Tires - Best Driving Tires

[chesnut]

What brand tires are recommended for normal driving and readily available?

Thanks in advance.

Gary
....:flag:

[WARP TEN]

What brand tires are recommended for normal driving and readily available?

Thanks in advance.

Gary
....:flag:

Don't know about current availability but the best driving tires I had on my ZR-1s were Michelin Pilot Sports. They were available in stock ZR-1 17 inch sizes although the rears were 335s, not 315s, but they fit fine. They were available from Costco at a good price and with good service and warranty from them, at least they were in 2014. --Bob

[chesnut]

Bob,

Appreciate your info, thanks.

Duh, never thought about upsizing to 335.

Gary
....

[ram_g]

I have these Michelins on my car and am very satisfied. There is some very minor rubbing on large road dips but I've satisfied myself that it is just very minor interference with a small indent in the plastic wheel well liner in the back and not anything that will cause damage.

I previously had installed a set of Nitto 555G2s in the stock sizes and was not happy with the near constant flat spotting and vibration. The Discount Tire near me graciously took back the Nittos and gave me full credit towards the purchase of the Michelins.

[chesnut]

Thanks,

Gary
....

[XfireZ51]

Currently have Michelin Pilot SS which I really like. However, they are timed out and I will be replacing them w the PS4s. Basing that on what I have read regarding the tire on CF for the C8, Hib?s recommend as well as Phil?s(who also uses same wheel sizes I do.)

[dredgeguy]

I am on my second set up same as Warp Ten purchased from Costco when they had the sale on Michelin (every other month or so). The 335's in the rear fit great, no issues when I had my 17" A-Molds and then changed to 17" FM5's. Several in Wazoo have the same set up and purchased from Costco.

[chesnut]

XfireZ51,

Appreciate your info, but you lost me with "Hib?s recommend as well as Phil?s".

Please explain what companies these are. Thanks,

Gary
....

[XfireZ51]

XfireZ51,

Appreciate your info, but you lost me with "Hib?s recommend as well as Phil?s".

Please explain what companies these are. Thanks,

Gary
....

Both are members on the Registry. Hib Halverson and Phil Wasinger(Jagdpanzer). Halverson is a writer and has documented the ZR-1 for many years.

[DRM500RUBYZR-1]

XfireZ51,

Appreciate your info, but you lost me with "Hib?s recommend as well as Phil?s".

Please explain what companies these are. Thanks,

Gary
....

They are esteemed long time Registry Members who have forgotten more than most may know. ( that will be $20.00 from each of you two for the compliment)

I was going to suggest "round ones" as the best.
And my personal experience with the Nittos was very similar to Ram's post in that the tire were forever flat spotting.
Now, my car sits for some very extended periods, but both Michelin and Good Years did not suffer the same fate.

So given the in and out nature of Good Year GS-D3 production, I would also without reservation say Michelin ( using 335 in rear) is very tough to beat!

:cheers:
Marty

[chesnut]

Thanks guys, for clarifying.

My bad! I was hung up trying to come up with trying to come up with tire manufacturers.

Appreciate your helping this ZR-1 newbie.

Gary
....

[DRM500RUBYZR-1]

Thanks guys, for clarifying.

My bad! I was hung up trying to come up with trying to come up with tire manufacturers.

Appreciate your helping this ZR-1 newbie.

Gary
....

Gary, each of us was a newbie once.
Sometimes it beats being an.............oldie?
:cheers:
Marty

[WARP TEN]

Gary, each of us was a newbie once.
Sometimes it beats being an.............oldie?
:cheers:
Marty

I'd like to think "Oldie but Goodie" myself....Bob

[chesnut]

- Michelin 335 out of stock & no production scheduled for next 4 wks
- Sumitomo HTR Z 315/35r17 out of stock & not listed in Sumitomo available sizes

Mickey Thompson (owned by Cooper) Street Comp 315's available
Toyo Extensa HP II 315's available

Question - anyone have experiences with Mickey Thompson or Toyo Extensa tires ?

Thanks,

Gary
....

[32VALVS]

Very happy with the Mickey Thompsons on my ZR-1.

[Young1]

I have had Nitto Motivo and Toyo Extensa. They drove well but I would consider them as long lasting touring tires with their 500 hardness rating. Pushing in the trusties I am more comfortable with 300 or less hardness. I need skins soon and am considering Mickey?s. I would appreciate feedback on them as well.

[chesnut]

Guys,

M/T #6275 275/40 17 & #6278 315/35 17 tire info:
- Revs per mile = 812.5
- Hardness = 300
- Speed Rating = W

Have read several road racer reviews and the M/T tires are very well rated. And best bang for the buck.

Am going to order mine from Summit, which fortunately has a DFW warehouse and they give a 10% Veterans discount.

Appreciate everyone's feedback and help. Thanks and stay safe!

Gary
....:flag:

[JThomas]

- Michelin 335 out of stock & no production scheduled for next 4 wks
- Sumitomo HTR Z 315/35r17 out of stock & not listed in Sumitomo available sizes

Mickey Thompson (owned by Cooper) Street Comp 315's available
Toyo Extensa HP II 315's available

Question - anyone have experiences with Mickey Thompson or Toyo Extensa tires ?

Thanks,

Gary
....

I rarely speak negative, but if there was one tire I would take off the list would be Sumitomo. They are less expensive, but NOT a performance tire, and I don't care if you weekend drive it to the grocery store or enjoy a spirited drive from time to time, you and your car deserve better. :thumbsup:

[lfalzarano]

I rarely speak negative, but if there was one tire I would take off the list would be Sumitomo. They are less expensive, but NOT a performance tire, and I don't care if you weekend drive it to the grocery store or enjoy a spirited drive from time to time, you and your car deserve better. :thumbsup:



Totally agree![emoji108]


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[DRM500RUBYZR-1]

Totally agree![emoji108]


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Make that three!
Had them years ago.
HATED them.
Good looking tread pattern similar to GSC, CHEAP, narrower than most others,
hard as a brick, tap the gas and spin city.
Never again.
They cannot handle the torque and horsepower it is that simple.
When driven hard, you find you are focused on tire limitation thresholds with respect to steering , traction, etc. rather than driving the car.
Sorry, but that is why they came off of Ruby after one season.
:cheers:
Marty

[WARP TEN]

I rarely speak negative, but if there was one tire I would take off the list would be Sumitomo. They are less expensive, but NOT a performance tire, and I don't care if you weekend drive it to the grocery store or enjoy a spirited drive from time to time, you and your car deserve better. :thumbsup:

And I am in for four, Joe! Had Sumis on the '95 and could never get them to balance right. Went to a tire shop in in Bowling Green in 2014 or 2015 and the tech there, using a Road Force balancer, concluded that all the tires were very near the limits for being out of spec and in any case needed to be spun on the rims 180 degrees. One of the tires was so far out of manufacturer's specs that it could not be balanced at all. He was able to get them close enough so that I could hardly detect a vibration, but soon thereafter I switched to Michelin Pilot SPorts. Costco had no trouble balancing them even without a Road Force. They were great tires. --Bob

[JSad]

I run the Nitto 555s and they handle fine for me and don't flat spot but I use mine as an almost daily driver so it doesn't set for long. That said, if I could slightly hijack this thread, I live in Oklahoma and drive mine year round. What are the thoughts on driving summer tires at low temps, say below 45 degrees? Should I move to the Motivos?

[lfalzarano]

I can confirm that your stopping distances will increase dramatically as you go below 45F and the car can break loose in a tight turn at speed.


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[Young1]

Motivos puckered me twice on the Cherohala in the summer. I felt I was not pushing it. Too hard at 500 and meant to last 50k miles. I used mine up in sliding and smoking at autocross. I did go 150 mph with them and it felt good.

[spork2367]

I rarely speak negative, but if there was one tire I would take off the list would be Sumitomo. They are less expensive, but NOT a performance tire, and I don't care if you weekend drive it to the grocery store or enjoy a spirited drive from time to time, you and your car deserve better. :thumbsup:

Pretty sure they aren't even made anymore.

[evolutionross]

I am running Nitto NT555's on my stock 1992. They are decent but lack the grip I was expecting. I also have a 2003 BMW M3 and it is running Continental Extreme contact. These tires, sadly not available in ZR1 sizes, are far superior for grip and handling to the Nitto's. Wet or dry, I have been underwhelmed by the Nitto's based on my expectations from the Continentals. I should note, that I have not finished replacing all of the suspension bushings on my ZR1 and this could greatly color the performance of a tire. The car with at Haibeck's now and I will be able to fully evaluate all of the cars performance metrics when we are reunited :)
I do plan to get the Pilot Sports as recommended above, when the time comes.

[chesnut]

Brought the Thompson MTT-6275 & 6278 Street Comp tires from Summit Racing. Have a couple of hundred miles on them and some in the rain. They handle and ride good. No flat spotting and their price wasn't bad.

Michelin still shows the 335 in production, but there were 0 available and Michelin couldn't tell me when they were scheduled for production.

Appreciate everyone's input. Thanks,

Gary
....

[lfalzarano]

Tire Rack has 335/35/17 in stock. Amazon also has them.


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[chesnut]

All the major tire vendors listed the Michelin's but when you went to order them they quote delays. That was in mid March.

Michelin could've produced more since mid March.

[XfireZ51]

I have an appt @ TireRack in S. Bend to have staggered set of PS4s tires put on next Wednesday.

[lfalzarano]

Discount Tire has them on sale this weekend.

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20210528+DTD+MayPromos4&utm_source=&utm_content=Header+Logo


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[chesnut]

FYI - after driving the Mickey Thompson's for over a 1,000 miles I've switched to Michelin's.

The Mickey Thompson's were too noisy, flat spotted and vibrated at different speeds on different days. Rebalanced several times and no change.

Gary
....

[spork2367]

FYI - after driving the Mickey Thompson's for over a 1,000 miles I've switched to Michelin's.

The Mickey Thompson's were too noisy, flat spotted and vibrated at different speeds on different days. Rebalanced several times and no change.

Gary
....

Which Mickey Thompson?

[chesnut]

Sorry didn't think to post.

Front: Mickey Thompson Street Comp Tires 6275
Rear: Mickey Thompson Street Comp Tires 6278

Gary
....

[tnse]

For anyone not aware, Michelin has released a new modern tire in the C4 ZR-1 sizes of 275 front and 315 rear. Information from other forum posts are collected and summarized below:

Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 product link:
https://www.michelinman.com/auto/browse-tires/by-dimension/315/35/17/-/-

For those of you interested on the performance of the PS AS4 on the C8 see 9:17 time mark of this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2MxuknropY&t=12s

The video is highly complimentary of the performance of the PS AS4 on the C8 (giving performance impressions of cornering, 0-60, braking, etc. on the C8 and even comparing it to the 4S [which has no C4 ZR-1 size]) so that should be a good sign for how the PS AS4 would do on the C4 ZR-1.

Also a few other video reviews/info:
https://youtu.be/wIAqRPjQVKE
https://youtu.be/lm6342C4CRo
https://youtu.be/G7piMRtOzTk

Data link:
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2020-UHP-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

Corvette Forum has a good write up on the PS AS4 from when the tire was introduced for the C8 (including some related videos). It seems that while the tire line has been out for a while (hence the intro on the C8 that has been out a few years now) it is the 315 rear size that is new and important for C4 ZR-1. See the link: https://www.corvetteforum.com/articles/michelin-pilot-sport-all-season-4-tires-review/

I think the following quotes from the article are the most interesting ones:

All-Season 4 Michelins are no standard summer tire . . . Hell, they're grippier than plenty of name-brand summer tires while offering the flexibility of year-round safety and performance.

...I'm willing to wager these 'all-seasons' out-grip a lot of so-called summer tires.

Hell, if this tire had come out in the 80s or 90s, we would have hailed it as an amazing summer tire.

To see the tires' width in the C7 widths (285 & 335) see this link: https://www.corvettegarage.com/c7-corvette-wheels/corvette-tires/michelin-pilot-sport-as3-zp-tires/

Obviously we are waiting to hear from a C4 ZR-1 owner who tries these on their car to get a real impression. But given that these are some of the most modern tires with the most up-to-date tire technology (as of this post in spring/summer 2022), is there any guess on how they will compare the other tire options for the C4 ZR-1? For example how would this All Season modern Michelin tire compare with the following:

PS AS4 vs factory chosen C4 OEM tires (Goodyear Eagle Gatorback and Eagle GS-C)

PS AS4 vs later aftermarket Goodyear options (Goodyear F1 Eagle GSD3)

PS AS4 vs current aftermarket options (Toyo Proxes R888R - non street, Toyo Extensa HP II, Hoosier A7/R7 - non street, Nitto NT555 G2, Nitto Motivo)

Finally even with the mis-sized 335/35 width instead of the factory 315/35 sizes, how would the modern Michelin PS AS4 which were introduced in 2020 compare with old Michelin Pilot PS2 summer tires that were introduced in 2004? How much would 16 years difference make in performance, handling, noise, comfort, and tire compound/silica?

[spork2367]

Finally even with the mis-sized 335/35 width instead of the factory 315/35 sizes, how would the modern Michelin PS AS4 which were introduced in 2020 compare with old Michelin Pilot PS2 summer tires that were introduced in 2004? How much would 16 years difference make in performance, handling, noise, comfort, and tire compound/silica?

A couple observations:

On the Michelin website, the AS4 has pretty terrible reviews.

7 - 1 star reviews
7 - 2 star reviews
122 total reviews

Many of the 1 star reviews say the same thing, terrible wear and blowouts. A little scary for sure.

The PS2 on the other hand:

3 - 1 star reviews
1 - 2 star review
362 total reviews

Mostly comments about wear and ride quality. Both to be expected from an ultra high performance summer tire.

[tnse]

A couple observations:

On the Michelin website, the AS4 has pretty terrible reviews.

7 - 1 star reviews
7 - 2 star reviews
122 total reviews

Many of the 1 star reviews say the same thing, terrible wear and blowouts. A little scary for sure.

The PS2 on the other hand:

3 - 1 star reviews
1 - 2 star review
362 total reviews

Mostly comments about wear and ride quality. Both to be expected from an ultra high performance summer tire.

For those looking to read reviews (as of May 2022, across many vehicles) see these links:

Michelin 4.4 out of 5: https://www.michelinman.com/auto/tires/michelin-pilot-sport-all-season-4#ratings-reviews

Discount Tire 4.8 out of 5: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/michelin-pilot-sport-all-season-4#read-reviews

Tire Rack: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot%20Sport%20All%20Season%204&tab=Sizes#RatingsReviews

Walmart 4.5 out of 5 : https://www.walmart.com/reviews/product/450965145

BigO Tires 4.6 out 5 : https://www.bigotires.com/tires/line/michelin/pilot-sport-as-4/prod5070069#

It?ll be good to hear from those here who have experience with various brand/models in this forum on what they are seeing on their cars. The community here and discussion helps people make better educated and informed decisions.

[NVRL8TE]

Im running the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 All Seasons. Extremely good all around tire. Im very happy.

[spork2367]

Im running the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 All Seasons. Extremely good all around tire. Im very happy.

How many miles on them? What tire did you run previously?

[NVRL8TE]

How many miles on them? What tire did you run previously?

Close to 1000 already. This is the first tire I?ve put on my first ZR-1. However, I?ve ran Toyo Extensa II on other C4?s, and the reason is I insist on not dying if I get caught in the rain.

Any conventional drag radial, or tire like the Toyo 888 or NT01, will get you wrecked or worse if you get caught in the rain.

I can not tell you how serious I am about that. I?ve had too many experiences with aggressive tires in the rain. Sure, no rain, all good no issues.