rayhawk

I need two new rear tires (due to misalignment wear while on the front) but would like to upgrade from 235/55/16 Goodyear GT-HR's to a 245/50/16 size. I never liked these goodyears, they do not grip well. Anyway the front tires still have plenty of tread left so I want to replace only the rears. Has anybody run this size mismatch? My concern is more visual, as the rears would be about 1/2" shorter overall (by the math). Next question is has anybody tried the BFgoodrich Traction TA? I want a tire with decent treadwear but something stickier than the GT-HR's. Also looking at the BFG Gforce TA KDWS. Any suggestions or experience in traction & treadwear with these tires?? Snow performance is not an issue but rain is.

Ericbigmac83

iTrader: (19)

you'll never notice that .4 inches. the bfgoodrich ta is a very popular tire and should get you a little bit better traction, nothing to write home about though. i just ordered some of the bfg supersport all seasons, so i can let ya know within the week how they do, theyre fairly new tires to the market

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

I run a combo of those two sizes with 235's on front and it's not a problem. After putting on SFC's, impact harshness was so bad with the KDWS that I put the softer 235's on front. You can tell it's a little higher when you really look at it.

I would stay away from KDWS. They have an incredibly harsh ride and are truly an all-season tire; that is, their performance is equally mediocre in all seasons and conditions.

rayhawk

When you say TA, are you referring to the Traction TA or the Gforce TA?? Anybody have experience with the Continental Conti-extremecontact tires? They are quite a bit cheaper.

Ericbigmac83

iTrader: (19)

with tires, quite a bit cheaper = quite a bit crappier. i was talking about the traction ta's, i dont like the kdws tires either. we'll see how these super sports work, they should be better then the kdws

rayhawk

What about the Gforce sport? Seems to get good reviews, although the treadwear is a bit lower. Does this tire get decent mileage?

dailydriver

Yes, PLEASE post up how they do in cold DRY, as well as cold rainy conditions!! It will probably be a while until you see any more than a dusting of snow.

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

It's a summer tire. The word is good dry traction and poor wet traction. Not for use if you see snow or serious cold.

Ericbigmac83

iTrader: (19)

Well i got the super sports thrown on. With as much power as i have im obviously not gonna get any sort of great traction accelerating hard. The tires were ok, nothing spectacular. i could punch it pretty good in 3rd in the rain so it wasnt too bad. 1st and 2nd were a joke though. I'd say the tires are pretty comparably to the avon 550's that i had on there. I'll prolly just save the $30 and get the avons again next time

dailydriver

Did you at least give them enough miles to wear the mold release "grease" off of/out of them??
How cold was it (air temps)?
How were they left and right and braking? They are supposed to have a stiffer, more handling oriented sidewall than the M550s.

Xsta Z 28

iTrader: (2)

What kind of car?

235/55R16 were stock tires on V6 Camaros
245/50R16 were stock tires on Z28's
255/50R16 is a popular +1 sizing for Z28's

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

How is the ride quality? Any further experience with bad weather in the past couple of days?

Ericbigmac83

iTrader: (19)

Theyve got over 250 miles on them at this point. i would imagine thats enough.

its been cold, temps in the 40's. should be below freezing in the morning so i'll post up again to say how they did. looks like i'll get to test them in the snow in a day or two also

problem is that im spinning with any street tire, so its hard to judge.

as far as handling go i do believe they are better, that was one of the things i was gonna mention. they actually felt pretty good going around on ramps at a high speed, i felt more comfortable with them than with the 550's

theyre on the z28 in my sig, stock rims

ride quality seems pretty good, theyre only on the back rims so its not a drastic change. i think im liking them more now that ive driven on them more.
at first i think i was just overly optimistic....i really need drag radials, lol

as far as driving them in the rain the tires were very predictable, i could easily control slides around corners. but they stuck pretty good around curves when i wasnt trying to break them lose, which is i guess what really counts

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

Keep us posted - especially if it snows. I'm interested in them as a cold/bad weather tire. I don't expect great traction under hard acceleration - my Mickeys go on for that in good weather. But I'm not interested if they have a harsh ride like my KDWS.

johnnydi

I have the Conti Extremes on my 2002 TA and they are alright for the money but needed RoadForce balancing and still have a little shake at 70-80 mph but it goes away when the tires warm up. Now that it's getting colder (30 to 40) I notice a slight shake at lower speeds but it goes away fast. I should mention that I am REAL picky.
John I

dailydriver

THANKS for all the info, Ericbigmac83.

Ericbigmac83

iTrader: (19)

well it snowed yesterday. tires actually did pretty well i was quite pleased. i obviously couldnt accelerate around corners without sliding but as long as didnt accelerate i could negotiate turns very well. i even swerved back and forth and didnt slide at all. When i did slide around corners (for fun) it was very easy to control. only once did i start to go out of control but i very easily brought it back under control. +1 for the tires

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

With the siping on the outside of the tread blocks, they look like they'd be good in snow. Your experience bears that out - thanks.