15” limited choices: Cooper Cobra vs Mastercraft Avenger vs BFG Radial T/A vs ?
this is for a Dart Sport...
Are 225s wide?
I want as much rubber as possible on each wheel.
225's are definitely NOT wide. Maybe compared to stock, but not by any modern standard.
When I put tires on the 15x7" cop wheels I had on my Duster for a bit I was able to run 225/60/15's in a Falken Ziex, which were decent. But it looks like even in the few years since I bought those the selection has gotten even worse for 15's.
Out of all of them I like the Cooper Cobra's the best. They all have the same traction rating (A), but the Hankook Kinergy have a temp rating of A while all the other are "B", which means the tire temperatures are capable of 115+ mph. The B rating means 100-115 is all you get before tire temperatures climb outside of best performance temps. The Kinergy have a MUCH higher treadware rating though at 680. That number is a manufacturer supplied number though. The Coopers are a 440 and the T/A's are allegedly a 400, but after a couple years the T/A's are hockey pucks so I wouldn't trust the 400 number much. The T/A's also have a lower speed rating at "S", the Cooper's and Kintergy's are both "T" rated.
You can also get a Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/T a 235/60/15 and either a 255/60/15 or 275/60/15. But it has similar numbers, 440 treadwear, "A" traction and "B" temp ratings.
You can look up the definitions of all the traction, temp and treadwear ratings here too
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=48
I usually go by The highest speed rating first, wear second. I like to be 300 or lower for wear.
Which you can't get in a DOT legal, street going, non-drag radial or tire for a 15" rim anymore. Which is one of the reasons I stopped running 15" rims on the street.
