Wheels and TiresNeed help with wheels or tires? Got fitment issues? Have questions about tire performance and handling? Ask all of those questions here!
Sponsored by Tire Rack
Welcome to ThirdGen.org!
Welcome to ThirdGen.org.
You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, at no cost, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, join the ThirdGen.org community today!
+1 for the Nitto NT555! I use em on my daily driver. I took them out in the rain to test the limits of wet traction and let me tell you, I went WELL past the point of "normal", even "spirited" driving before I had wet traction problems. I feel very confident in a rainy panic stop or high acceleration condition.
I have really enjoied my Falken Ziex tires. They don't slip in the rain and have great traction when dry. When I had my 5spd 305, I could barely bark the tires from idle without revving up and dumping the clutch. With my 383 of corse they will spin but they still grip very will. It's been 2 years and I still have a lot of tread left. For the price, these tires are the best bang for the buck. I think they were $85 each mounted and balanced.
I will get these tires again if they are still being produced in the future. A+ tire.
Last edited by elano; 02-14-2009 at 05:06 PM.
Reason: forgot to mention price.
My dad has a set of Eagle F1 GS-D3 on his 1979 10th Ann Trans Am.. They grip like no other. It seems like you're going over the edge of the expressway at 140 mph.. But then these tires defy gravity and inertia and stick to the road like they're made of gecko feet. I'd like to get some when I need new tires. My tires now are shot.
i had very poor traction from the bfg comp t/a. i replaced them with the bridgestone brand FUZION ZRI 245-50-16 w rating,great dry traction. cost me around 100 a tire.
I just put a set of KUHMO ECSTA ASX 275/40-17's on all four corners of my '88 IROC, replacing the BFG KDW's I had. The tires perform well on wet and dry conditions when compared to the BFG's. It's important to note, however, that not all road surfaces are created equal especially when talking about wet weather performance. In any case, I'm going to be more interested in how this tire is still performing a year or two from now.
This is an interesting thread. I'm old school and from the day when BF Goodrich was top dawg!!! I have heard that there quality isn't up to par anymore. Those Kumho's I've been watching them for a few years now and frankly I feel they are really trying to get a top quality tire on the market. (in offroad racing they are giving BFG a run for they're money)I'm pretty impressed with the tires I've seen them come out with lately, I have a friend that just put some on his 04 Mustang Ragtop, I'm going watch and see what he has to say about them. I myself have run the Falkens and for the price they really aren't a bad tire for money. Not knocking Camaro's but from what I recall back in the days when everyone was street rodding, Camaro's never were a good rain or snow car. Nor was my 67 Fastback GT. Now I'm here trying to help my daughter build her first car, a 86, Z28 T-Top. I just want to be able to put some good shoes on it and make it safe as possible in the handling dept.
Eagle GS D3 on my 5.7 TPI GTA. absolutely awesome tire. Wet or dry. just don't try to go anywhere with them in the cold. The compound gets hard and doesn't grip very well. I would reccomend 100%
I am looking for tires for my TA, the Dunlops on it now are great tires but after sitting for 7 years the sidewalls are cracked. I was told that if I take it easy and they are retaining air then I can make it to the Tire shop. Question is what tires to get. I went to Discount Tire and the guy there offered me BFG (not sure of rating or anything) for 85 apiece mounted and balanced on the car. Problem I have is with the WS6 and the cornering forces and etc combined with the fact that this thing is no slouch on the country roads around here I would not want to skimp here. I am thinking at least H rated tires if not better in case I took it to the track. Any suggestions? I have been reading that BFG might not be the ideal choice anymore. I was thinking Falkens, Bridgestones, Dunlops, Goodyears. The TA will be driven in all kinds of weather, even some snow. But I still want performance for dry sunny days so I can open it up. Any input would be appreciated.
Just located 3 sets of OEM Goodyear Gatorbacks. Problem is ,they are new but 22 years old! Never been on a car, sitting in a tire warehouse in Houston. I have heard about 20-30 arguments about these tires. Are they ok to use or are they too old? The retailer wants me to put them on my 1985 Iroc-Z and give them a try. I told him I prefer not to play Russian Roulette with a questionable set of tires. Sooooo, anyone got a clue as to the quality of these 22 year old tires? BTW, they are 245/50-16's. Badman
I bought an IROC about a year ago and it had Goodyear Gatorbacks on them. You could tell the car was sitting for awhile. Anyhow, I ran those dry rotted tires for awhile until I got me a set of Kumhos. I was broke and my daily was down for transmission replacement. They were nice and sticky, and these were an old worn out set of them.
The Gatorbacks were pretty badass tires, too bad they dont make them anymore. How much do they want for a set?
BTW, the Kumho AST's wore down really quickly.
On my daily, I have a set of Yokohama YK420s from Discount tire and they are some really good tires (discontinued). I had been running Euro T/A's and upgraded the wheels to the IROC wheels and needed a new set.
When it flooded a few years ago here, the highways turned into standing lakes and I drove through it while most of the other cars were parked on the side of the road. My girl and I made it home safe that night, so I am glad I bought these tires. I liked the handling, even in wet weather.
One of the tires got an unrepairable flat, so they stuck a BFG KDWS on it, and they told me they are sticky. They were right, that back rear tire sticks like glue. I would like to get a full set on my daily to see how they do all around.
My dad has a Z rated set of Falkens on his IROC and they are nice, quiet, smooth tires. The handling seemed to be top notch and he really says that he liked them so much that he put them on my mom's 95 Mustang GT to replace some Dunlops.
My 87 Iroc has a set of Kumho Ecsta ASX KU21. I bought it with these tires on it(three months on the car in total not even 1kmiles on them). I like them.
Compared to the Douglas Extra-Trac II(...peices of crap) Tires on my 88 I love the Kumho..but I've never had any other tires so I can't compare.
I like the Goodyear Eagles GT HR. There great in the summer with dry and rain and pretty nice on ice down here. People keep talking about dry-rotting on them but I baby my car anyway so it's wash reguraly and tire shined and i've had no problem.
I got my Eagle GT's from tirerack.com too for my RS, and they hook up great, no problems even on right turns in the rain. They are a HUGE improvement over the crappy Eagle GA's that were OEM stock, and not too expensive anymore.
Been running a set of Mastercraft Avenger HP's in 245/50/16 for about 2 1/2 years now, my car sat for a year on them only being driven 1x mo during that year. I have around 20k miles on them and they are still going strong, tread is roughly 85-90% remaining, and they grip like glue, and yes, I am guilty of "spirited" driving regularly. They grip better than the Fuldas or the Goodyears I had on previously, and are out lasting both previous sets by a huge margin, my fuldas went away after 15k, the goodyears at around 20k looked like slicks. As far as traction in wet or dry, the only issue I have run into is getting into the throttle too hard taking off in the rain, a posi might fix that though.
Price, mounted, ballanced and installed, with free rotation and flat repair ran me about $365 through Area Wholesale Tire appox 30 months ago.
Prior to going to IROC rims in 16", I ran the stock rims with 245/60/15's, I tried Cooper Cobra's as well as several other brands and none did well enough for me to remember, much less recommend, at least in their 15" offerings.
I have Hankook tires on my formula and am very pleased with them. The model is the Ventus V4 ES H105. They are really great tires I'm surprised I only saw one other post about Hankook. When I bought the car they came with Pirelli's but they were all dry rotted and they came off pretty quickly.
Here is a July 2009 article from Car and Driver they compared 9 affordable Summer tires Tire Test: Nine Affordable Summer Tires Take On the Michelin PS2 - Comparison Tests
Just located 3 sets of OEM Goodyear Gatorbacks. Problem is ,they are new but 22 years old! Never been on a car, sitting in a tire warehouse in Houston. I have heard about 20-30 arguments about these tires. Are they ok to use or are they too old? The retailer wants me to put them on my 1985 Iroc-Z and give them a try. I told him I prefer not to play Russian Roulette with a questionable set of tires. Sooooo, anyone got a clue as to the quality of these 22 year old tires? BTW, they are 245/50-16's. Badman
You do not want to run a tire more than 6 years old no matter how "new" it looks. Rubber dry-rots after a period of about 6 years and is just unsafe after that.
It's getting harder to find performance tires in a 15" size.
That said, I am running a set of BFG Radial T/A's on my car now and I am very impressed. While they only come in an "S" rating, I don't know too many people with daily drivers who run 112mph+ all the time to warrant the need for a higher speed rating (though my car can and did hit 130mph on the dyno). They corner well and I've had no problems hooking them up when getting on it. Also, what's most important to me? They ride really nice and are quiet tires...much quieter than the Eagle GT's that I had on it before. the last thing I want to hear is road noice. Exhaust, yes, engine roar, yes, radio yes. Tire-on-road being really loud? No.
As a side note, I work for Sears in the Auto shop here in Ogden and while we aren't the cheapest for tires, we do come in comparable in price to Tire Rack once you figure in the mounting, balancing and alignment. Most shops charge you extra for mounting and balancing someone elses tires. now, i'm not plugging Sears, I'm just saying to check with your local shops before buying on line...you might find a comparable if not better deal...especially if you bring in the quote from TireRack for the tires.
__________________ Pontiac Owners Club (UK) My 84 Trans Am <-- Oh, click me! Click me! My 67 Camaro <-- Or me! Or me! "Life is tough. It's tougher when you're stupid!" (John Wayne) Freedom Is Never Free!
second that .......i work in a garage and the stupid owner has old goodyears still in stock and decided to sell them at a discount price and they are 10-15 years old and more than half came back within the first 2 months with blowouts in the sidewalls,they just split right up the side!!!!!
i've ran goodyear gt2s, ok dry traction terrible wet traction and overly expensive on a 92 camaro. as for other tires i've also used a falken ziex it's great much better wet and dry traction. (this is on an 89 iroc mind you and i did go a little larger than i went on my 1992 ,but still huge difference.
second that .......i work in a garage and the stupid owner has old goodyears still in stock and decided to sell them at a discount price and they are 10-15 years old and more than half came back within the first 2 months with blowouts in the sidewalls,they just split right up the side!!!!!
Rubber dries out. Just the way it is. Alot of tire resellers don't pay attention to the age of the tires on the rack.
Rubber dries out. Just the way it is. Alot of tire resellers don't pay attention to the age of the tires on the rack.
Canada recently passed a law requiring shops that sell tires to keep track of how old they are because a woman, the only survivor of a family of 5 that died in a car wreck, was able through her lawyers to prove that her "new tires" were more than 8 years old and won a lawsuit northwards of 2 million dollars. I can't believe the US hasn't passed a law about this but it has to do with the manufacturers and their tests that show the "age of the tire has nothing to do with it failing"...which of course we all know to be crap.
Canada recently passed a law requiring shops that sell tires to keep track of how old they are because a woman, the only survivor of a family of 5 that died in a car wreck, was able through her lawyers to prove that her "new tires" were more than 8 years old and won a lawsuit northwards of 2 million dollars. I can't believe the US hasn't passed a law about this but it has to do with the manufacturers and their tests that show the "age of the tire has nothing to do with it failing"...which of course we all know to be crap.
I believe that is where I first heard of this. It is a shame that it took such an accident to get the legislation rolling.
Before I read that, I had assumed that all of the tires on the shelf were up to snuff and never bothered to check (or even think) about the age of the tires.
I had tires put on my daily driver not to long ago, and in response to that article I looked up the date codes on the tires and hand picked them.
Last edited by Thirdgen89GTA; 07-21-2009 at 01:57 PM.
I heard about that story too... Sad that it takes that for companies to realize their mistakes....
ANyways, I heard that the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires are the ****... My friend put them on his 2005 SRT4 with 400hp turbo'd and he went like 160mph and beat a vette on the highway! He said he can rip it hard in the rain with no problem!! They are so sticky they are like slicks... He snapped his axle at the drag strip and right before that run he did like a 13.4 on the 1/4 mile.. Bottom line is they are amazing tires.. I'm running with these tires as soon as the tread on mine are done.. which is soon!
-marc
__________________ "An engine is like an orchestra. It's made up of wind, brass, percussion, and a whole range of other complimentary sections, all working to make that beautiful music that we call 'performance'..."
271FWHP - 354FWTQ --> (UN-TUNED... Tuning in progress! Will DYNO again soon...)
For mods go here --> http://1986irocz.tripod.com/
14.2 @ 96 on the 1/4 mile...
bfg gforce sports (kdws) for me nearly impossible to break loose not alot of miles on them yet i'm anxious to see if they last like a michelen either way i love these tires nextime i'm going to go with the kd or kdw it never rains here and y would i drive a vert in the rain neway i don't know what i was thinking getting the sports but they are a great tire i can't imagine how much more traction i would get out of the dry tires as the sports are very very sticky
bfg gforce sports (kdws) for me nearly impossible to break loose not alot of miles on them yet i'm anxious to see if they last like a michelen either way i love these tires nextime i'm going to go with the kd or kdw it never rains here and y would i drive a vert in the rain neway i don't know what i was thinking getting the sports but they are a great tire i can't imagine how much more traction i would get out of the dry tires as the sports are very very sticky
The KDWS worked good for me, but my friend had them on his 97 Z28 and he couldn't keep the rear wheels inline with them. Very hard compound that didn't seem to provide very good traction.
This time around I'd skip them myself, better tires are around.
goodyear Eagle GTII are horrible tires. i will never by goodyear tires again
ive had a great experience with Falken Ziex tires
soon i will have firehawk wide oval tires
Quote:
Originally Posted by elano
I have really enjoied my Falken Ziex tires. They don't slip in the rain and have great traction when dry. When I had my 5spd 305, I could barely bark the tires from idle without revving up and dumping the clutch. With my 383 of corse they will spin but they still grip very will. It's been 2 years and I still have a lot of tread left. For the price, these tires are the best bang for the buck. I think they were $85 each mounted and balanced.
I will get these tires again if they are still being produced in the future. A+ tire.
Quote:
Originally Posted by flaming-ford
i've ran goodyear gt2s, ok dry traction terrible wet traction and overly expensive on a 92 camaro. as for other tires i've also used a falken ziex it's great much better wet and dry traction. (this is on an 89 iroc mind you and i did go a little larger than i went on my 1992 ,but still huge difference.
what sizes were you guys running with your falken ziex tires? i m looking at getting some for mine
agreed! i have run these tires for 3 years now on my camaro and love them. they are fairly cheap but give great performance. 1.8x 60 foots on my stalled auto L98 were capable on a good launch. they dont get the best mileage tho... something like 10K miles for me... but the performance makes up for it.
I cant seem to find them anymore. a new model came out and features harder tread so it wont grip as good...i'm a bit dissappointed to say the least
I have Fuldas on my 92 'vert, and I've been very impressed with them.....
ok so i have the bfg kdws on my car they are a lil old but lots of meat and i have very hard time keepin them hooked if i downshift doin 40 they break loose and the rear heads around cornering sucks notw it could be age but im wondering out of all these what would be best?...
i too ran radial tas on my other cars with 15 wheels and have toyed with the idea of putting old school 77 ta rims i have that i have in the garage on my 92 cus i had such good luck with them before last forever and i had great wet dry and snow traction here in vegas we dont get alot of ran or snow but when we do the roads turn to ice cus the oil and dirt come up and these never did loose traction as others have... *sigh* what a mess
Would you recommend them for a BBC Swap? Hows the dry traction?
__________________ BBC 396 bored .090 over (414)
Horsepower: not sure 450 at least
Comp Cam with a Comp Cam valve train
Edelbrock 700cfm carb and aluminum manifold.
Goin in a Camaro??
The BFG KDW's they're cheap but from whats posted I don't think they're that good
Goodyear F1 GS-D3's- they're on the top side of my tire budget but seem like an excellent choice. What price did you guys get for 4 of these?
Kumho Ecsta- I know a guy that works for kuhmo or something. How do these perform? I might try them because it looks like in between the first two
I used to have kumhos on my car, they're decent tires, lil soft - but not bad.... Recently I put on a set of Dunlop SP Sport 9000's 235\40\ZR18 up front and 255\40\ZR18 out back... BEST TIRE I HAVE EVER OWNED... Thick side wall, agressive tread pattern, and no road wander... Along with neck breaking dry traction and un-beleiveable grip on wet black top... Off the line, my car used to spin when it was humid haha - now it has grip for days... A+++ in my book...
Could you post a link to those? How much do they run per tire? Could I possibly find them at Summit?
Thanks
__________________ BBC 396 bored .090 over (414)
Horsepower: not sure 450 at least
Comp Cam with a Comp Cam valve train
Edelbrock 700cfm carb and aluminum manifold.
Goin in a Camaro??
Could you post a link to those? How much do they run per tire? Could I possibly find them at Summit?
Thanks
Honestly I picked them up off of E-bay for a great deal... Usually just the 255's alone run around 300+ a tire (for 18's)... Do a lil searching on google and see what you can find in the sizes you need...
i put 2 Kuhmo ast high performance tires on the rear and so far i'v had no problems I was in a heavy down poor the first night i drove with them and i did not slip at all i am very impressed and also i grip the road with no problem from idle i launched and did not slip at all and that was while using the brake to hold the car (since i have and auto. but with a B&M hard shift kit) and the price i can not complain
__________________ 1987 Z28 Being Completely restored with extras
I am 17 The name is Colin Everything was built not bought
__________________ BBC 396 bored .090 over (414)
Horsepower: not sure 450 at least
Comp Cam with a Comp Cam valve train
Edelbrock 700cfm carb and aluminum manifold.
Goin in a Camaro??
I have an 85 Camaro SC with 15" all season radials, and they lock up in heavy rain and I hydroplane. That's bad news. I also have an 87 IROC Z with 305 TPI 5 Speed, just coming out of vehicle safety inspections, and I have bought 245/50/ZR16 *FOUR FIERCE UHP Tires 245 50 ZR 16, and I can't remember seeing tires so wide, and with such deep tread channels. They are not on the car yet, but will be next week, once they get here, from the US, and I hope they turn out to be as good in wet weather as I am sure they will be in dry.
I have an 85 Camaro SC with 15" all season radials, and they lock up in heavy rain and I hydroplane. That's bad news. I also have an 87 IROC Z with 305 TPI 5 Speed, just coming out of vehicle safety inspections, and I have bought 245/50/ZR16 *FOUR FIERCE UHP Tires 245 50 ZR 16, and I can't remember seeing tires so wide, and with such deep tread channels. They are not on the car yet, but will be next week, once they get here, from the US, and I hope they turn out to be as good in wet weather as I am sure they will be in dry.
What is the final view on the best tires?
What's your initial take on the Fierce tires? Who's the MFR? I'm seriously considering a set to replace the 'Ultratec II's that I have on my Z.....starting to dry rot on the sides, and they're about 10 years old.
I do like the aggressive tread design and depth, but I don't want another tire like my Ultratechs that were good the first fewmonths, wore fast, and just suck all together. I've had bad luck w/ Kuhmo suv/truck tires- wear, ride, and blowouts- but those seem to be about the only other economical option.
I have an 85 Camaro SC with 15" all season radials, and they lock up in heavy rain and I hydroplane. That's bad news. I also have an 87 IROC Z with 305 TPI 5 Speed, just coming out of vehicle safety inspections, and I have bought 245/50/ZR16 *FOUR FIERCE UHP Tires 245 50 ZR 16, and I can't remember seeing tires so wide, and with such deep tread channels. They are not on the car yet, but will be next week, once they get here, from the US, and I hope they turn out to be as good in wet weather as I am sure they will be in dry.
What is the final view on the best tires?
Wait a sec... Are you saying you bought a 16" tire for a 15" rim?????
BFG seems to last here in vegas with the heat ect and these will give me good wet traction when i need it since it doesnt rain alot here but the roads get bad when it does...
I run 245/45/R17 KDWs on 17x8 billet Centerlines. Overall, they are a great tire, but they really, really don't like the cold. Any temperature under 40 and you can feel them slide on paint markings or any slick spots. But in fair weather and with them warmed up, they have great grip. Good too if you occasionally AutoX, but haven't run them on the strip. I'd prob swap to NT555s if I was gonna do that. The KDWs are being phased out, though,... the new tire is called a G-Force SSS, I think. Completely different look, suppose to be better in cooler temperatures, too.
So I put a set of the BFG G-Force Sports on and I have to say VERY NICE!!!
They grip like glue and even in rain they hold very well never lost traction to be exact... only time I lost was when I ran over the corss walk at the light as they are raised decal like and not painted on the road and very slick no matter what season or time of day...
I can't speak much on the subject of tires on third gens. Despite having many third gens none of the tires really stood out. I've also never changed mine. I had whatever was on the cars when I got them and didn't keep most of my third gens long enough to have to replace them. In the time I had my first third gen, which was only two years, I didn't drive it enough to wear the tires down. However, I have had the factory Firehawk tires and, Nitto 555R drag radials on my Firehawk as well as BFG KDW and KDWS's on my 2005 GTO. Fantastic tires all around. Every one of them. The Nitto's don't last a long time, then again I wouldn't recommend using a drag radial on a daily basis. They do work well in the rain if you have to be out in it. I found traction and launches using the Firehawk's, the Nitto 555Rs and the KDW/KDWS to be excellent overall. The KDWSes are a better all around tire than the Nitto 555R but the latter gives you better traction for drag racing. The Firehawk's were also excellent, and very much comparable to the BFG KDWS.
I will probably do Nitto 555R ot MT ETs on a spare set of rims for track use and BFG KDWSes for normal street driving.
I run a set of Federal 595's on both of my Z28s. One has 17" wheels with 235/45/R17 (a little small but great hookup) and the other has 245/40/R18's.
Bot vehicles handle very well in dry and wet conditions, and grab and go with very little effort. I actually find it hard to even chirp the tires, which for me is a great sign of how well the work.
I am sticking with another set of BFGoodrich Traction T/As, they seem to be the best all around purchase, 70,000 mi, $110 tire that I can find close to home installed.
would be insane to use them for a daily driver.
I have Fuldas on my 92 'vert, and I've been very impressed with them..... 
The name is Colin
