G-force <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />

 

His assesment of which tires are true DOT and which are Competition DOT !

If all U wanted was all out straight line traction BFG drag radials are your tire with the Nitto 555R coming in a close second !

If U need an all weather type tire and what I mean is will U be caught in the rain regularly ?

I would shy away from DR's !

Now the Kuhmo and Yoko listed are road course Competition type tire they will work as every day tires and do have some wet weather capabilities, but they are mainly for road course lateral traction, and like DR's they have a very limited life span !

So as of now price not withstanding I would go with the either the BFG KD or Firestone SZ 50, both of these tires offer great traction and tread wear, plus if U get caught in the rain/down pour U won't have to pull over and wait it out ! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" />

I hope this helps ! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="gr_images/icons/cool.gif" />

Bob

 

Like I said your obvious two choices are the BFG KD's

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....m=74YR7GFTAKDL

or the SZ 50's ! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="gr_images/icons/cool.gif" />

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....=74ZR7FHSZ50EP

 

Thanks all of you for all your help. Let me know if youve got any other suggestions. Probably gonna go with the BFGoodrich G-Force T/A KDs, thanks.

 

By the way, I went to DiscountTire.com and they dont seem to carry the KDs. They only have the KDWS's and KDW's. Is the KDs a whole different tire. Please be more specific. By the looks of it, it looks like the KDs have the same tread as the KDWs. Thanks

 

Just got off the phone on discussing a set of KDs. Sorry guys, dont have that kind of money, $300 a tire, no way! Im gonna need another opinion. He said those tires dont last but maybe 15k miles. Thats still to soon for me to replace, especially at that price. So again, give me the best sticking tire thats going to last. Im thinking mabye 20k to 30k miles. Thanks

 

C'mon guys....need to decide soon....I need to make a trip out to get some tires today. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="gr_eek2.gif" /> Thanks

 

I just typed out a huge ******* reply and then I accidentally hit the back button and lost everything.

The gist of it was, tires are all about compromise. Decide what is the most important to you, and then pick a tire that is biased towards those priorities. If you can't afford it, then lower your standards. All the tires listed in my original post in this thread are all excellent and decently priced tires. Take your pick, they're all around 150-200$ depending on size.

Dope

No GD please. That's my rule here. Thanks, Dope. -Colonel-----> <img border="0" alt="[angel]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_angel.gif" />

<small>[ December 30, 2002, 04:55 PM: Message edited by: Colonel ]</small>

 

The 555R is the drag radial, and the 555RII is their road race version of the 555R. I have owned multiple sets of each and will say that there isn't much difference. They both hook about the same and the RII *might* be better in the corners. I got 10K miles out of the last couple sets, and that includes drag, autox, road racing and street abuse. If you killed a set of Nitto DR's in 4500 miles you did a bunch of burnouts. Street tires aren't going to last much longer under that kind of abuse.

The Kuhmo MX is a new tire, but I have read a couple good reviews from autocrossers. The KD is an awesome tire like I said before, but they are expensive. A friend of mine got 20K miles out of a set, and when he switched to the RII's said there was a noticeable increase in grip. The Pilots are also a nice tire, but again they are expensive. The Sumitomo's look good and have a treadwear of 160 (both Nittos are 100, the KD's are 200), but I have never heard of anyone using them and don't want to risk trying a set.

I race on the Victoracers and A032R's, and beleive me when I say there is no street tire that will grip with these, but if you are worried about Nitto's wearing too fast then check this page out: http://chuckb.1le.net/racing/kuhmo_v...700/index.html

The SZ50EP is still riding the coat tails of the old SZ50. With a treadwear of 300, the EP isn't much of an ultra performance tire.

The KD, KDW and KDWS are different tires. The KD is "killer dry", the KDW adds wet, and KDWS is wet and snow <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="gr_eek2.gif" />

For your dollar you will get as many miles from the RII's as you will the KD's.

 

Ok guys...sorry for any confusion. I do want a set of sticky tires, but I want them to last. But the catch is, I dont want to spend too much money for a set. So again, when think about what I need, add in that I dont want to put up that much money. I want to spend around $500 to $700. Thanks

 

BFG KDW, Bridgestone RE730 or Firestone SZ50EP (in that order)

 

For what it's worth, here's a list I'd consider:

BFG KD's (~300)
Firestone SZ50EP (~180)
Toyo Proxes T1-S (~250)
Sumitomo HTRII's (~125)
Bridgestone Potenza RE730 (~250)

These are all "max performance" type tires, not DOT race tires. You will not see decent mileage with any DOT race tire, it's an oxymoron by definition. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" /> Even with the above listed tires depending on how much you beat them you'd be lucky to get 20k miles out of any of them realistically, especially on an F-body type car. BTW, all prices are per tire roughly, and should include mounting and balancing.

I've heard good things about the Toyo Proxes T1-S's but they are still street tires. Any of these street tires isn't going to grip near as well as a DOT racing tire like the Victoracer. If you are looking for a tire that has awesome grip and lasts 30k miles, keep looking, you won't find one. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" /> Here's a decent review of the Toyo's from a guy with a Turbo Supra (older 1989 model) running about 300rwhp:

http://beta2.epinions.com/content_82680778372

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by onebadss:
<strong> C'mon guys....need to decide soon....I need to make a trip out to get some tires today. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="gr_eek2.gif" /> Thanks </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Where did you call. The BFG g-Force KD is not $300/each. And, they last longer than 15,000 miles. I currently have 7,000 miles on mine and there is no noticable tread wear. They are awsome. You should do more checking online.

 

Im not to worried about the rain. I hardly even drive the car unless its sunny out. So wet weather isnt a big issue but I do want a set that will work in the rain. I want a DOT approved tire that will get awesome traction and long lasting treadlife. So far...Ive come to think that everyone is recommending the BFGoodrich G-Force KDs. Let me know if you think any different. Thanks

 

The KD's are $269 a tire for 275/40YR17's plus shipping fro tirerack.com, mounting and balancing, plus tax if they have a warehouse in your state.

 

If you have not made your decision...

I have a set of KDW's on 9.5" x 17" Torq Thrust IIbut could not get traction with my 4:10's and 320 RWHP. Next week I'm doing GTP heads, 128/124 comp cam, LT headers, off road y-pipe, etc. etc., etc.. I'm guessing 420 - 440 rwhp.

With that, the KDW's had to go and along came Nitto 555R. I went with 315 35 17 and they fit great with no overt bulge. The tire shop was blown away when they saw how good they fit on 9.5's when Nitto recoomends 11" rims for the 315's. Nitto is a conservative 315.

Now, keep in mind, I drive my SS about 2000 miles a year and certainly not my main driver. So like the treads point to...what are you going to use the car for. Every day stockish HP than KDW are the bomb. 440RWHP don't care about milage but traction is a must than bring on the nittos baby!!!

Ron

 

What do you guys think about the Goodyear F1 GS-D3? Kuhmo Ecsta MX? Bridgestone Potenza RE730? Dunlop SP Sport 9000? I ask of all those tires because theyre all under $200 each. I dont want to spend no more than that and want to get a good tire. Of those tires above, which would you choose? Which will hook the best and last the longest? Thanks guys and please reply. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" />

 

C'mon guys, youve helped me out this far, what do you think about the tires listed in the reply above? Read the reply above and let me know what you think, thanks.

 

Make a decision already... jeez! <img border="0" alt="[boring]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_zzz.gif" />

 

<img border="0" alt="[boring]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_zzz.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[boring]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_zzz.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[boring]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_zzz.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[boring]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_zzz.gif" />