wssix99

iTrader: (5)

There is a long story behind my need for new tires, including a wreck on a frozen-over bridge, botched repair from a body shop, and my insurance company coming through to save the day. The short of it is that - its time for a new set of tires.

The car is a daily driver Firebird Formula WS6. I take long road trips, including cold weather and moderate snow. Cost of tires is not a concern here.

I've only had two types of tires on the car:
- OEM Goodyear Eagle F1 GS 93W ~ I really liked these tires but it looks like they are no longer made. They performed really well in all conditions, were pretty good in the dry, and also pretty good in the snow.
- Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D-3 98Y ~ I never liked these tires from the beginning and probably swayed in their direction because I like the tread pattern. I was expecting this more "modern version" of my old tires to be as good, or better, but it didn't work out that way. They were really good in the dry, were fine in the wet, (but lost road feel) and absolutely sucked in the snow or rain in temperatures under 50 degrees. I got really good "skating" with these tires in the cold conditions, but... they were unforgiving during a lapse in my full concentration during the incident mentioned above.

My car currently has two of the last set of tires (Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D-3 98Y) and two brand new BF Goodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S 98W tires. I want to get to a full matched set but the Eagles are out of production for a few months (and I didn't like them) and the BF Goodrich's were sprung on me without consultation...


Do you all have a recommendation (with first hand experience) on all-season high performance tires for my car? Getting two more of the BF Goodrich's would be less effort, but I'm not opposed to going in a totally different and new direction.

I checked Tire Rack's review of the BF Goodrichs' and they seem good in the dry and not so good in the wet. I'm not concerned about handling in the wet - but more ultimate control. (for example - not spinning out)

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

I had the BFG SS A/S on my GTO. I liked them (it was a four-season DD), but I never had a chance to try them in a huge pile of snow (sleet, freezing rain, slush, and maybe an inch? of snow at most). Nonetheless, I'd not be opposed to them for an all season radial.

however...

I bought my SS with Uniroyal Tigerpaw GTZ All Seasons: http://www.uniroyaltires.com/tire-se...l-season-tires

I got caught in a snow storm on the way home from picking the car up outside of Richmond, VA. This meant I was heading home to Pittsburgh in mountain areas. I had absolutely NO problems on that drive, even during periods of maintaining actual highway speed. After it just being a sunny day cruiser, the car became my DD a few weeks ago. Giving it normal (i.e. dry road "DD") throttle will cause it to spin in first and second gear in the rain, I've quickly become used to avoiding that (that is, I have less of a lead foot!).

As for dry traction, they are just fine in a straight line. So much so that I cut consistent 1.9 60' times at the track The downside of the tires happens to be when pushing it in the turns. I am lowered on SLP springs/shocks/struts, and I have UMI front & rear LCA's, LCA brackets, SFC (2pt), strut brace, and panhard along with ES end links and sway bushings. I state all of that to put in context that the car handles much better than it did stock. Anyway, they simply don't like to be pushed in the turns. So, if you are really hard on the car when turning left/right, perhaps the BFG's would be better.

One other thing to point out is that the BFG's are directional -- the Uniroyals are asymmetrical and can be rotated

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

I've had several sets of the BFG SS/AS on different cars, and they are fine in the wet and dry new, and only fair in the snow. They wear quickly - expect about 25,000 - and as they age and wear they get really hard and slippery.

If cost is no object, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. Great value and a very good A/S tire in the snow: Continental Extreme Contact DWS. We have them on the wife's G8 and are quite pleased.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

The only "all season" tire I ever used on a 4th gen driven in winter was the old BFG KDWS, which of course are long since out of production. These were OK in mild winter weather and fine in the summer/rain as well. Tread wear was decent for a performance tire, and that was even with the fact that I never rotated them.

Not sure if you want the hassle, but my recommendation in this regard is always the same - a second set of wheels, as skinny as possible, with true snow/ice tires that are as narrow as possible for the wheel. I discovered that a 4th gen LS1 car is almost unstoppable in any sort of winter conditions when it's on a set of Blizzaks and has a bit of weight in the trunk; packed snow, unplowed lots, iced uphill ramps, highway speeds in a blizzard - all were no issue at all. This was with a set of 16x7.5" wheels with 225/55/16 Blizzak WS60 tires.

I sold my daily driver 4th gen back in March. I still have the set of snow tires/wheels with a good amount of tread left. If this is something you might be interested in, let me know and we can work out a deal.

Any sort of all-season tires are really just a compromise that will be "fair-to-good" under most conditions but not "great" at anything. Swapping wheels seemed like only a small hassle to me compared to the benefit of having excellent tires during the bad winter months.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for all the replies. You have no idea how helpful this is. I went for a drive the other day and was really liking the BFG's. They grip better than the Goodyear's ever did in the dry. (Those DS-3's are really horrible.)

The Continental Extreme Contact DWS also looked good to me - I just need to decide how much I'm going to venture out in the snow with this car. We're getting up in miles and closer to a (hopefully high-performance rebuild) that this next set of tires could take her all the way to Garage Queen-dom.

BTW - Thanks for all the special attention by Admins and Mods here. I guess this forum is either where the cool kids hang out, or the troublemakers???

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

You asked a question that could not simply have an answer retorted by the hearsay-Internet-experts

Also, I would like to 2nd RPM's suggestion for dedicated snow tires. If I end up continuing to DD my car beyond this summer/fall, I will be looking for some used Z28 wheels and tossing on a set of Blizzak's (or the like).

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Yea.... I've always wanted snow tires, but have been living in condos (and recently temporary arrangements in units under foreclosure) while the new house is being built. (That little project is going on 4.5 years now...) So, I haven't had the storage space.

The new garage will have three bays with 12-13 foot ceilings, so hopefully I can squeeze a tire rack in there.

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

Ah..... I understand that living set up. It sure is tough to live in a condo/apartment complex when you're a car guy -- especially one that likes to work on their own stuff.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

It really is shocking how a set of true snow/ice tires can transform one of these cars into a stable, predictable and capable winter weather driver.

If you do end up deciding that you want a set at some point, feel free to send me a message. If I still have them, you would qualify for special moderator pricing.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Will do. I was thinking that 16's would be best for snow tires since the contact patch would be smaller. I'll have to talk to Mrs. WSSIX99 and see if she'll go for a car expense before the garage is finished and the final mortgage is settled...

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

I was browsing Tire Rack and it seems as though Pirelli has some options for 235/45/17's if one wants to continue looking half decent driving around in the winter

Flaring Afro

When I bought my car, it had practically new Michelin Pilot Sports on it. I replaced them with Bridgestone Pole Positions and everything was better. Better steering response, better dry grip (first gear rolling starts easily made tires spin on fairly cold days with Michelins, Bridgestones hooked), wet grip was much better - the car plows through pooled water like it's nothing, and they are more comfortable. I never hear either at any speed. This is my only car and I used it in the snow and they worked fine.

When those recently went, I replaced them with another set (pretty much the last set around in 245s) and then within a few thousand miles I punctured a rear one and had to replace both rears with Michelin pilot sports. I immediately still saw the same results new vs new. The bridgestones just are a better tire.

DrEvyl

iTrader: (5)

If you're gonna DD a F-body in Chicago, this by far is the best advice in this thread. "All season" tires are pretty much a case of "jack of all trades, master of none". With this combination, you won't degrade the performance of your tires in the summer when you really want to enjoy the car.

Drj8787

I'm running 275/40/17 mt street comps and love them. I hit the curves pretty fast too. And they just want more @170$ a tire not to bad on the wallet either 300treadware aa traction A temp 98w speed rating. They ride great and tons of grip

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

All-seasons are usually OK for the average FWD/AWD vehicle, but not so much for an F-body. Even with the snow tires, there is still a bit of slippage when taking off from a dead stop in packed snow or ice, but it's entirely controllable. And never once did I have any significant loss of traction while cruising at reasonable speeds for the conditions.

Also a good point about being able to opt for preimum summer performance tires without the compromise of all-seasons.

The issue here is that a 235mm tire is going to be pretty streched on a 9" wide wheel, so vehicle weight won't be as concentrated over as small of a contact patch as would be the case with a 215/60 or 225/55 on a 7.5" or 8" wheel.