REVIEW: BF Goodrich Radial T/A Tires are Still Great for Classics and Cruisers
52 years after a Trans-Am racing debut, BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires are perfect for folks running 13, 14, and 15-inch wheels… IF this one issue doesn’t hold you back.
There’s a tire for every enthusiast. When I’m roaring around in my Boss 302 or LS3-swapped Roadmaster Wagon, I reach for Michelin Pilot Sport performance tires. If I’m heading out to the trails to review a 4×4, I hope to see NITTO Grappler or Goodyear Wranglers. And, if I’m cruising the coast in my Fox Body or another classic on original 15-inch wheels, the BF Goodrich Radial T/A officially just became my go-to tire.
Yeah, you know the name. Smoking in the wake of 60s muscle car revelry. The official rubber of rockin’ 70s vans. And shoes for 80s TV icons like the General Lee. Black sidewall. Raised white letters. Squared off. Chunky tread. A tried and true legend.
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And so it came to be, after years of drooling over those infamous white letters, I finally snagged a set for review on my 1987 Mercury Cougar XR-7. Here’s everything I’ve experienced.
5 Decades of Radial T/A Heritage
The BF Goodrich Radial T/A debuted in 1970 alongside a clever marketing stunt. According to Hot Rod Magazine, BFG’s marketing teams convinced T/G Racing to run their new street tire in a few Trans-Am races in the fall of 1970. With some minor modifications (shaving the tread to reduce heat build-up), Radial T/A-equipped Firebirds (aka the Tirebirds) managed to win a bunch of races — on dry days and wet — besting race-designed tires.
And so a legend was born.
52 years later, the Radial T/A lives on, following a handful of generational updates. The current iteration is an all-season performance tire with (light) snow and mud capability. BF Goodrich offers a standard 6-year limited warranty, but no specific mileage guarantee. Currently available in 23 different sizes for 13, 14, and 15-inch wheels, load ratings vary by size, ranging from 82 to 108 (aka, from 1,019 lbs to 2,205 lbs). The series’ S speed rating is good for a 112mph top speed.
For context, modern performance tires top out at 186mph (ZR + Y rated). A metric made possible by blending new radial construction with a variety of tread patterns and compounds on wider, low-profile tires wrapped around 18-inch or larger rims.
To quote Stephen King, the world has moved on.
The Radial T/A is no longer the apex performance tire. And for those running old-school wheels, performance tire selection has dwindled to a few brands, leaving a rather large niche market for BF Goodrich to happily fill.
Our Tester Fox Body (Sorry, Not That One)
As a Ford fan, you probably already know the Fox Body Platform. Following a decade of no-power Pinto-based Mustangs, Ford brought back the 5.0L V8 in a light, unibody platform that was the most aerodynamic in the company’s history. A feature that helped the Mustang meet EPA standards of the time as well as set new performance benchmarks. The Fox Body Mustang ran from 1979 to 1993 (although you’ll find its underpinnings continue through 2004).
But the Fox Body platform was more than just Mustangs.
Meet my fox, a 1987 Mercury Cougar XR-7. This T-Bird sibling is effectively a longer, heavier Mustang that blends 87-93 aero Mustang looks with a 1986 Mustang GT powertrain. She ain’t fast, but she was my first. And so, as she turns 35 this year, she’s been with me for about 25 of those celestial revolutions. She sits a lot, so when the time came for her fourth set of 225/60R-15 shoes, there was one name at the top of my list.
Radial T/A — Performance & Ride Quality
As we get into the heart of this review, please note that I live in Southern California and never drive this car in the rain, so I have no idea how these tires handle the wet. Also, let’s keep historical context in mind. If you want an aggressive tire for things like drag racing, track driving, or high-speed canyon carving, get something more modern. (Which probably means larger wheels.)
In other words, the more power and/or speed on tap, the less I recommend these tires. Not because they’re bad… but because they’re for a more specific application. Cruisers. Classics. Drivers. You know, normal cars and trucks that haven’t been turned into fire-spewing, Coyote-swapped dragsters and/or autocross slayers. Make sense?
Because inside this box of classics and cruisers, I adore the BF Goodrich Radial T/A.
What a shame to have waited so long. These are the best tires this car has ever had in terms of performance and ride quality. How so? Let’s talk grip. Obviously, with the standard 5.0, the Cougar doesn’t struggle for traction like H.O. Mustangs. But the Radial T/As are stickier than my previous tires when it’s burnout o’clock, if you catch my drift. And, as any Fox Body owner can attest, these cars are known to push (understeer) in hard corners. And yet, for the first time in literal decades, I can crank the wheel and feel my cat plant her weight and rotates around those sharp turns.
Again, this ain’t racecar-level maneuvering. But this 35-year-old suspension has never gripped this well when pushed this hard. That being said, yes, you will feel the tire flex and hear some squeal. It’s not massive flex, but it’s unlike modern sports cars. Still, with its old-school suspension — beefed up for the XR-7 model, kinda like the GT, but soft by modern standards — the car really hangs on in a very manageable, predictable way.
In terms of overall ride quality, again, I’m in love. You know that moment when you upgrade your springs and shocks and the damping is just perfect? Not too stiff, not too soft. Putting on the BF Goodrich tires made my Cougar feel young again. Planted. Smooth. Quiet. Comfortable. Ready to cruise the coast for date night or cars n’ coffee.
It’s a sensation that’s firm without any roughness, and perfect for this imperfect survivor.
FYI, if you’re looking for a max performance tire on your OEM Fox Body rims, I’ve heard of one option, but it’s really, really expensive. Aficionados will likely know the Goodyear Eagle as the OEM Fox Body Mustang GT tire. And, crazy enough, they still kinda make them. A company called Kesley Tires, which specializes in making brand new vintage tires, produces a P225/60-VR15 Goodyear Eagle (Gatorback) performance summer tire.
With the VR speed rating, they’re good for 130mph and have a relatively more modern tread pattern. This is probably the most accurate, performance-oriented tire left on the market for 80s cars. But they cost a whopping $385 to $450 per tire (assuming they’re actually in stock).
For context, Radial T/A pricing on the size we’re reviewing — 225/60R15 — runs from about $150 to $190 per tire.
The One Issue
If there’s any legitimate complaint to be made about the Radial T/As, it’s purely visual. More specifically, unlike previous generations of this tire, current iterations *may* suffer from a browning condition on the white lettering.
Before we get to the issue at hand, let’s back up just a touch… There are two reasons why any tire may present itself with a brown exterior. Exterior elements — think brake dust, over-application of tire shine, and road grime. And interior elements. According to BF Goodrich, modern tires —
include protective agents to retard the natural degradation of the rubber over time, which can occur when exposed to the sun and to ozone present in the air. These protective agents are designed to slowly migrate to the surface over time in order to provide continual protection over the intended lifespan of the tire. Under normal circumstances the protectants are not noticeable on black rubber or on white rubber. However, under certain circumstances, these protective agents may become noticeable over time as yellowing or browning due to interaction with ozone. The contrast may be most notable on white rubber. Discoloration of the white rubber is not a warrantable condition.
In other words, while the chemical makeup of a tire varies between brands and tire types, modern tires tend to turn brown over time as the build-up of exterior and interior elements present themselves. This is called BLOOMING.
Typically, I use Chemical Guys Orange Degreaser or Nonsense Invisible Super Cleaner to remove blooming and they do a fantastic job in most scenarios. But the Radial T/A situation is actually a little different. Again, to quote BF Goodrich —
The micro-thin outer surface of the white rubber is designed to photo-oxidize when exposed to sunlight. Rain, car washing and even the flexing of a rolling tire will progressively remove these oxidized particles from the white rubber.
So the problem some owners face with Radial T/A tires is that many classic vehicles are garaged, driven rarely, and avoid sun exposure. In other words, protecting the car prevents the tire’s full chemical process from occurring naturally, which leaves the white letters brown. (And angry 1-star reviews.)
How To Fix Brown Letters on Radial T/A Tires
Each BF Goodrich Radial T/A tire has 19 white characters. And, after about six months of ownership, 8 or 9 of these characters across all four tires developed some browning. My go-to degreasers worked wonders on the black portions of the sidewalls, but the brown characters remained. In these cases, BF Goodrich recommends:
Cleaning Option 1: Use common steel wool soap pads (such as Brillo or S.O.S. brands) with water on the white rubber to gently remove surface discoloration until the white color is restored. Be sure to rinse thoroughly to remove any remaining cleaning particles.
Cleaning Option 2: Use wet sanding paper (400 grit) with water and mild soap on the white rubber to gently remove surface discoloration until the white color is restored. Be sure to rinse thoroughly to remove any remaining cleaning particles.
BFGoodrich Tires does not recommend any powered cleaning methods, either by mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, etc.
Before and After — Click on either image to see a larger file.
Following BFG’s instructions, I used a Brillo pad to lightly clean the brown off the white lettering on our tires. I spent about five minutes on the ‘T/A’ pictured above, and much less time on the other few letters. The results are pretty good, but imperfect for those with an eye toward perfection. In other words, the results work for my needs, but those with a concourse quality restoration or high-end build may be dissatisfied.
BF Goodrich Radial T/A Final Thoughts
After a few hundred miles, my humble Cougar cruises on in style. There’s just something about white letter tires on old school cars — be they 60s-era muscle or Radwood-era nouveau classics — that add a visual pop to the whole ride, evoking those bygone times.
In terms of performance, despite revisions over the years, there’s no mistaking the Radial T/A for a modern performance tire. Especially with a 225/60R15 sidewall. And yet, for the right applications, the Radial T/A is still fantastic. Smooth. Comfortable. Quiet. And with solid amounts of grip across acceleration, braking, and hard turns.
There is that brown lettering issue to discuss, but if you aren’t looking for concourse perfection, it’s been relatively easy to correct in my experience. Plus, apparently, the best way to counteract/prevent browning is to actually drive and enjoy your car in sunlight, which is a good reminder to actually enjoy your classic.
In short, the BF Goodrich Radial T/A is perfect for old-school cruisers, trucks, vans, or muscle car applications where ultimate performance isn’t the goal. My only regret? Not grabbing a set of these sooner.
Photos by Michael S. Palmer
