Joey96

Just bought a set of 17.9.5 Z06 rims. I went to Tire Discounters this afternoon to get some quotes and ideas. They offered (2) different sets of BF Goodrich Z rated tires, but I did not care much for the tred patterns. The Toyo's were pretty much the same way. The Kumhos were the cheapest, but I have had Kumho Ecstas on my old '99 V6 Camaro and just wan't impressed with the performace.

What kind of Z rated tires are you guys using or what would you recommend? Also if you have pics please post them. I would like to stay under $700 if possible. Thanks!

Redlinez

iTrader: (5)

What size are you trying to run? For the money, the new Sumitomo HTRZ3 and General Exclaim UHP are very tough to beat.

bradl1982

iTrader: (9)

I have some BFG Z rated tires and love the performance! The tread pattern isn't that nice to look at but I don't care, they work great.

turbowhistle86

iTrader: (7)

I'm using the BFG G-Force Super Sports and I love them...they're quiet, seem to hook pretty well, and have a treadwear of 420!!! I got all 4, mounted, balanced for $563.

I also looked at the Firestone Firehawk WideOval and the Yokohama S.drive, but the Yoko's are on backorder and the Firestones were more expensive, with worse reviews.

defenestrate

iTrader: (1)

which bfg's were you looking at? i use the kd's and i love the tread pattern and they look amazing. not cheap though.

Hatchetman337

iTrader: (3)

I've got Goodyear F1's on the front and Nitto drag radials on the back. I used to have F1's all around and was pretty happy, but they are very expensive. I'm looking into either Cooper Zeons or Falkens possibly in the future. They are both relatively inexpensive and I've had great luck with Coopers in the past.

lt1noob

iTrader: (4)

any bfg g-force are good

Joey96

I don't remember exactly what model of BF Goodrich I was looking at.. they just looked a little "ricey".

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

I recently purchased a set of Fuzion ZRi, 275/40/17s. Price was pretty reasonable, compared to a lot of the others, but I can't mention the Internet dealer, cause they're not a sponsor.

So far, the performance is good, however I don't race, so all out bite isn't an issue.

Delaware ss

iTrader: (2)

I have Goodyear GSD3's but they are 800+. for under 700 I would go with the General's hard to beat for the price. They won the tirerack shootout. last time i checked they were about 120 for 275's

Joey96

The Fuzion's have the tread pattern that I'm after. Too bad Tire Discounters doesn't sell them, considering they are the cheapest around here with that free alignment lol.

shaun

the sumi's are suposed to be a good tire and from what tirerack says it is in the same class and the max performance goodyears and so on and was rated #1 over the other brands.the generals are a little loud but they do handle good i have the generals on my benz in 245/35/19 front and a 275/30/19 rear and they are good tires but on a f body i dont think they would have enough grip brcause they spin on my benz so. my opinion is the nitto 555's they have really good dry tracktion and they ride good.thats what im going to get next the nittos or the sumi's. and for the money the sumis are hard to beat and they are cheaper than ther nittos and general's

dailydriver

The BFG Super Sport all seasons are probably the best IF you are going to see cold weather (NOT necessarily snow) at all.

Otherwise, the Falken Azenis 615s stick like glue for < $175.00 a tire (I think, still??).
But if you thought the KDW NTs were too 'ricey looking', you will probably not like these either.

turbowhistle86

iTrader: (7)

bingo! that's why I went with the Super Sports...my car doesn't see snow, but it gets damn cold here in Illinois sometimes and if its a sunny day, but still cold, I may want to take it for a drive. I had BFG KD's on our 95 Impala SS and the tires would literally come off the rim when it was cold out!!!!

lt1noob

iTrader: (4)

why do you care what the tread pattern looks like. they could look sweet and hook and handle like ****. i sort of understand your standpoint but...i think the performance of the tire matters alot more especially since i almost put my car into a tree due to shitty tires. tires just arent something you want to go cheap on.

lt1noob

iTrader: (4)

and after about 10k-12k miles you cant stop the car in rain and you cant hook.

a memer on here put his ws6 into a gate because of wet pavment and not being able to stop. there have many incidents of this with sumis.

Lonnies Performance

iTrader: (16)

I run the Nitto 555's & am reasonably happy with their performance. They are much cheaper than the F1's etc. & are holding up well on the street. It is setup for handling, not drag racing & I push it pretty hard. I've run the G-Forces & Goodyears before but for the price difference I'm planning on buying Nitto's again. I cannot justify $800 plus for tires on my daily driver, especially since any of them are capable of respectable performance.

slow95z

iTrader: (33)

fuzion zri's are good all around tires imo. they suck cold but hook decent with a m6 after they warm up some.

defenestrate

iTrader: (1)

probably the new kdw 2- they have the weird tread pattern, supposed to be a really good tire especially wet.

Joey96

To answer your question, I have purchased tires in the past that had these "goofy" looking tread patterns and all of them were among the worst tires I have ever had. Hancook Ventus being among the worst. I believe those tires were a major factor when I lost control of my car on the highway and slid into a gravel lot. If a little rain shower came through the area and barely saturated the roads, that car was all over the place. I don't drive the Camaro in the winter and it only see's rain if I happen to be out on a nice sunny day and a storm moves in. I am over critical with a lot of things, but some of these tires with archs and tear drops in the tread pattern not only look ugly imo, but they have never performed well on my cars.

The best set of tires that I ever had were Bridgestone Z rated all weather tires (I can't exactly afford them at the moment) on an '87 GTA I owned. I managed to squeez 40k miles out of them without any sliding or major problems. But for what I paid for Bridgestones 6 years ago will only buy a decent set of tires today.

As for now, Firestone Fuzions look like the winner. Over the past two days I have heard a lot of people recommend them and I went ahead and did some research of my own. Unfortunately I'm impatient and the Firestone dealer had to order them from Tennesse and they won't be in until Wednesday.

I do want to thank everyone for your input. LS1 Tech has been more helpfull than any other site I've been to.