Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

DSG3s are the best tire I have ran to date. Phil and I both love em on our cars

Ive run BFGs, Sumitomo's evn Falkins in the front only


for some reason my Z likes the most expensive Hard to Find GYs on the planet

From my view from the front they look mean, nasty as well

I already have a new set of four in the garge waiting for this set to wear themselves out.

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

I had a similar situation with Sumitomos. They were on the car when I bought it but I had had them before so I was fine with them for everyday driving. However, when I went to BG last spring I experienced a noticable shimmy. When I was there Jim Van Dorn kindly offered to balance them and tried but really didn't have the right weights or balancer. So I stopped at a shop in BG which had a Road Force Balancer. He had to rotate a couple of tires on the rims and finally said one tire was "Out of Spec", meaning it couldn't be balanced completely, like your tires. But the work they did improved it substantially so I am OK with it for now. Still detect a bit of shimmy but nowhere near what I had previously. I will be looking at tires this spring also. --Bob

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

I am considering putting a new set of Goodyear's' on my 93 ZR1. Replacing original tires due to age and concern about safety. Am having trouble finding any fronts due to availability. Rears are available. A friend of mine in tire business tells me there is an availability problem and Goodyear has not committed to any future runs. Any insight or feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

I learned about 30 days ago from the Marketing Manager at GY that they will not be producing GS-D3s again until at least late-summer/early-fall...IF they do decide to produce them. This info cemented my decision to go with Toyo Proxes R888s and I am thrilled with that decision. Hopefully this helps.

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

i bought a set of sumtomo's last month because i could not find anything else available, period. they seem fine, but i dont get into real serious tire testing..

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

Nittos are available - got mine from Discount Tire.

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

Can't go wrong with Michelin PS.

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

vredestin Sessanta tires are the best deal period. they have great handling characteristics and are quiet and great in wet weather. Even though they keep on getting more expensive they are my choice for a new set of tires. I have bought several sets for my corvettes and the have all been great.

ed ramos #3028

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

Bought a pair of Nitto NT555`s for the rear in May and i`ll be mighty glad when they wear out. The worn out Goodyear GSC`s handled much better. Too much sway in the rear when turning the steering wheel from left to right. Running 35 lbs. pressure. I`m thinking that the sidewall strength is the difference??? Thought i`d go "CHEAP" and i got what i paid for.

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

Just before Bowling Green I bought a set of Michelin Pilot Sports from Costco. Stock fronts and 335 rears, since that is all Michelin makes. The rears definitely look wider than my previous tires. They ran fine down and back, seem properly balanced and provide much more grip than the old Sumitomos. Unfortunately Marc H drove WARP TEN at the BG drags and wore off about $400 worth of new rubber doing a burnout!. Also ran 12.4/116 without power shifting. Overall the new tires feel much better in terms of both traction and handling. --Bob

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

Thanks for all of the insight and knowledge you have shared with me regarding tires. Not sure what direction I am going to go, but appreciate the many options you have shared. When I make a decision, I will let you know. Again, thanks!

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

I wasn't happy with the Nitto 555s either. There was a brand new set with about 50 miles on them when I bought the car, but the car had sat long enough to flat spot them. They never fully rounded back out and were rock hard. When I put on the nearly new (about 100-200 miles) set of Goodyear F1's I got from USAZR1, I couldn't believe the difference. Handling, traction, ride quality, road noise, etc were all incredibly better on the F1s. Even my Corvette guy buddy who was there when I swapped the set on said he wouldn't have believed the difference if he didn't experience it himself.

The Nittos are out there and available, but I wouldn't ever buy a set. I had a set of Summitomos and they were pure garbage. They use a similar size tread piece for many different width tires, so the 315 tread patch isn't much wider than the 275. If you search the internet, you'll find all kinds of comparisons. They were cheap when I bought them (for an '88 383 street/strip Vette), but I was so disgusted with them, that they were off long before they were worn out and that was when I was on Army lower enlisted pay.....

It's too bad there aren't many tires to choose from these days in our sizes.

Chris

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

Same here with the 555's. Had new ones on the car when I got it. Car had sat for awhile. Flat spotted, failed 2 road force balances. Got new ones due to they were the cheapest - still not totally thrilled...

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

I'd like to hear if anyone has had experience w the Ultratrac Sessanta by Vredestein. Unfortunately they didn't make 19's when I was looking. It's been three years and I am pretty satisfied w the Nitto Invos I have.

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

Since this thread is back up, I noticed a TireRack special on the Kuhmo Ecsta XS, with 315s in stock at $250/ea - but the fronts are backordered at $189/ea (usually means there's a container on it's way somewhere, call/chat and ask).

Although I haven't run these myself I did an awful lot with their precursor, the MX. My wife tried them on her autocross 88 z51 but preferred the Toyo R1R (no rears available for us). Would not hesitate to run the XS as an excellent street tire.

Cheers,
- Jeff

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

Kumho Ecsta XS
I like mine! Tire Rack reviews rate them highly.
Can't understand why more Zs don't run them?
3 seasons on them and they're wearing well and still hookup.
Neat tread pattern too.

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

I have had them on my c5 supercharged corvette and now my zr1. They are great tires. Very good in the rain, great side lateral handling, quiet and reasonably priced. These Dutch tires are the best at there price point. In fact, I would take them over almost all other brands except for michelin which are way more expensive. Everybody that has had a set has loved them. They have a really unusual tread pattern that make people inquire all the time about these tires. I highly recommend them. I bought my sets on the internet only.

ed ramos #3028

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

I have the Vredesteins under my Z, I like them.
Michellin Pilot sport tyres I prefer the most but they where not available here any longer in Holland.(17")
The price was 600€ for two rear tyres including balance and re- alligment of the car.

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

Because you can't get them. The fronts are on indefinite backorder...exactly the same situation as the GS-D3.

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

BTW, I've heard nice things about the Vredesteins' ride quality, etc. In fact, I've actually heard some guys likening their smooth, serene ride to that of the Michelins. But the problem is that they are narrow, no different than Nittos and Sumis. I don't drive my car on a track, so the Sumis were fine, other than the fact that they looked like bicycle tires.

If you want a good tire, then there are several choices. If you want a WIDE, good tire, then it's Michelin or Toyo...at least until Goodyear gets off its azz and decides it wants our money again. It's all about your priorities; mine was to make my car look like a ZR-1, as opposed to a base Corvette.

If I was to find out tomorrow that Toyo was discontinuing the R888 in our sizes, I'd probably buy 2 sets.

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

I was at Parts Arama in at Butler Fairgrounds on Friday looking for and checking out tires. Our task is not getting any easier. Various suppliers tell you they can get them and then comeback with the backorder stuff.
Kevin I did receive your pm but couldn't get a response back to you through pm system. Not sure what problem is. If you get back to Hubbard try again. Thanks

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

There were Khumo's on my LT4 CE when I got it. I had no complaints about them at all. Good all around tires.

Re: Any Tire Recomendations
 

Yep, no such thing as Toyo R888s in our sizes. And I've heard they suck azz anyway. Don't bother with them.