15” limited choices: Cooper Cobra vs Mastercraft Avenger vs BFG Radial T/A vs ?

[Topless69]

I got a pair of 265/50/15 Kinergy ST for the rear because I wanted a wider tire. They’re a bit short, about the same height as a 225/60/15, but they fit nicely in the fender and the ride quality is good but their traction rating is 680 AA - not super grippy but probably as good as BFGs and way less $$. I like having RWL tires, but couldn’t find matching Hankooks that would fit on the front, so I flipped them over and went blackwall. I’ll bet Garrett’s 17s have much better grip than mine but I was looking for 15s.
(265/50/15 left 225/60/15 right)

 

[12many]

The current choices for these 60 Series tires remains limited, but the Hankooks seem to be the newest designed, have a classic solid white lettered side and a more modern looking black wall side. Seeing positive reviews on Youlube for these specific models. Only other brand of late is Vitour, a Chinese made tire and while they initially look interesting and appealing (yes, that is very subjective) there are scant reviews at all, but they are available in the 60 ratios. These two brands have somewhat different sidewalls and tread designs than all the others that are mostly the same: BF, Cooper, Firestone, Mastercraft, MT, etc

Buy Passenger Tire Size 255/60R15

 

[Topless69]

Those are decent prices on some of those tires. What surprised me was the Radar tire having a speed rating of 168 mph and the tread design looking like something out of the 1950s - if the photo is correct.

 

[Topless69]

Oh yeah, and if you want matching white lettering on your tires your choices are even more limited, since very few MFR‘s make 15s that will fit on the rear and the front unless you buy 4 of the same size.

 

[Oldiron440]

I've had good luck with the BFG TA don't know about Comes other than some sizes turn brown.
I've had good luck with Master Craft tires but don't know about the ones menchened.
I've got Cooper's ready to go on my Ford but I'm going to change them for MTs.

 

[33IMP]

I have t/a radials as my street car setup, for a strip/street car, because they were available in the size I wanted, and nothing else seemed to be (255/70x15).
My only expectation is that they hold air, so I haven't been disappointed. No problems with the letters yellowing...... they're on the inside.
500 hp, T/A traction is nonexistent.

 

[12many]

I spent a good bit of time researching all possible options for a 255/60R15 to mount on 15x8 rims for the rear. I can’t stand the very blocky tread that extends onto the sidewall of all the typical offerings. I decided to be a guinea pig and try a set of the Vitour Galaxy R1 Radial GT tires. The only v-rated in classic sizes, modern looking tread, and from a few overseas reviews they are supposed to look really good, have more grip than “all” the others (Cooper, BF especially) not noisy, and have 400/A/A rating. I’ll be mounting them BSW out, and give some initial and use reviews ASAP.
The distributor in California sent me pictures of what the actual 255/60R15’s look like (some internet pictures show RWL unequally spaced vs how they are: 180° opposed) and found a couple of them mounted.

 

[Topless69]

Looking forward to your review 12many. I have a Dart project on 15” truck steelies that needed a couple of tires but figured out 255/60s wouldn’t fit and ended up going with Nankang V-rated 225/60/15s. Of course the Dart isn’t running yet so I swapped them over to the Barracuda to try them out – I’ve put a hundred miles ~ on them so far and I’m happy with them. They hook pretty good for a skinny tire, aren’t rough or noisy and feel reasonably sticky and stable on the twisty bits.
One thing I’ve noticed about these RWL 15’s, along with not being able to find them, is that these manufacturers need someone new in marketing maybe with a better understanding of English to name these things – this range of tires has some of the worst names I’ve ever seen: Forceum Hena, Hercules H/P 4000, Mastercraft Avenger G/T, Milestar Streetsteel, Tornel Classic, Starfire GT, Hankook Kinergy ST, the list goes on...Who hired these people?
Don’t even get me started on these:

this is not photoshop, they’re real

Regardless, please let us know what you think of it the Galaxy’s on your car.

 

[MRGTX]

I spent a good bit of time researching all possible options for a 255/60R15 to mount on 15x8 rims for the rear. I can’t stand the very blocky tread that extends onto the sidewall of all the typical offerings. I decided to be a guinea pig and try a set of the Vitour Galaxy R1 Radial GT tires. The only v-rated in classic sizes, modern looking tread, and from a few overseas reviews they are supposed to look really good, have more grip than “all” the others (Cooper, BF especially) not noisy, and have 400/A/A rating. I’ll be mounting them BSW out, and give some initial and use reviews ASAP.
The distributor in California sent me pictures of what the actual 255/60R15’s look like (some internet pictures show RWL unequally spaced vs how they are: 180° opposed) and found a couple of them mounted.

View attachment 1715878638

View attachment 1715878639

View attachment 1715878994

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View attachment 1715878996

They look pretty darned decent. Please keep us posted.

 

[Brooks James]

My experience with BFG's, Good Street tire, harder compound hard to get sticky

 

[MRGTX]

@12many I realize you already bought them but you might still appreciate the info below. Your feedback will probably be more helpful than this but nevertheless, here's a writeup from the Impala forum (that I go to...never but it came up in a search). This guy is running 255 and 275 on his Roadmaster wagon, not sure how this affects the relevancy of his feedback. This certainly sounds promising.

I Tried a New Tire (Vitour Galaxy R1)

User: GoremanX

Apr 7, 2021
While shopping for tires for my car, I couldn't find any writeup of these tires on a GM B-body, so I figured I'd put one together to help anyone who considers these in the future.

When I bought my '93 Roadmaster wagon last Fall, the alignment was WAY off. Consequently, the front tires were pretty much finished while the rears were fine. Due to lack of funds at the time, I settled for buying a new pair rather than a full set. So I've been running mildly-worn General Altimax in front, and brand new Crugen HT51's out back, both in 235/70R15 on factory original aluminum 15x7 wheels. They've been decent and comfortable, but nothing to brag about. Especially with the rear swaybar I installed recently, the limits of those tires were more obvious than ever.

For this year, I decided to put on something a little more "spirited", and experiment a bit with size. I wanted to keep the OEM 15" wheels. Based on other posts on this forum, I figured 255 or 275 tires should fit, so that's mostly what I looked at.

I kept coming back to the Cooper Cobra Radial G/T, but like everything else in these sizes for 15" wheels, it's only got a speed rating of T. I don't necessarily plan to drive at 120+mph for extended periods of time, but in my experience, tires with a lower speed rating tend to have super flexy sidewalls. I really wanted something with a speed rating of H or V. I've run Cooper Cobra G/Ts on other cars in the past ('78 Trans Am, '71 Datsun Z), and came away unimpressed. They're very much an "older" style of tire.

Enter the Vitour Galaxy R1. I don't know if Vitour has a common parent company. It looks like they're a South African company, though I'm not even sure about that. They're made in China according to the TIN code on the tire. These tires are available in most of the sizes that the Cooper Cobras are (so, a lot of classic car sizes), except they have a much more modern tread pattern that's intended to be performance-oriented. They also have a speed rating of H or V, which is much higher than the S or H that's prevalent in these sizes. Their price is downright reasonable, too.

My next dilemma was to choose sizes. I disabled ABS on this car, so a staggered setup is a possibility (255/60R15 front, 275/60R15 rear). Or I could stick to the OEM size (235/70R15). Or I could balloon-up all around (255/70R15). I ended up going with the latter option. My logic is that I like the bump-smoothing of taller sidewalls and greater air volume at lower pressure. If it compromised handling too much, well... they have a wear rating of 400, so it's not like they'll last all that long anyways (for comparison, Cooper Cobras have a wear rating of 440) If I want something more aggressive next time, maybe I'll try the staggered setup. Everything's a compromise anyways...

I received the tires a couple months ago from Performance Plus Tire and they've been sitting in my garage ever since. They're gorgeous. The tread pattern looks really modern, the compound is grippy, and the white letters look real nice. I dunno how long they'll stay white, it's just a thin coat of paint on the molded rubber, but I can always re-apply it if it wears off prematurely. I don't get why they say M+S on them... they'd make a real lousy snow or mud tire. I wouldn't run these on anything but pavement and never below 42f.


Nov 5, 2021
Thought I'd give an update after a summer on these tires. I've been driving the crap out of them, giving my swaybars a heavy workout and taking every corner aggressively. These tires are like glue. I absolutely love them. Especially in the rain, they've been remarkably grippy. The temperatures have been dropping into overnight freezing the last couple days, and they take a while to warm up from that, but beyond that these tires have excelled in every conceivable way. The steering is precise, the response is quick (especially considering the height of those sidewalls), the ride is comfortable, and there's no real concern with noise. They've kept their balance through thousands of miles and they hauled almost 1000 pounds in the rear without complaint. Wear has been minimal, they still look new after close to 8000 miles. I couldn't be happier.

 

[12many]

@12many I realize you already bought them but you might still appreciate the info below. Your feedback will probably be more helpful than this but nevertheless, here's a writeup from the Impala forum (that I go to...never but it came up in a search). This guy is running 255 and 275 on his Roadmaster wagon, not sure how this affects the relevancy of his feedback. This certainly sounds promising.

I Tried a New Tire (Vitour Galaxy R1)

User: GoremanX

Apr 7, 2021
While shopping for tires for my car, I couldn't find any writeup of these tires on a GM B-body, so I figured I'd put one together to help anyone who considers these in the future.

When I bought my '93 Roadmaster wagon last Fall, the alignment was WAY off. Consequently, the front tires were pretty much finished while the rears were fine. Due to lack of funds at the time, I settled for buying a new pair rather than a full set. So I've been running mildly-worn General Altimax in front, and brand new Crugen HT51's out back, both in 235/70R15 on factory original aluminum 15x7 wheels. They've been decent and comfortable, but nothing to brag about. Especially with the rear swaybar I installed recently, the limits of those tires were more obvious than ever.

For this year, I decided to put on something a little more "spirited", and experiment a bit with size. I wanted to keep the OEM 15" wheels. Based on other posts on this forum, I figured 255 or 275 tires should fit, so that's mostly what I looked at.

I kept coming back to the Cooper Cobra Radial G/T, but like everything else in these sizes for 15" wheels, it's only got a speed rating of T. I don't necessarily plan to drive at 120+mph for extended periods of time, but in my experience, tires with a lower speed rating tend to have super flexy sidewalls. I really wanted something with a speed rating of H or V. I've run Cooper Cobra G/Ts on other cars in the past ('78 Trans Am, '71 Datsun Z), and came away unimpressed. They're very much an "older" style of tire.

Enter the Vitour Galaxy R1. I don't know if Vitour has a common parent company. It looks like they're a South African company, though I'm not even sure about that. They're made in China according to the TIN code on the tire. These tires are available in most of the sizes that the Cooper Cobras are (so, a lot of classic car sizes), except they have a much more modern tread pattern that's intended to be performance-oriented. They also have a speed rating of H or V, which is much higher than the S or H that's prevalent in these sizes. Their price is downright reasonable, too.

My next dilemma was to choose sizes. I disabled ABS on this car, so a staggered setup is a possibility (255/60R15 front, 275/60R15 rear). Or I could stick to the OEM size (235/70R15). Or I could balloon-up all around (255/70R15). I ended up going with the latter option. My logic is that I like the bump-smoothing of taller sidewalls and greater air volume at lower pressure. If it compromised handling too much, well... they have a wear rating of 400, so it's not like they'll last all that long anyways (for comparison, Cooper Cobras have a wear rating of 440) If I want something more aggressive next time, maybe I'll try the staggered setup. Everything's a compromise anyways...

I received the tires a couple months ago from Performance Plus Tire and they've been sitting in my garage ever since. They're gorgeous. The tread pattern looks really modern, the compound is grippy, and the white letters look real nice. I dunno how long they'll stay white, it's just a thin coat of paint on the molded rubber, but I can always re-apply it if it wears off prematurely. I don't get why they say M+S on them... they'd make a real lousy snow or mud tire. I wouldn't run these on anything but pavement and never below 42f.


Nov 5, 2021
Thought I'd give an update after a summer on these tires. I've been driving the crap out of them, giving my swaybars a heavy workout and taking every corner aggressively. These tires are like glue. I absolutely love them. Especially in the rain, they've been remarkably grippy. The temperatures have been dropping into overnight freezing the last couple days, and they take a while to warm up from that, but beyond that these tires have excelled in every conceivable way. The steering is precise, the response is quick (especially considering the height of those sidewalls), the ride is comfortable, and there's no real concern with noise. They've kept their balance through thousands of miles and they hauled almost 1000 pounds in the rear without complaint. Wear has been minimal, they still look new after close to 8000 miles. I couldn't be happier.

I saw during searches the first post but not the follow up post that guy made. Promising like a few I’ve seen elsewhere. Can’t say I’ve ever seen tires described as “gorgeous”.....we’ll see!

 

[12many]

Received them today, come wrapped in foil (not all marred up and not too dirty as is typical of tires shipped loose) Matching born on dates (2021) All looks good. Very uniform consistent molding. Only scant flash around some of the lettering. All the required markings, lettering appears to be white rubber, milled down, not painted as mentioned in posts elsewhere. Lettering is raised more than any other tires I’ve ever seen. Won’t say they’re “gorgeous” but they are nice. Really like the edge profile, very subdued which is what I wanted. Once mounted, cleaned and detailed I’ll report back. $265 shipped one day transit.

 

[SSG_Karg]

It seems that the Nitto 555R is not made in 15” any longer. Can anyone confirm this? I have them on my Duster, 275/60-15, and they are pretty much roached and need to be replaced.

 

[Topless69]

It seems that the Nitto 555R is not made in 15” any longer. Can anyone confirm this? I have them on my Duster, 275/60-15, and they are pretty much roached and need to be replaced.

Robot or human?

Hey SSG don’t know what the robot/human thing is, but this is a link to the Nittos

 

[33IMP]

It seems that the Nitto 555R is not made in 15” any longer. Can anyone confirm this? I have them on my Duster, 275/60-15, and they are pretty much roached and need to be replaced.

Jegs shows 325/50x15 555r ll, in stock, but that's the only 15s I found. Jegs shows nittos in 17,18,19, and 20, but summit only shows 18s.
Maybe email Nitto for info?
Edit : according to Google, summit says they have 16 555R 275/50x15 in stock.
2nd edit: "Wheel Hero" says they have 555R 275/60x15 in stock. $170 ea.

 

[12many]

Had them mounted and balanced this time (I normally do it myself) one took 2.5 oz, other took 5 oz. If I had done them I’d have rotated the tire to try for less. No biggie. Modern looking tires front 205/65R15 (GT Radial brand) and rear 255/60R15. Nice clean, smooth tread to sidewall finish. Road test will tell the tale.

 

[72bluNblu]

Had them mounted and balanced this time (I normally do it myself) one took 2.5 oz, other took 5 oz. If I had done them I’d have rotated the tire to try for less. No biggie. Modern looking tires front 205/65R15 (GT Radial brand) and rear 255/60R15. Nice clean, smooth tread to sidewall finish. Road test will tell the tale.

View attachment 1715880525

View attachment 1715880523

View attachment 1715880524

Not a bad looking tire!

Most promising thing I've seen in a 15" street tire in awhile. The 400 treadwear is still pretty high, but at least it looks like the tread pattern design is from this century.

 

[340six]

My vote is Mickey Thompson or Cooper.
But have BFG on my car but are Drags so wanted all 4 Samme brand so tossed BFG on front.
Also if I was getting BFG again there,are 2 kinds BFG and licenced and Made by Coker. Some friends paid more and got the Coker BFG.