What are the best tires for a Mustang? Here are 8 options I’d consider for my 2012 GT:
So. You’ve got a Mustang and you need tires for it. Considering that there have been approximately 2.5 million Mustangs sold in the US since 1995, chances are pretty good that there are a lot of people asking this question. As a Mustang owner myself, I feel I’m very well qualified to answer this question. What are the best tires for a Mustang? Here are my top 8 choices (the tires that I’d actually consider for my 2012 GT), ranked in order from best performing to most economical:
- Toyo Proxes R888R
- Michelin Pilot Sport Cup
- Michelin Pilot Super Sport (the tires I have now)
- Goodyear F1 Asymmetric
- BFGoodrich g-Force Sport COMP-2
- General G-MAX RS
- Laufenn S FIT AS
- Kumho Majesty 9 Solus TA91
Because of how varied the Mustang lineup is, It’s actually a very complicated question. My goal for this article is to break it down into simple categories for specific types of mustang drivers:
- Drivers focused on aggressive driving and high-performance
- Drivers who are looking for all season performance
- Drivers who care about economy more than anything else
Identify which category suits you best, and continue reading…
FYI: Tire Rack is your best friend
Before I getting into listing out all of my recommendations for the best Mustang tires, I just need to say that Tire Rack is my go-to source for buying tires. They are the largest online retailer for tires, and they make the process extremely simple.
Essentially, they are the Amazon of tire stores. They’ve got the largest selection, the best prices, and best of all, tons and tons of real world user reviews on everything they sell.
I especially like Tire Rack because:
- They make it explicitly clear whether or not any specific tire will fit your car
- If you have no idea what you’re looking for, they can show you a list of only the tires that will fit your car
- They will ship the tires directly to your favorite local shop for quick and easy installation
Just buy, wait for the confirmation that they have arrived at your local shop, and take your car in for installation. It’s that easy.
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Best tires for high-performance Mustang drivers
One of the greatest things about the Ford Mustang is how diverse it is. No matter what kind of experience you’re looking for, you can get one that’s mild – or wild. The best part is that it’s easy to get a “wild” Mustang for relatively little money. It’s easily one of the reasons why this car is so great.
Anyway, here are my tire choices for Mustang drivers who have friends (and family) who tell him to slow the heck down all the time:
Toyo Proxes R888R
I first heard about the R888R’s when TJ Hunt put them on his BRZ. Not only do they look incredibly aggressive, they are highly-rated as well. Again, be sure to read the reviews on Tire Rack to get a better sense of what people are saying about this ultra-high performance tire.
- Proxes R888R tires feature an R-compound tread that quickly reaches operating temperature and provides high grip levels for maximum cornering traction
- Evolving from the Proxes R888, the Proxes R888R is Toyos Racetrack & Autocross Only tire for driving enthusiasts participating in track days, road racing and high-performance driver education events
- The tread compound is molded into an aggressive, asymmetric tread pattern with massive outboard shoulder blocks to provide the lateral grip needed when driving on the track
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
The Proxes R888 is arguably the best bang for the buck / high-performance tire for all-around driving that you’re going to get for a Mustang. It’s what I’m going to put on my 2012 GT when the Michelin Pilot Super Sports need replacing.
Note that these are classified as “extreme performance tires”, meaning that they won’t perform very well in cold weather and rain. As a matter of fact, Toyo doesn’t even recommend using these tires in rain or temperatures below 42 degrees fahrenheit. However, here in Southern California, we have very little rain (and cold temps) so that’s why I’m choosing these for my next set of tires.
Michelin Pilot Sport Cups
Yes, these are the same tires that come standard on legendary cars such as the Porsche 911. As a matter of fact, the Pilot Sport Cups have built a very good reputation in the automotive enthusiast community, and it seems to be at the top of the list for high performance driving enthusiasts.
- The Pilot Sport Cup is Michelins Streetable Track & Competition tire originally developed for Original Equipment use on the Ferrari 458 Speciale, Mercedes SLS AMG Coupe Black Series and Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid super sports car.
- Designed to provide faster circuit times and consistent performance lap after lap, the Pilot Sport Cup allows these supercars to achieve their full potential in dry conditions.
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
The Michelin Pilot Sport Cups will give your Mustang copious amounts of grip in the corners compared to the tires that it came from the factory with. Most drivers say that it completely changed the dynamic of their car for the better. Again, just be sure to read the reviews on Tire Rack to find out if it’s the right tire for your driving style.
Best tires for Mustang drivers looking for all-season performance
I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I’ve got a pretty good suspicion that this is the category that most people care about. After all, most people buy a Mustang because it’s more sporty and fun than other models. Not only that, most of the places where Mustangs are sold in this world have four very different seasons. The following are the best tires for Mustang owners who drive their cars year-round:
Michelin Pilot Super Sports
These are the tires that I currently have on my 2012 mustang GT. Of course I got them from Tire Rack (I bought them pre-installed with a set of Sparco Pro Corsa’s since they make the process of bundling tires and wheels so easy). As a matter of fact, I probably never would’ve considered these tires if their comparison tools and extensive reviews didn’t leave me down this path. These have been fantastic tires for my GT, and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase.
- The Pilot Super Sport is Michelins Max Performance Summer tire initially introduced as Original Equipment on several of the worlds most sophisticated performance vehicles, including the exclusive, limited-edition Ferrari 599 GTO, Ferrari's fastest road car ever.
- Developed for drivers who care about how tire technology enhances their vehicles performance and safety, Pilot Super Sport tires expand the Max Performance Summer tire performance envelope by delivering durability, handling and traction while increasing tread life.
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
I’m going to do a full review of these tires soon, but for now let me just say this: I am a fairly aggressive driver, and the Pilot Super Sports are still looking great after 4000 miles. All the reviews that I read said that they would likely need replacing after 8000 miles, but I think I’m going to get well beyond that out of this set.
These are the best set of tires that I’ve ever put on one of my Mustangs. For spirited daily driving, they can’t be beat.
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season
In order to keep my recommendations varied and balanced, I can’t help but to recommend the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season’s as a good choice for Mustang drivers who drive aggressively but need all-season performance. Not only are they likely to satisfy most enthusiasts, they are very economically priced as well. It’s a pretty good balance of performance vs cost in my opinion.
- All-Season tire developed for the drivers of sports cars, sporty coupes and powerful performance sedans who want to enjoy driving their cars any time of the year.
- Designed to meet challenging road conditions with confidence-inspiring all-season traction, even in light snow.
- The compound is molded into an asymmetric tread design featuring specific dry and all-season zones to combine race-inspired handling in warm weather with all-season traction in cold temperatures.
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
FYI, these are likely the tires that I would get for my Mustang if I lived anywhere other than California.
Best Mustang tires for drivers who care about economy the most
Just so you know, I define economy as both the cost of the tire and how economical they are on the car (in both fuel savings and overall life expectancy). According to this Wikipedia, nearly 70% of all mustangs sold are non-V-8 models. This, I assume, means that the majority of Mustang drivers care about things like fuel economy and keeping costs lower as opposed to high-performance driving. Yeah, I know it’s dangerous to make assumptions, but I’m doing it anyway.
Here are the best Mustang tires for drivers looking to save a few bucks, while still getting decently high performance:
| Image | Name | Brand | Intended Use | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | g-Force Sport COMP-2 | BFGoodrich | All Season | Check Price |
 | G-MAX RS | General | All Season | Check Price |
 | S FIT AS | Laufenn | All Season | Check Price |
 | Majesty 9 Solus TA91 | Kumho | All Season | Check Price |
One final thing to note about trying to find good (but cheap) tires for your Mustang: Tire Rack has a powerful search feature which will help you narrow down all the choices by cost and life expectancy. I highly recommend taking advantage of those tools to make sure you’re getting the set of tires to fit your exact criteria.
Are there any brands of tires worth avoiding?
In my opinion, no. The thing you’ve got to watch out for is bad reviews on brands you’ve never heard of before. Even while doing the research for this article, I came across a handful of brands that I have never heard of before. I dug a little deeper, and to my amazement, some of these no-name tire brands seem to be getting decent reviews.
A perfect example of this is my recommendation of the Laufenn S FIT AS (above). This is a brand of tire that I have never heard of before, and after doing some research, I discovered that it would be a perfectly fine choice for my next set of tires. There’s no way that I would’ve recommended these tires if the majority of what I saw online was negative comments and links to sketchy safety and reliability reports.
If you do enough research, you’re likely to find a great set a tires for a really great price from a brand that you’ve never heard of before.
Who makes the best tires for the Ford Mustang?
I know this isn’t what you want to hear but…it depends. It depends on your personal driving style and the conditions in which you usually drive in. The Mustang is an incredibly popular car here in the US (duh), and a driver in Arizona is more than likely going to need a different tire from a driver in Massachusetts. Even if they share the same driving style.
My best recommendation is to shop at for your tires based on the kind of driving you do and NOT by the brand or style. You’re more likely to be satisfied with your purchase that way, and that’s really important since a new set a tires can cost more than a cheap used car. Shop smart and listen to the reviews!
A few final words about buying tires for your Mustang
I get it. We’re all strapped for cash every now and then, and we naturally gravitate towards the cheapest option available. However, when it comes to tires, cheaper is not always better. You certainly don’t have to spend in exorbitant amount of money on a set a tires, but you do have be sure to purchase a set which has a high safety rating.
After all, no matter if you are a super-aggressive driver who rips away from every stoplight sideways in a plume of smoke, or you’re simply concerned about getting from point A to point B as safely as possible, safety is of the upmost importance.
Tires are literally the connection between your car and the road. As much as I don’t want to end this article on a downer, let me just say this: your life (and the lives of everyone in your car) will depend on the tires you choose.
Cue the sappy violin music…
