Tires

[FU]

Originally Posted by RICKYRJ1

I run PS2 & GY Z06 runcraps.. Love the PS'2 GY suck but they came with the rims. I'm looking to upgrade them this year

Time for Nitto's Ricky.

[ZRapid-1]

I highly recommend the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2.

Fronts: 275/40-17
Rears: 335/35-17

The rear tires fit 11 inch rims fine and is in the recommended range.

Traction is tremendous in both dry and wet conditions.

In dry summer conditions they do not break loose under full power.

[secondchance]

Originally Posted by Jagdpanzer

Here is a shot of the side view. I'm running 285/35-R18 Pilots on the front.

Phil's Z.



Korean made counterfeit.

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by mike100

I got a fast ride in a 91 ZR with the Nittos- very sticky.

I have had two different c4's with the GY GS-D3's. also very good all around. Maybe B+ in absolute adhesion, but they handle weather much better should you encounter some. I also think they are fairly safe down to 45 degrees where as other more summer oriented rubber isn't as soft when it gets cool out.

Yep! Mike, yer "spot on".

Just to add: As a street tire, the GY GS D3s are one of the best in the wet. And, and according to a Car and Driver skid pad comparison (must be 5+ years old now), the thing about the -D3s that really impressed me was they performed on the wet almost as well dry.

Of the street tires tested on the dry pad (on a BMW test mule), the BFG KDs recorded a .94 or .95G, whereas the D3s were good to .92 - within a couple tenths of the BFGs, was the point the article made.

But, the "holy cow" moment came when looking at the wet data. As I recall, the D3s pulled something in the high .8s whereas the BFGs were in the mid .5s! In addition, the BFGs not only were way down in terms of G force, but when they lost traction the reaction tended to be sudden and the tire would skate considerably. In contrast, the D3s were well behaved when loosing traction on wet; i.e., gradual and controllable.

That's what sold me on the D3s. And, as luck would have it, that decision may have saved my butt once last summer. I had the BFGs on my previous LT1 Vette, and from time to time I would get caught in a rain shower. I didn't like "white knuckle" sensation I learned one day when getting off an off ramp after a little summer rain shower - was like suddenly hitting an icy patch! The limits were imprinted in my memory banks, and wet conditions always made me pucker ... just a little bit.

In contrast, I was on a fun run last summer with some of the FBI gang, going down hill and entering a blind, hairpin right turn. The roads were dry. We were having fun with the road - not being stupid - but doing a bit of "spirited" driving of the type the "Family Truckster" (or even Mustangs) would not fair well on.

Anyway, as I enter a blind hairpin to the right, suddenly the pavement went from dry to wet. And, if that wasn't bad enough, I met a pickup truck that was cheating on my lane - cutting the corner by a tire width. So, not only did the surface conditions change drastically, but now I have to avoid this dill weed that's taking up some of my lane to boot!

I had picked my line, based on the (up to then) dry conditions, and suddenly found myself entering a LOT more steering input than I had anticipated needing. My mind quickly recalls the BFG "wet driving" file, does a quick analysis, and determines that we're gonna swap paint...SH*T! I mentally rigged for collision...but for naught. The D3s took the unexpected increase in steering input - while on wet pavement - and didn't even whimper.

From outward appearances, it looked almost routine...Almost. Internally, I knew better! I had just survived a situation that from previous experience would have been big trouble, and I had the D3s to thank for preventing it. Thanks to them, I was still comfortably inside the envelop.

Well, fast forward. The tires have been on the car for 4 years now. And, maybe they're getting a little hard, or maybe it's because of the new HP, but they don't stick with anything close to WOT in first, and squirm a lot in second...and that's on a hot day. Now that it is cold out, I almost feel safer driving my big F150 4x4! Time for some new rubber. More D3s? Maybe not.

Enter the dragstrip factor... The D3s - good as they are (thank goodness) for normal or even some spirited driving, they leave a lot to be desired (by me) on the drag strip - nothing better than 2.4s at 60'....AND, they're expensive. Is there a tire that will perform on the strip, yet not loose their mind in the wet?

Marc has had good experience with the Nittos. I believe he said he has the 555s on the front, and I think he said he had something else on the rear, - might be the Nitto 05 or 01 DRs (?) on the back - have to ask him to be sure 'bout that. He says they're OK to drive in the rain and pavement too.

On both counts - strip and winding roads, wet and dry - I have witnessed the performance of his Nittos, and I'm more than intrigued.

A fond memory from BG last year:

Marc loves his Z, and loves to play with it. Last spring at BG, I followed Mark as we were in a caravan of mostly GSs on the "Barbeque" road trip (which I highly recommend, BTW, for those attending BG this year). We were on a piece of road they called "The Rollercoaster" - damn well named too, I might add! Anyway, the lead car was taking "granny driving" to an extreme, it seemed. So Marc would lay back and let the rest of the group get maybe a quarter mile or so ahead, and then NAIL it! Of course, I'd follow suit, and the hills echoed with the sound of the two Zs - both snarling and screaming with joy! Too soon we had to get on the brakes, but only to lay back for another run. There was a GS guy behind me, and the first couple times he tried to keep up. However, after about the second pull and being left way behind, he opted to save face (I guess) and plod along pretending to be engrossed in the scenery...which WAS beautiful, BTW.

Well, back to tires...I'm thinking the Nitto 555s, with the new 555DR on the rear. From what I see, they stick pretty good on the dragstrip for a street tire, they will drive in rain (BG was proof of that!), and they cost about 2/3 of a set of GY GS D3s WHEN you can find a set!

It would be good to see the Nittos compared with some of the current offerings, done on a skid pad in both wet and dry conditions. I know they're better at the strip than the D3s, but I'd like to see how they behave on the wet surface, compared to the D3s.

P.

[WB9MCW]

The D3s took the unexpected increase in steering input - while on wet pavement - and didn't even whimper.

he opted to save face (I guess) and plod along pretending to be engrossed in the scenery

I really enjoy your beacon of reality posts Paul.

I have an old set of Sam's Club "DUNLOP's" on my Z

They are pretty good IMO

[ZR WON]

Ed:

Hope all is well; we still need to get together . Re: tires, it depends on what you will do with the car from this point forward. As the years pass, I find myself (sadly) driving mine less and less. Given our kindred spirit in that regard ( ), another option to consider: Last time around I purchased BFG G-Force Sports for the front and BFG Drag Radials for the back. The Sports are $145.00 each and the Drag Radials are $193.00 each. $676.00 for a set of quality ZR-1 rubber (Tire Rack) is hard to beat (I have a friend at the Greenwood Sears that will beat their price).

Seeing as the last 2 sets of Pilot Sports I've had were replaced due to age with less than 2/32nds of tread being used, this was the best option for me and something for a person who drives very sparingly to consider. Wet traction is a non-issue for me (you as well), and this was by far the most inexpensive 'matching set' of tires I could find, while still offering fantastic dry straight line grip. A person could 'upgrade' to the BFG KDW fronts should they desire ($183.00 each for a total of $752.00, still a great price)

Brian A.
90 ZR-1
12.09@118
01 Z06
not quite stock

[greenzr1]

GO WITH GOODYEAR EAGLE F1 GS DS--1990 ZR1-17"---MICHELIN-PILOT SPORT NEW-CORVETTES--18"AND19"

[Kevin]

if you go to 335's in the rear wouldn't you want to go with 285's up front to keep the ratios correct?

[XfireZ51]

With my Z06 wheels, I decided to use the Nitto Invos. I was able to find a set of fronts 275/35/18 for $350 and the the 325/30/19s were 270 each. They are sticky and their behavior in the rain is very good. They have gotten great reviews from the Z06 guys.

[JFFerner]

I just bought 2 Nitto 555 Extreme Performance (Street tires) for the rear (315/35/17) at www.Discounttiredirect.com I paid $214 each and there was no additional shipping charge. It was a toss up between these and the Sumo, but after researching the differences I decided to go with the Nitto because they have about a quarter of an inch more tread depth and I read fewer complaints. I can't give you actual data as they are not yet on the car. Jim