[kestrel]

Greetings,

I haven't been on here in a while, but thought I'd jump on and share an experience with you. After only 1000 miles, I have to replace a tire due to picking up a nail or something and, of course, it went in right at the edge of the sidewall. To that end, it can't be repaired. So, after some research, I discovered that the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires that come on the GT500KR are specially made for that car. Here's an article:

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has engineered a new tire for the Shelby GT500KR Mustang that features a compound exclusive to North America. According to Ford, these stickier tires help send maximum horsepower to the road and are an important component in the overall handling balance of Carroll Shelby’s new “King of the Road” Mustang. While Ford and Shelby worked to create the car, Goodyear was tasked with developing an exclusive tire with a special ultra-performance rubber compound.

In a press release, Goodyear said the tires for the Carroll Shelby-designed KR model represent the first production use of this special Goodyear compound in the United States. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tire is the exclusive fitment on the Shelby KR Mustang, in sizes P255/45R18 (front) and P285/40R18 (rear).

Of note, Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires are available for a variety of different vehicles, including other Mustangs. So how are the tires made for the KR different? Well, as Goodyear puts it, the KR tires are emblazoned with a special Goodyear Wingfoot symbol on the outboard sidewall. Approximately the size of a nickel, the emblem differentiates the tires in much the same way as the Goodyear tires on the original 1965 Shelby Mustang. Those tires, in size 7.75-15, were marked with a blue dot, and were known as Goodyear Blue Dot HPs.

If you want to replace your tires with the true OEM ones, the part numbers are as follows (per Goodyear and Ford):

Front: 389064129 (P255/45ZR18)
Rear: 389065129 (P285/40ZR18)

These are different than the "regular" F1 Supercar tires of the same sizes that fit GT500s and have different part numbers (front: 389046128; rear: 389027128).

Now for the big difference. I have to replace a rear tire. The rear KR tire is $353.95, the rear non-KR tire is $178.95. Awesome.

[LuckySnake]

kestrel, on Oct 27 2009, 10:18 PM, said:

Greetings,

I haven't been on here in a while, but thought I'd jump on and share an experience with you. After only 1000 miles, I have to replace a tire due to picking up a nail or something and, of course, it went in right at the edge of the sidewall. To that end, it can't be repaired. So, after some research, I discovered that the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires that come on the GT500KR are specially made for that car. Here's an article:

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has engineered a new tire for the Shelby GT500KR Mustang that features a compound exclusive to North America. According to Ford, these stickier tires help send maximum horsepower to the road and are an important component in the overall handling balance of Carroll Shelby’s new “King of the Road” Mustang. While Ford and Shelby worked to create the car, Goodyear was tasked with developing an exclusive tire with a special ultra-performance rubber compound.

In a press release, Goodyear said the tires for the Carroll Shelby-designed KR model represent the first production use of this special Goodyear compound in the United States. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tire is the exclusive fitment on the Shelby KR Mustang, in sizes P255/45R18 (front) and P285/40R18 (rear).

Of note, Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires are available for a variety of different vehicles, including other Mustangs. So how are the tires made for the KR different? Well, as Goodyear puts it, the KR tires are emblazoned with a special Goodyear Wingfoot symbol on the outboard sidewall. Approximately the size of a nickel, the emblem differentiates the tires in much the same way as the Goodyear tires on the original 1965 Shelby Mustang. Those tires, in size 7.75-15, were marked with a blue dot, and were known as Goodyear Blue Dot HPs.

If you want to replace your tires with the true OEM ones, the part numbers are as follows (per Goodyear and Ford):

Front: 389064129 (P255/45ZR18)
Rear: 389065129 (P285/40ZR18)

These are different than the "regular" F1 Supercar tires of the same sizes that fit GT500s and have different part numbers (front: 389046128; rear: 389027128).

Now for the big difference. I have to replace a rear tire. The rear KR tire is $353.95, the rear non-KR tire is $178.95. Awesome.

At twice the price, these tires will be sitting on the shelf well into thier useable life. If I were to buy a set, I would be looking closely at the manufactured date to make sure they were made within one year of purchase. Useable life is only 6 years. For show, who cares.

[nascaracing]

Still expensive, but I always buy my tires from Tirerack. I have in the past searched and searched for tires for whatever ever vehicle I needed them for, and found that you just can't beat tireracks prices, even if you add in shipping costs. Also it does help that the home office is in my home town I grew up in, and from time to time when I would go home to visit the family, I would have them installed right there, and not even have to pay for shipping. But I did some researched on the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tire for the GT500 and the GT500KR, and I really can't see any difference other then what was stated by Goodyear and the emblem. Here is what tirerack shows.


http://www.tirerack....ompareTires.jsp

And there price is $307.00 a tire, for the KR, and 119.00 for the regular one. I will call them today, and see if they can explain this further to me.

[mustang crazy]

nascaracing, on Oct 28 2009, 07:18 AM, said:

Still expensive, but I always buy my tires from Tirerack. I have in the past searched and searched for tires for whatever ever vehicle I needed them for, and found that you just can't beat tireracks prices, even if you add in shipping costs. Also it does help that the home office is in my home town I grew up in, and from time to time when I would go home to visit the family, I would have them installed right there, and not even have to pay for shipping. But I did some researched on the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tire for the GT500 and the GT500KR, and I really can't see any difference other then what was stated by Goodyear and the emblem. Here is what tirerack shows.


http://www.tirerack....ompareTires.jsp

And there price is $307.00 a tire, for the KR, and 119.00 for the regular one. I will call them today, and see if they can explain this further to me.

Thread wear diffrent KR is 120 and reg GT 500 220

[FiaCobra]

The KR tires still suck.

I'm gonna replace them at the 1st available chance.

[shelbypt]

I feel this is nothing more than extreme marketing. They add a blue emblem or what ever piece of crap they put on the tire and tell us this is the tire made just for the KR, and double the price. No different than what the dealerships did when the KR came out. They marked up the car to $100,00+++. I know good and well that their is no more research or special ingredient in that tire than the other, at least not enough to justify that much of an increase in cost.

[Stalwart]

Wrong, costs go up horribly for the limited production runs for the tire, it is quite different, picks up all rocks even when dead cold.

[kestrel]

Stalwart, on Oct 29 2009, 07:46 PM, said:

Wrong, costs go up horribly for the limited production runs for the tire, it is quite different, picks up all rocks even when dead cold.

Yeah, those tires are really sticky. My rocker panels show the evidence of that. After 1100 miles, they're all scratched up. Fortunately, they're plastic and easily replaceable.

Because it's only one tire and the other three only have 1100 miles, I'm going to go ahead and replace it with the OEM tire. Once I wear them out, I'll look at replacing them all with another brand of tire (and probably the rocker panels too!).

[kestrel]

mustang crazy, on Oct 28 2009, 11:30 PM, said:

Thread wear diffrent KR is 120 and reg GT 500 220

Thanks for the info. That certainly explains the stickiness.

[txcobra]

Stalwart, on Oct 29 2009, 09:46 PM, said:

Wrong, costs go up horribly for the limited production runs for the tire, it is quite different, picks up all rocks even when dead cold.

Agreed, they are much stickier than the regular GT500 tires....big difference.

[FiaCobra]

Wow, they must have swapped my ultra special super secret KR tires with the ones from the GT500 because, I can't tell the difference. They have the same traction (or lack thereof) as the OEM's.

[Stalwart]

The tires must be the part of the reason the KR is over 1G on the skidpad, even the 2010 GT500 doesn't come remotely close to that.

[FiaCobra]

Stalwart, on Oct 30 2009, 12:28 PM, said:

The tires must be the part of the reason the KR is over 1G on the skidpad, even the 2010 GT500 doesn't come remotely close to that.

Maybe the track was made out of rubber.....lol

[Boston Mike]

kestrel, on Oct 27 2009, 10:18 PM, said:

Now for the big difference. I have to replace a rear tire. The rear KR tire is $353.95, the rear non-KR tire is $178.95. Awesome.

Be happy that they are not exclusively available through SAI...........they'd probably be $3000 (shipping not included)!!!

[JUST 1BULLITT]

VERY COOL info. on our unique tires to KNOW! Keep us posted if Tire Rack can really provide the exact KR ones we need for closer to 300 Each...BUMMER to have to replace even just one! Guess we'd all better be careful NOT to pick up nails as you did...but damn, I sure agree that these KR tires are the STICKIEST Damn things I've ever had on a car...they DO pick up EVERY ROCK & Pebble on the road, parking lots etc.

THANKS AGAIN for the info!

"J1B"

[kestrel]

JUST 1BULLITT, on Oct 31 2009, 11:23 PM, said:

VERY COOL info. on our unique tires to KNOW! Keep us posted if Tire Rack can really provide the exact KR ones we need for closer to 300 Each...BUMMER to have to replace even just one! Guess we'd all better be careful NOT to pick up nails as you did...but damn, I sure agree that these KR tires are the STICKIEST Damn things I've ever had on a car...they DO pick up EVERY ROCK & Pebble on the road, parking lots etc.

THANKS AGAIN for the info!

"J1B"

My pleasure. I went ahead and ordered the tire through the dealer I work with because Tire Rack's price is $356 for the rear tire plus $63 shipping. The dealer is selling it to me for less than $353. Incidentally, Tire Rack's price for the front tire is $299.

Arizona is terrible on tires (and windshields). I don't have any idea where I picked up the nail or whatever that punctured my tire, but it could have been anywhere. There is so much more "stuff" on the roads here compared to Ohio where I'm from.

Anyway, I can't wait to get up to the dealer because they have the extra airbag cover I ordered (to have signed) and my sequential tail lights. Plus, they're going to do the clutch/flywheel TSB for me and fix where the rear bumper is popping out near the side marker lamps (apparently this is a known problem as well).

Take care,

Joe