Tire Recommendations

Discussion in 'Dodge Challenger General Discussions' started by Richard Kubica, Dec 6, 2021.

  1. Richard Kubica

    Richard Kubica Member

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    Time for a new set of sneakers for my 16 SXT+ and as most things to do with my car research is usually key . The car has the 20” painted rims and for now not looking to upgrade the rim/tire combo( though tempting ) The car sees very little snow driving but living in the NE the roads suck and it can get cold. Previously had the Firestone Firehawk’s and was very disappointed. 18K miles and they were toast . A good all season tire with good traction, very good wear characteristics, easy on the road noise & reasonably priced.What are the popular choices the educated challenger owners are using these days?

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  2. 70-426_10-SRT

    70-426_10-SRT B&E body lover

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    I like the Nitto NT555 G2's for Summer
    And they are made in USA

    But then just throw on some Winter Tires when it starts getting cold.


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  3. SRT-Tom

    SRT-Tom Well-Known Member Staff Member Super Moderator Article Writer

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    Since you live in the Northeast, you don't want summer tires. The compound in summer tires becomes very hard when temperatures fall below 45 F degrees. The tire loses its elasticity and may crack. There's a risk of chipping of the overly stiff thread block. Chipped and cracked tires are not safe to drive on and must be replaced. In addition to reducing traction, this poses a risk to the tire itself.

    I would recommend Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 ultra-high performance all-season tires. That is what I have on my 2009 SRT. They handle great, are reasonably priced and are long-wearing (500 AAA).

    You can read their reviews using the following links:

    New Cooper G1 Tires on My SRT | Dodge Challenger Forum (challengertalk.com)

    Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 Tire Review | TireBuyer.com

    Product Review: Cooper Tire Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 - 6SpeedOnline

    Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 Review of 2021: Ultra High Performance All-Season Tire - Tireer.com

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  4. Farmer Fran

    Farmer Fran Full Access Member

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    Last edited: Dec 6, 2021
  5. NC20RT

    NC20RT Full Access Member

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    ^^^ Nailed it! The Michelins are outstanding and the best tire I have ever owned (They are on my Mustang). The BFG's are on my Trans Am and almost as impressive. Both cars have seen snow and desert conditions on our annual vacations all across the US and Canada.

    When it's time for new rubber for my R/T I am going with the Michelins first if available. Yeah, they are pricey but the old saying, "You get what you pay for" is so true.

    The stock Goodyears on my R/T are a bit disappointing. They are OK but they seem like a better fit on smaller sports cars. I swore by them on my old BMW Z3 roadster but on my Challenger, not so much. Being 'skinny' on such a large car does not help either.
     
  6. B5blueRT

    B5blueRT Full Access Member

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    I'm running the original tires on my 2015 RT. They're Goodyear Eagle RS-A2 all season directional tires. They're okay but barely would move the car in 1" of snow on a flat driveway. Stay away from these, better recommendations by the members here.
     
  7. KLY2112

    KLY2112 New Member

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    Love these Continental Extreme Contact DWS06 Plus tires. I also had the Firehawk GT's and they sucked. Able to get about 25,000 on those. These Continentals will change the whole ride experience on your SXT +. Wish I had done it sooner. Also have a 2018 SXT Plus with same rim set up.
     
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  8. RockanRoll

    RockanRoll Member

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    You have good tire suggestions here, but since you're getting a new set of tires, why not also upgrade to a bigger tire - the OE 245/45's are way too small for our fat a$$ sleds! Most likely your 20" OE wheels are 8" or 8.5" wide, so that doesn't give much of a choice on how big a tire you can fit. In that case I'd suggest upgrading to the 255/45 which will be approx. 1/4" to 1/2" taller and wider than the 245/45. It will fit the rims fine and will fit the car fine. Will also help diminish the HUGE wheel well gap these cars have!

    If by chance your wheels are 9" wide (I know the newer models offer those with the Performance Handling Package), then I'd strongly suggest slapping 275/40-20 on all fours of that bad boy: same height as your 245/45, but much THICKER. And thicker is BETTER!

    * Que Michael Scott: "That's what she said!" *
     
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  9. Wizard of Iz

    Wizard of Iz Full Access Member

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    I've had multiple "tire people" tell me that Michelins are the best built tire available. I've owned them on a few different cars and had mixed results. Loved them on my '99 Grand Prix GTP. Hated them on our '13 Charger R/T.

    The Cooper Zeons that @SRT-Tom mentioned are excellent. I had their predecessor on my '11 Challenger R/T Classic and they might have been the "Best Tire For The Money" of any set of tires I've ever owned. Before the Coopers I had a set of Generals G-Max tires that had good reviews on that car . I hated them. Noisy. Harsh ride. Poor traction.

    I had Continental DWS tires on my '05 Pontiac GTO and they were so good in wet conditions that they almost instilled a sense of false confidence. And we have plenty of wet conditions here in Florida. I ran a couple of sets of BF Goodrich tires on it before the Continentals and had very few complaints with them.

    And, I have Continental ExtremeContact Sport tires on my '15 Challenger SRT 392 and am vey happy with them. They're Summer Tires ... but that's not a problem here in Florida. Way better than the Pirelli P-Zero (Traction) Neros that came on it.
     
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  10. Cloverdale

    Cloverdale Full Access Member

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    For those of us who can get away with just summers, I've been quite pleased with my inherited Yokohama's. They handle and wear top shelf.