T that serve up a lot of opinions from Cobra owners that have driven on their various tires.

[cdnus]

[quote=vanoochka;1000406]Yep, I too spent a lot of time on the phone with them before I made my decision. Was told the S/R's were a great choice for a Cobra.
Chuckle notwithstanding, based on the experience of driving on them for a year I have to agree with the tech I spoke with. I really like the way the car handles with them.

So much for knowledgeable tech support
I might add I phoned twice & asked the same questions---might possibly got the same guy twice???? Who knows??

Your happy I'm happy that's what counts.

[Bill Bess]

9000 miles on my MT S/R's and they still look like new, good tread wear, stick to the road like glue and really make the car feel very stable at 130 mph.
Good choice for me!

[cdnus]

Bill,

On a closed circuit RIGHT???

Craig

[Larry N Johnson]

I ran S/T's all 2009 season.





Comments:
1. Fit: perfect, no rubbing 295/50R15 and 235/60R15
2. Grip: Much better than Goodyear Eagle GTII
3. Roll: very smooth at all speeds
4. Sound: Fairly quiet (hard to tell really w sidepipes)
5. Track Day: "KobraBytes (Len Bayles) in his Kirkham said they are "great". I followed him and in the corners, his car was as fast as mine even though at that time I had on BillBoards.
6. Look: They look old school w the block type tread. Can be run w white letters, or (obviously) turn the black side out.

Summary: These are extremely pleasant street tires that do well on the track for occasional use. I will buy another set.

[Larry N Johnson]

Just bought a second set to replace my Goodyear Eagle GTII tires on the chrome rims. Will mount blackwall.

$471 delivered from Performance Tire Plus

[Gary Stubbs]

Have had the S/R's on for almost two years now. Abig big change from radial ta's. All across the board. Sticks in the rain also. They love to launch. Am contiually trying new conditions. The driver not the tires, they have yet to break loose. They did balance very well also. ggod luck.
gary

[Zoom This]

Thanks for all your comments guys. Looks like the MT's are in my future for SPF1735.

Bill