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| CorvetteBob | What tires to get? | ||
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Elite Guru
 
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Since I'm not gonna be selling the Vette, I should at least think about some tires. The bridgestones I have now are about 15 years old, and with good tread, but I'm hearing that tires that old can and will have problems.
So what's the good brand these days guys? I'll need 'em in 275's(9-1/2") for the front and 315's(11") for the back. |
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 6:38
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| BillH | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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The Stig Moderator
 
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It's almost like asking what's the best Corvette color. Almost everyone's opinion is different.
What wheel size, BTW? The selection on some, like 17's, isn't as large as it used to be. And what are you looking for? Price- Lo, Midrange, doesn't matter? Wet traction? Long wearing? Handling? I need 8 tires, sucks, the p/u & the C4. The C4's got B.F.Goodrich KDWS on, they wear really well, high wet traction but noisy. I may switch to KDW but am looking at others. Bridgestones are always good, had them on the p/u when i got it. Switched tp BFG's and put 48k on the so far but they're starting to show small cracks on the sidewalls. I'm happy with 50k out of a set especially for the price. I'd click on TireRack here and search you're year. But, I've noticed that I can save $50-$75 mounted and balanced by going to Big-O or Discount Tires who have stores here. Summit also has some decent prices but like TR, you have to figure in shipping, mounting, etc. I also have "Wheel Fever", looking at packages shipped with the tires mounted on something shiny.  |
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 13:19
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| 1Fast04Vert | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Sumos are the cheapest in the sizes you need. Not a great tire, but fine for a DD.
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 13:23
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| biggrizzly | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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2011 Memorial Day Car Show Winner!
 
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Best bang for the buck in my opinion is the Sumitomos.
I have them on my car now and a couple other guys I know have them as well. I only have a few thousand miles on mine but they drive smoother and quieter than my old Kumhos Ecstas and Pontenzas. They may not be the best track day tire but they have worked at a few autocross events and for daily driving just fine. The 315s are about 1.5" narrower than some other 315s out there but that is good because they don't hang out as far. If money was no object, I'd probably be looking at Michelin Pilot Sports. They are awesome tires. A lot of guys use the Nittos and Kumhos for Autocross... so many options out there depending on budget and intended use. |
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 13:35
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| CorvetteBob | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Elite Guru
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I've been looking at the options like you guys suggest, and my p/u needs tires soon as well. I've been looking at the Tirerack selection, and it not great. To make things worse, I'm running the 11" rears that narrow the selection even more. I really don't want to pay $1000+ for rubber, but I don't want junk either.
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 13:38
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| BillH | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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The Stig Moderator
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Bob, I's seeing $560 out the door, mounted, tax for the pickup for the same tires I'm running. BFG Long Trail Touring 255/70-16. About $150 more for the Bridgestones.
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 13:52
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| teebee | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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2014 Memorial Day Car Show Winner!
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There just aren't that many 315/35-17's any more.
What about VREDESTEIN TIRE ULTRAC SESSANTA they are an interesting tire and they are available in 275/40 and 315/35. Looks like they are going to push that $1k barrier though. |
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 14:57
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| SpectatorRacing | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Quote:
The C4's got B.F.Goodrich KDWS on, they wear really well, high wet traction but noisy. I may switch to KDW but am looking at others. This is exactly what I was going to suggest with the exact same comment. Awesome tire but a little noisy on the highway. Actually, I would also go with the KDW and skip the "S". Quote:
I have stacks of used tires in 315/17. I can ship them if you like  |
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 15:18
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| josephf31 | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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I also recommend the Sumitomos. Have them on my '91 and I am very happy with them. I even bought Sumis for my '07 Sonata. Joe |
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 15:43
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| BillH | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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The Stig Moderator
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Yea, the "S" is mud & snow rated. And has a different tread. |
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 15:51
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| Jeffvette | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Sumitomos are dirt cheap and adequate for a DD tire. Don't expect the best adhesion. I would ditch the rear 17x11's and find another set of 17 x 9.5's.
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 16:16
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| bogus | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Whatever you do, be sure to use the Tire Rack link through on the left margin. Every little bit helps keep the Guru up and running!
Same for brakes from them too, or, other things from Amazon or whatnot. Reinforce that - ANYTHING from Amazon. If you link through to Amazon from the Guru, we get a small percentage on every purchase. |
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 16:21
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| flyboy | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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I'm real happy with my Nitto's, but the 315's are about $200 apiece. Since a lot of the tires come from Japan, I wonder if availability or price has been affected yet? I read somewhere that it would be.
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 16:53
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| screamin_conure | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Senior Guru
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FWIW, when I bought my car it had a recent set of Toyo Proxes 4s installed. I like them. I've put about 5,000 miles on them myself and they still look pretty much like new. Lots of tread left. Fairly smooth and quiet ride, and the car handles like a go-cart. Even wet weather handling isn't bad.
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 17:46
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| SpectatorRacing | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Absolutely. Try getting some Toyo's. Don't know about other brands, but there are already shortages. |
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 17:47
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| BillH | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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I took 54 slicks to the dump last year. Cost me $4.50 each.  |
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 17:52
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| 1Fast04Vert | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Toyo's are made right here in GA, actually in the same town I live in. |
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Posted on: 2011/5/4 19:40
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| SJW | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Guru
 
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Both of my C4s had Michelin Pilot Sports on them when I bought the cars, and they have been fantastic. I recently installed a fresh set on my LT4 car, and that's what'll go on my '94 when the time comes. These tires are quiet, they grip like stink, and they last a very long time for performance tires. I've gotten over 30,000 miles on each of two sets so far. They aren't cheap, but if you plan to keep the car for the next 25K-plus miles, the price tends to level out versus cheaper tires that won't last as long.
Live well, SJW |
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Posted on: 2011/5/5 0:45
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| bogus | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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I have had great success with the prior Kumho's, however, the latest ones are not that great. Sticky, for sure, but not very long lived and rather noisy.
One worry... the 17" sizes are being phased out by the tire makers. I suspect the 275/40/17 will be available for a while yet, but 315s will be damned near impossible to get. I got this tidbit from the Michelin tire engineer at the LBGP. Essentially, tire makers don't want their tires to age on the shelf. So they only make batches that sell and sell quickly. As cars equipped with smaller rims start to age out, the tire selection will get tighter and tighter, until we are like the poor folks with 16" rims and are limited to either 1 BFG or going to Coker for a repop. Trust me, you don't want to do Coker if you can avoid it. EXPENSIVE doesn't even come close at times. I will add, all tires marked Michelin that Coker sells are still made by Michelin, just in smaller bespoke batches. Volumes that someone like Coker can sell within the 1 year shelf life. For example, if I was j3studio, and doing the entire NCRS thing, I would get a set of 18" aftermarket rims with modern rubber for cruises and driving, and keep the original style gatorbacks, on the original sawblades, wrapped in plastic, pickled in tire dressing, hidden in a dark corner of the garage. The goal? Keep ozone away. I am going to be upgrading rims on bastet44's 87 when I get it back on the road, and because of this change in tire availablity, I am leaning towards 18" rims. Then again, I suspect 275/40/17s will be around for a while, the Corvette used them for eons, F-bodies, Mustangs and other performance cars, so 17" rims might be ok. There are over 500k cars on the road with that tire size, too big a market to ignore! Now, options might become limited, but they should be avalible. As for Toyo's, they are a very nice tire. I had a set and they were very nice. Rode great, handled nice, quiet and lasted 35k miles. Other than price, I would recommend them, however, for nearly the same $$, I can get Michelin. |
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Posted on: 2011/5/5 1:28
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| CorvetteBob | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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I hit the link and ordered the Sumi's from TR. In the end, price was the deciding factor |
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Posted on: 2011/5/5 3:32
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| bogus | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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Yay!
The Sumi's will serve you just fine. |
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Posted on: 2011/5/5 6:15
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| klkordzi | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Guru Newb
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I just picked up 4 Raptor's from Summit. They were $444 with S&H etc. Some research I did online indicated that Michelin makes them.
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Posted on: 2011/5/7 15:54
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| Matatk | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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I have riken raptors and like them. I think they are comparable to the kuhmos I replaced. Matthew |
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Posted on: 2011/5/7 21:58
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| jonszr1 | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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i have used the goodyear dg3s for 7 years. i guess i love that big v tread pattern with the 11 in rears . i have averaged 30k on the rear and changed the fronts out a 60k because they were 4 years old . they are about 950 mounted and they grip real nice even in the rain . at the strip they suck like most street tires
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Posted on: 2011/5/8 8:13
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| 85RedSled | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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sumi 315-35-17 for $139.99 and free shipping at americanmuscle.com. Dont be shocked, its a mustang site. Best prices I have found.
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Posted on: 2011/5/17 0:27
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| bogus | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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What Mustang uses 315's? Without a tub job, I can't believe they would fit!
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Posted on: 2011/5/17 1:28
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| jdtireman | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Senior Guru
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First off I gotta say tires have been my business for the past 23 years. The thing you have to remember with tires is you truly get what you pay for. If you want consistent performance through the life of the tread, buy a quality name brand tire: BST, FST, MIC, BFG, Toyo. All the rest, you are taking a chance. For a set of 17" tires front and rear on C4 you will probably pay close to a grand mounted and balanced. Tire rack seems to have pretty good selection and prices. I had Sumitomos on my 93 and swapped them for new FST Firehawks. In my mind, the Firehawk is just about the perfect tire for a C4, excellent perfromance wet or dry at a fair price. All that said, buy the best tire you can afford no matter what vehicle. This is not the place to save $$ by making a compromise.
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Posted on: 2011/5/17 11:34
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| 85RedSled | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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I dunno what would use this tire, maybe some of the GTs or sumthin. I dont know jack about a Stang. A CF memeber posted the link to the site and when I compared to Tirerack there wasnt an issue. Called the company to check on dates and both tires were made in March this year. Tire dating is another issue for me. While my car is a DD I dont drive alot meaning if I bought a 70K mile tire it would be hard and useless before I wore them out. I think it depends on your use of your Vette. Buy what you want but you may end up throwing away tread. If you track your car buy the best for sure but as a run around town, 75mph interstate tire the Sumis are a great value and will wear out about the time they are dated out as well. My .02 anyway. |
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Posted on: 2011/5/17 15:32
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| josephf31 | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Quote:
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Posted on: 2011/5/17 15:40
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| SpectatorRacing | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Are there websites for that? I've having trouble meeting the right tire... |
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Posted on: 2011/5/17 19:25
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| josephf31 | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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 I think maybe "TireRack" could have some attractive prospects... :-) |
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Posted on: 2011/5/17 21:41
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| jdtireman | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Senior Guru
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It pretty easy to determine the age of your tires. Find the DOT number, usually close to the bead area. This number is typically 11 characters long and the the letter "DOT" usually are printed very near to the number. Here is a sample - DOT:EK4F 6PN 4410. If you saw this numer you would know that your tire was made in the 44 week of 2010. So just look at the last four numbers in the group and that indicates the week and year of production. Just because a tire is old does not neccessarily mean it should be removed from service. Look at the overall condition of the tire, paying special attention to the sidewalls and the base of the tread between the tread grooves. If you see deterioration in the tread grooves (cracking) or ozone damage on the sidewalls (also cracking) then replacment is advised. Also if the tread depth is 4/32 or less, change 'em.
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Posted on: 2011/5/17 23:09
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| BillH | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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The Stig Moderator
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Real good point about the cracking, Jim. We also see it a lot on the car trailer tires that sit in the sun a lot. The tread will look almost new but if there's cracks, we change them.
We really listen to our tire guy at the track, he's a wealth of info and has been around forever. But we take new treaded tires and cut all the tread off except 3/32. |
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Posted on: 2011/5/17 23:54
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| kenvetted | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Guru Newb
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I live in Los Angeles I want a performance tire that will last. Thinking about - g-Force T/A KDW 2 - I think that is what Andy is running... But since I rarely see rain and never snow, it may not be the best pick, plus at a 300 aaa it may not be that sticky.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.j ... e=BFGoodrich&tireModel=g- Force+T%2FA+KDW+2&partnum=74YR7GFTAKDW2&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Chevrolet&autoYear=1991&autoModel=Corvette&autoModClar= But I am also interested in these: Sumitomo HTR Z they are a 160AA Should be a little stickier. But I am open to all types of suggestions. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.j ... del=Corvette&autoModClar= Thanks for any advice... Ken |
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Posted on: 2013/11/28 6:47
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| BillH | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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The Stig Moderator
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Almost 2 different goals, Ken but sounds like you know that. Obviously, the BFG's have double the quality rating. The Sumi's will wear out quicker. How are you going to use the tires? Occasional spirited driving on back roads? Do some track events? Just want a performance tire with good life (performance value vs cost) ? When I looked at tires for my 92 a couple years ago, I wasn't happy with the pricing on almost everything since I run the car on the racetrack 6-10 times per year. I wasn't looking for something extremely sticky because I don't run for points (I'm an instructor and don't need sticky to go fast). I threw a set of Hankooks on for $530 out the door and am very satisfied in the bang for the buck. |
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Posted on: 2013/11/28 13:42
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| bogus | Re: What tires to get? | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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Ken... numbers lie...
Just because the BFGs have a higher tread life doesn't mean they are not sticky. First off, next time you come over, you can take mine for a lap... tell me what you think. Secondly, BFG is part of the Michelin Group. They get some of the best hand-me-down technology in the WORLD. This means their polymer technology has to be years ahead whatever Sumitomo is using. I figure it this way: Michelin, Bridgestone and Pirelli are the last three F1 tire suppliers. Michelin is THE tire for road racing, and get this, Team Corvette can, at times, triple stint their racing tire, without loss of mechanical grip. In the world of tires, numbers can and do, lie... it's about the performance of the tire, overall, not just the specs. This is the entire depth of thought process that went into my decision to go back to BFG. I had been a regular BFG customer for many years, but then they revamped their line and the prices went way up for what I wanted. I switched to Kuhmo for a while and was ok with that... but the last set I bought, the MX series, simply didn't hold up. Again, I went to Kumho for the racing background. Perhaps not F1, but still racing. In between, I won a set of Toyo's from Speed Channel! I like the Toyo's but they are expensive and not what I call a good value. Felt good, drove fine, but not worth the price point. I then bought the Kuhmo MX's and those were very bad, only lasted about 10k miles. I currently have at least 10k miles on the BFGs and they are just fantastic. Again, next time you come over... you can take mine for a lap and tell me what you think. Nothing but empirical evidence to clear the air. Also, the tires you have are so damned old, they are dangerous... very dangerous... |
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Posted on: 2013/11/28 16:04
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