GS-D3 demise rumor,( again! )?

[tomtom72]

Anyone hear that G/Yr is thinking ( again ) about discontinuing the D3's????

I got that from a G/Yr dealer on Tuesday. G/Yr went through this thought process back in 07 (?) which was the last time the supply of D3's ran out and we all were waiting for the new run to begin. The last time Harold, from TN, had a relative that was a G/Yr dealer & the skinny was that G/Yr was indeed thinking about discontinuing the D3's at that time, but changed their corporate mind on the subject.

On a somewhat related subject, does anyone know where I can find wheel offset numbers for the C6 ZO6 wheels? I would have thought that those guys would be organized like we are and have a "Suspension Chart" with that info....but I can't find any thing like our chart.:cry:

wonder how much aluminum is worth per lb. at the scrap yard?:icon_scra

[ScottZ95ZR1]

Hi Tom!

Tire rack is advertising an estimated availability date in Jan '11 for the 315 GSD3 and the fronts are in stock.
I remember a couple of years ago , for a long period of time, their site just showed backorder with no sign of hope. So, maybe that's a good sign?

I think the C6Z OEM front wheels are 18x9.5 with a +40mm offset & rears are 19x12 with a +59 mm offset.
Dom has a couple very informative threads posted regarding their fitment and they sure look awesome on his car.

[FU]

The availability of good tires for are cars looks to be a permanent on going problem.The C6 ZO6 rims fit our cars but the rear wheels need 16mm spacers. Racing (hardened) studs should be used also. The spacers are available from http://www.wheeladapter.com/wheel_spacers.php at reasonable cost.
*Thanks go's out to Dom for the info.

With switching over to the C6 ZO6 18/19 wheel combo for the ZR1 now opens up much more MODERN TIRE TECHNOLOGY that our cars so desperately need.

I had the Goodyear F1 S/C tire on the 93 which at the time the tires were put on the car was the cat's meow. The same tires were offered at that time on the new C6's. After a few thousand miles the F1's grip and ride horribly and are noisey as hell. Those tires along with the GSD3 have since been compared to antiques. With the new Nitto and Michilin's etc. that are available in the C6 sizes makes the rim change a very worth while mod for me.Think safety first.

Another benefit of switching over to the C6 rims is we would now be able to easily switch over to the C6ZO6 brakes that are becoming plentiful and relatively inexpensive for upgraded brakes.

++++Sorry for duplicating Scott , internet timing is everything++++

[AT T 2D]

After seeing the January 2011 date on Tire Rack I contacted Goodyear corporate and was told they will most likely not be produced again. I went with the Nitto 555's.

[xlr8nflorida]

After seeing the January 2011 date on Tire Rack I contacted Goodyear corporate and was told they will most likely not be produced again. I went with the Nitto 555's.

I love my nit to 555r's

[1990 quasar blue]

I love my nit to 555r's

Discount tire direct also carries the NT-01 and NT-05 in stock ZR-1 sizes. The 01 is more of a track tire, but a lot of people like them on the street as well. That being said, they look like death traps in the rain.

[TFENT]

I am happy with my Nitto 555's too

[jrtoffroad]

Man I hope we don't run out of good tires for 17's...I'd hate to change rims, I've always loved the look of the ZR-1 5-spokes!

[1990 quasar blue]

The availability of good tires for are cars looks to be a permanent on going problem.The C6 ZO6 rims fit our cars but the rear wheels need 16mm spacers. Racing (hardened) studs should be used also. The spacers are available from http://www.wheeladapter.com/wheel_spacers.php at reasonable cost.
*Thanks go's out to Dom for the info.

With switching over to the C6 ZO6 18/19 wheel combo for the ZR1 now opens up much more MODERN TIRE TECHNOLOGY that our cars so desperately need.

I had the Goodyear F1 S/C tire on the 93 which at the time the tires were put on the car was the cat's meow. The same tires were offered at that time on the new C6's. After a few thousand miles the F1's grip and ride horribly and are noisey as hell. Those tires along with the GSD3 have since been compared to antiques. With the new Nitto and Michilin's etc. that are available in the C6 sizes makes the rim change a very worth while mod for me.Think safety first.

Another benefit of switching over to the C6 rims is we would now be able to easily switch over to the C6ZO6 brakes that are becoming plentiful and relatively inexpensive for upgraded brakes.

++++Sorry for duplicating Scott , internet timing is everything++++

Frank, would you feel comfortable with the spacers at high speed? That's my only worry. There are some great deals on OEM Z06 wheels on the other site right now. About the same price as A-mold replicas but, I would assume without the extra weight. Also, any suggestions on what to get for wheel studs?
Thanks

[xlr8nflorida]

I think there is too much worrying go on about the 17s.

I put on the nit to 555r and have 6 piston Baer 6s calipers with drilled slotted eradispeed 2 piece rotors - works great.

There are still options for 17s.

[threestar40]

I think there is too much worrying go on about the 17s.

I put on the nit to 555r and have 6 piston Baer 6s calipers with drilled slotted eradispeed 2 piece rotors - works great.

There are still options for 17s.

I agree...I'm running NT01's on the street...c'mon...it's a dry weather car 99% of the time...If your driving in the rain your not in performance mode anyway.

Vredesteins aren't terrible...any word on those? They look bad, but perform just fine. What about Sumitomo?

Rick :usa:

[FU]

Frank, would you feel comfortable with the spacers at high speed? That's my only worry. There are some great deals on OEM Z06 wheels on the other site right now. About the same price as A-mold replicas but, I would assume without the extra weight. Also, any suggestions on what to get for wheel studs?
Thanks

High speed with hardened studs shouldn't be any problem. Wheel studs should be easy find at GMPP or Jeg's etc. I'll try Nitto Invo's 285/18 & 345/19's these are the same as on my ZO6 and they stick quite well. All 4 tires can be bought for a little over 1K delivered. So for me it's a no brainer.......cept where to get the cash :mad:

[-=Jeff=-]

So for me it's a no brainer.......cept where to get the cash :mad:

You still waiting for your 'Bailout' Money too


:mad:

J/K I know what you mean

[tomtom72]

sorry for being absent from this thread after starting it!:o

Okay, now I want to thank everyone for the valuable input. I looked up Dom's thread about the C6/ZO6 wheels the other day. Thank you Dom for sharing the skinny.

Okay so that's two people that got it from G/Yr dealers that the D3's are history. I hate to say this, but wet grip means more to me than dry grip....yes I do use mine in the rain. Okay you can flame me but once you drive on D3's in the wet you really will not feel safe on many other tires. Not to start a debate, but if you watch F1 &/or any road racing the semi-wet tires in use today are almost exact copies of the D3 tread pattern. At normal public road speeds that pattern moves water to the side only and traps almost no water under the tread blocks. Okay, rant over. Sorry!
Please, please, please Mr. Goodyear don't do this.:pray

Stupid Question session:
Why do we need to use spacers with the ZO6 wheels? To clear our rear calipers & suspension parts, right? If so, do we need 16 mm or can we go thinner?

Which kind of spacer is safer to use? Just a spacer that fits our studs, albeit with longer studs like hardened ARP or Moroso studs?

Or, I've seen spacers that have their own studs and holes to fit over the studs already on the hub....I assume that our stock lug nuts tighten into a counter sunk hole?

:o Sorry for all these stupid Q's. :o

I assume that the costlier way to do a wheel change is to call some one like CCW and have them make wheels in 18/19 with our offsets, right?:icon_scra

TIA
:cheers:
Tom

[ScottZ95ZR1]

I hate to say this, but wet grip means more to me than dry grip....yes I do use mine in the rain. Okay you can flame me but once you drive on D3's in the wet you really will not feel safe on many other tires. Not to start a debate, but if you watch F1 &/or any road racing the semi-wet tires in use today are almost exact copies of the D3 tread pattern. At normal public road speeds that pattern moves water to the side only and traps almost no water under the tread blocks. Okay, rant over. Sorry!
Please, please, please Mr. Goodyear don't do this.:pray

I had the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires and liked them very much. I didn't drive them in the rain but have read they do very well in the wet.

I only mention them as they are available in 17" if you go up to 335. Just another option for those wanting to stay with their OEM wheels and know they'll see rain.

[HIZNHRZ]

I've been running Michelin Pilots for more than 10 years (no, not the same set). They are not much for drag racing but I've always been pleased with their wet and dry road performance.

[ZRapid-1]

This thread has good timing. I also planned on buying the Goodyear GS-D3's after talking to other owners and doing some research. They seemed to be the best replacement available.

Tire Rack was showing the rears available in January - which was perfect as I was going to replace all 4 tires in the spring.
That doesn’t appear to be the case..

I wrote directly to Goodyear and received the following reply:


From: goodyear_cr@goodyear.com on 11/03/2010 10:12 AM

Sent by: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Consumer Relations 728 1144 East
Market Street Akron, OH 44316 Voice #: 800.321.2136 Fax #:
330.796.6829


Thank you for contacting us through our website.

The Eagle F1 GS-D3 in size 275/40R17 shows currently on back-order with no
production date scheduled. There are currently approximately 92 available
nationwide at our various company owned locations. The eagle F1 GS-D3 in
size 315/35R17 shows currently on back-order with a production scheduled
date of October 24, 2011. There are currently zero available nationwide at
our various company owned locations.

I apologize for the inconvenience.

Regards.
Kathleen Miller
Customer Relations

[tomtom72]

Thanks again guys for all the sharing of info and the direct communication with G/Yr.

Thanks also for the review on the PS2's guys! Some of my C5 & C6 crusin' buds use them and swear by the wet grip. I guess I will go and eye up the tread pattern & see what I can see.

Hey Scott, 335's fit on an 11" wheels? I never gave any thought to going up that far in size as I thought it would have been over the wheels width's limit?
Thanks for the insight man!:handshak:

Kudos to everyone for sharing their info! :thumbsup:

:cheers:
Tom

[HIZNHRZ]

Tom,

Yes, I have always felt the fit was fine. There is a tire company that sells and services tires for all street and track applications. I had them look at the fit, just to make sure, and they agreed the 335's on stock wheels would not be a problem. You can see it in the sidewall if you are looking for it. Here's a picture that has been posted before:

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h113/hiznhrz/NewDownload076.jpg

For the past ~2 years I've had 335's on 18" CCWs. The wheels that I replaced (and all wheels & tires prior) were 17" wheels with 335's. Phil (Jagdpanzer) bought the set in the picture when the 18's went on. He is still running them. Talk with him as well.

[Aurora40]

Hey Scott, 335's fit on an 11" wheels? I never gave any thought to going up that far in size as I thought it would have been over the wheels width's limit?
The PS2 in 335/35-17 has an approved rim width of 11-13". Every tire can be different, but the PS2's should be fine.

The thing I liked about Goodyear was they were not insanely expensive (PS2's are $400 per rear tire), and they were made here. Plus of course they were a great wet-weather tire, and not bad in the dry.

FWIW, I will likely be getting Ecsta XS's as the next tires, but I suspect they will be poor in rain. I don't drive the ZR-1 as much anymore since I got the V, so it's more of a nice-weather car than it used to be.

[MB ZR1]

I put on the Nitto 555 in May and think they were an upgrade over the GS-D3 and a lot cheaper as well. Although the alignment was out on the rear end and the old Goodyears were badly worn on the inside so it was difficult to make a good comparison. The few times I got caught in the rain with 555s I felt they were very good.

[RICKYRJ1]

sorry for being absent from this thread after starting it!:o

Okay, now I want to thank everyone for the valuable input. I looked up Dom's thread about the C6/ZO6 wheels the other day. Thank you Dom for sharing the skinny.

Okay so that's two people that got it from G/Yr dealers that the D3's are history. I hate to say this, but wet grip means more to me than dry grip....yes I do use mine in the rain. Okay you can flame me but once you drive on D3's in the wet you really will not feel safe on many other tires. Not to start a debate, but if you watch F1 &/or any road racing the semi-wet tires in use today are almost exact copies of the D3 tread pattern. At normal public road speeds that pattern moves water to the side only and traps almost no water under the tread blocks. Okay, rant over. Sorry!
Please, please, please Mr. Goodyear don't do this.:pray

Stupid Question session:
Why do we need to use spacers with the ZO6 wheels? To clear our rear calipers & suspension parts, right? If so, do we need 16 mm or can we go thinner?

Which kind of spacer is safer to use? Just a spacer that fits our studs, albeit with longer studs like hardened ARP or Moroso studs?

Or, I've seen spacers that have their own studs and holes to fit over the studs already on the hub....I assume that our stock lug nuts tighten into a counter sunk hole?

:o Sorry for all these stupid Q's. :o

I assume that the costlier way to do a wheel change is to call some one like CCW and have them make wheels in 18/19 with our offsets, right?:icon_scra

TIA
:cheers:
Tom

Hey Tom, I run the C6 Z06 OEM wheels & tires sometimes on my car. I went with a wheel adapter which has its own set of studs, works great! I first bought a 25mm but it was was to larger so I sent it down to CT Machining and Carter did a excellent job of taking them down for me. They are hubcentric and fit perfect. This was the best setup for me because I change between my 2 sets of wheels often (Kinesis show & Z06 DD) I have a extra set of 20mm wheel adapters (brand new) that I bought while Carter was working on my other set that you are more than welcome to have for free (I still owe you for the ride home from BG 09 ) They are the ones I was running on our trip to Mystic. They put the tires perfect to the edge of the wheel well. Let me Know. You can by a primo set of OEM Z06 wheels & tires for a 1k now and then you will always have a better choice of tires when needed.
Rick

[ScottZ95ZR1]

Hey Scott, 335's fit on an 11" wheels? I never gave any thought to going up that far in size as I thought it would have been over the wheels width's limit?

Others have already answered but check this thread for more details/opinions regarding running 335s on your OEM wheels: http://www.zr1.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8406&highlight=pilots

[carter200]

I first bought a 25mm but it was was to larger so I sent it down to CT Machining and Carter did a excellent job of taking them down for me. They are hubcentric and fit perfect. This was the best setup for me. Rick

Ricky,
Thanks for the kind words and glad they worked out for you. :cheers:

[HIZNHRZ]

Hey Tom, I run the C6 Z06 OEM wheels & tires sometimes on my car. I went with a wheel adapter which has its own set of studs, works great!

Ricky, do you have a manufacturer and part number for the adapter that has its own set of studs? It would be great to be able to interchange the ZR-1 and Z06 wheels.

Thanks.

[XfireZ51]

Ricky, do you have a manufacturer and part number for the adapter that has its own set of studs? It would be great to be able to interchange the ZR-1 and Z06 wheels.

Thanks.

I think you'd be better off with just the spacers as long as the lugnuts are openback. There's no issue with the exchange on the front hubs.

[1990 quasar blue]

High speed with hardened studs shouldn't be any problem. Wheel studs should be easy find at GMPP or Jeg's etc. I'll try Nitto Invo's 285/18 & 345/19's these are the same as on my ZO6 and they stick quite well. All 4 tires can be bought for a little over 1K delivered. So for me it's a no brainer.......cept where to get the cash :mad:

Thank you Frank.


Can anyone comment about the added weight? The car only puts 380 to the tire and I believe rotating mass effects performance much more than if it was just curb weight. I'd hate to go backwards performance wise. Also, what do you guys think about the spider wheels vs. the five stars.

[XfireZ51]

Thank you Frank.


Can anyone comment about the added weight? The car only puts 380 to the tire and I believe rotating mass effects performance much more than if it was just curb weight. I'd hate to go backwards performance wise. Also, what do you guys think about the spider wheels vs. the five stars.

You may lose some acceleration due to the increase in tire diameter ~.5".
At 80mph indicated, I was travelling at 83(based on GPS), so the axle ratio will drop to something like a 3.33. 5 star!
Take a look at a thread by Hadi. He PS'd my car with both on there.

[ScottZ95ZR1]

It would be great to be able to interchange the ZR-1 and Z06 wheels.

Thanks.

Just FYI - I see a vendor over on CF has several sets of brand new OEM polished and clear-coated Speedline C6Z wheels for $795 and shipping.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-parts-for-sale-wanted/2684663-fs-brand-new-gm-z06-polished-wheels-speedlines.html

[KGV]

Hi,

If the Z06 rims fit with spacers, would the new ZR1/Z07 rims fit?

RPO Q6A - Wheels, ZR1 sterling silver painted aluminum, 19" x 10" front and 20" x 12" rear

Thanks,

Ken

[HIZNHRZ]

Just FYI - I see a vendor over on CF has several sets of brand new OEM polished and clear-coated Speedline C6Z wheels for $795 and shipping.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-parts-for-sale-wanted/2684663-fs-brand-new-gm-z06-polished-wheels-speedlines.html

Scott,

Thanks much for the heads up. My wife is going to have a Canary but if these are really OEM wheel, this is just too good to pass up.

Scott

[RICKYRJ1]

Ricky, do you have a manufacturer and part number for the adapter that has its own set of studs? It would be great to be able to interchange the ZR-1 and Z06 wheels.

Thanks.


I will get it for you tomorrow, I need to dig up the receipt.
I went with the adapters because if I went with just spacers I would have had to change out the rear studs to longer ones. All I had to do with these was trim off the non threaded (tip) of the factory studs (5 min of time) and I was good to go. :-D

[ScottZ95ZR1]

This was the best setup for me because I change between my 2 sets of wheels often (Kinesis show & Z06 DD)

Hey Rick, will you still be able to use those sweet Kinesis wheels after you upgrade to the C6Z brakes?

[RICKYRJ1]

Hey Rick, will you still be able to use those sweet Kinesis wheels after you upgrade to the C6Z brakes?

Yes Sir! I have been running the fronts all year and soon will complete the backs. I was told in the past that they wouldn't clear the caliper so I was going to sell them cheap. How happy was I when I discovered that they cleared fine? Saved a lot of money not having to by new wheels.

[ScottZ95ZR1]

Good deal! I didn't catch that you already have the fronts installed.

[Jagdpanzer]

I'm thinking about a new set of wheels and trying to decide on which direction to go on rear tires. Anyone here running 345/30ZR19 size tires on the rear of their Z? They are a little wider and taller than the 315/35ZR17s tires the Zs came stock with but should fit with the right offset wheel.

[FU]

Dom and Ricky are running 345's on the rear.

[XfireZ51]

Dom and Ricky are running 345's on the rear.


Frank,

Those were 325's which is the stock Z06 tire.

[Mika73]

So it really isnt possible get GoodYear F1 Supercar 315 tires anymore.. Course I have those at my -90 ZR1. I need new tires to rear and think I am getting those other GoodYear tires that look like V. :)

[tomtom72]

So it really isnt possible get GoodYear F1 Supercar 315 tires anymore.. Course I have those at my -90 ZR1. I need new tires to rear and think I am getting those other GoodYear tires that look like V. :)

The F1 supercar version has been out of production since about late 2005 or 2006. I do not know what G/Yr replaced it with.

The "V" shaped tread are the GS-D3. It seems that G/Yr has had another run of the D3's as Tire Rack now has the 315's in stock.....but the 275's are now out of stock as of last week. :)

[Mika73]

Thanks :cheers: I hope that those tires are good and it isnt bad idea have those at rear and Supercars at front. Dont wanna change front tires yet, course those 275 are still good :hello:

[tomtom72]

Thanks :cheers: I hope that those tires are good and it isnt bad idea have those at rear and Supercars at front. Dont wanna change front tires yet, course those 275 are still good :hello:

Mika, I don't want to stick my nose into your choice.....but I'd be very careful on mixing those two G/Yr tread patterns & compounds.

The D3's tread pattern is more specific to wet use, or it's as close to a wet tire as you would want to have for a passenger car. In the dry the D3 doesn't have the grip that the old F1 Supercar compound has. So just be aware that you will have to have more heat in the rear tires to equalize out the grip front & rear in the dry.

Conversely, in the rain the front will hydro-plane more easily than the rear. The seat of your pants, the old 'butt-grip-sensor', will tell you the rear is glued and your hands will tell you that the front is not so much glued.

This is JMHO, I would not mix the two unless I had to do so. Having said that I'm sure nothing terrible will happen. Just be aware that the D3 has way more wet grip than the F1 Supercar tire.

:handshak:
Tom

[Mika73]

Thanks. Thats true. I wish I could get Supercar tires to rear, but those are not for sale anymore. Anyway I usually dont drive at rain and drive careful at rain anyway. And after some burnouts.. I guess traction at rear isnt so good anymore anyway.. :-D

[Aurora40]

If you want crazy dry traction and care less about wet, there are other tires that are probably grippier than the Supercars were. The Kumho Ecsta XS is one, I believe other's have used a Nitto drag radial as a street tire.

The GS-D3 is a nice tire, no doubt, but dry grip it really isn't as good as some newer offerings. Though it is excellent in the rain.

[XfireZ51]

I'd give a serious look to the Vredersteins

[xlr8nflorida]

So it really isnt possible get GoodYear F1 Supercar 315 tires anymore.. Course I have those at my -90 ZR1. I need new tires to rear and think I am getting those other GoodYear tires that look like V. :)


I have Supercar tires on my front and Nitto 555R on my rears.

I can't comment on rain performance but 400-500HP is no problem for the Nittos - much better then stock tires.