$164 screw.

[Paul Higg]

No, I think you explained it quite well Rabbit, thanks. Well, since I do not have the LPTWS and I do not want any MORE noise I will have to stay away from them. I guess all-in-all I can't complain too much. One ruined tire and an almost-flat in 31 years ain't too bad huh?

In your opinion Rabbit, what would be the BEST tire if you could buy new rubber today?

Thanks again.

Paul

 

[Rabbit]

No, I think you explained it quite well Rabbit, thanks. Well, since I do not have the LPTWS and I do not want any MORE noise I will have to stay away from them. I guess all-in-all I can't complain too much. One ruined tire and an almost-flat in 31 years ain't too bad huh?

In your opinion Rabbit, what would be the BEST tire if you could buy new rubber today?

Thanks again.

Paul

I bought Firestone Wide Ovals over a year ago & am happy with them. Of course, anything would have been a great improvement over the original GSC'S (1995).

There was a fella named Luke that worked at Tirerack.com. He seemed to be very know knowledgale about tires. He convinced me that the F/S'S would fit my needs & so far he's right.

I'm sure you'll come up with something you'll be happy with.

 

[Paul Higg]

Well, I have a lot of mileage left on these tires and especially with a new one going on the left rear on Friday.

I never spin 'em unless I do it accidentally. With the price of tires I do not want to keep buying new ones.

I will cut and paste your recommendation Rabbit. Thanks.

Paul

 

[bugman34202]

I have F/S Wide Ovals on my wifes C5, great tires for daily driving to AutoCrossing. I recommend them. They are not "Run Flats" and have a nice solid ride. I keep a Z06 tire repair kit in the trunk box, and AAA just in case.

JB

 

[Paul Higg]

hanks bugman, but what exactly does a Z06 tire repair kit contain?

 

[gmjunkie]

hanks bugman, but what exactly does a Z06 tire repair kit contain?

I bought mine at a salvage yard for $50.00,but there available from Chevrolet!
You can catch one on E-bay sometimes for a fraction of what they cost new from GM!!Fits easily in the middle compartment in the back of my C5!

I took the tire slime sealant out of mine and added a Mushroom Tire Plug Gun,Plugs and a Digital Tire Gauge!

 

[Paul Higg]

Awesome! I wish I had that. I wouldn't be shelling out $209 including tax, disposal fee, and all that other crap. I STILL don't have the tire yet. At least all my rims are restored and clear coated and they look mighty purdy! otfl

Paul

 

[LT4man]

At least all my rims are restored and clear coated and they look mighty purdy! otflPaul

Paul, do you have any pictures of the before and/or after of repairing your rims? I know some folks are scared of getting into a repair like that. Perhaps your experience would calm some of their fears.

AFTER YOU ARE FINISHED POLISHING YOUR RIMS, PLEASE HELP SAVE THE !

 

[Paul Higg]

Yup,

Before:

After:

 

[Paul Higg]

This was the first one and it shows a few scratches, I was in a rush but I used sandpaper to remove the old poly. I now have a system. But it involves a lot of elbow grease.

1) Remove tire (duh)
2) Remove center hub (use same technique on center hub)
3) Sand off poly with 150 grit (LIGHTLY!)
4) Steel wool 000
5) Steel wool 0000
6) Wet sand with 220
7) Wet sand with 300+
8) Wet sand with 1500
9) Wet sand with 2000
10) Use a toothbrush and Mother's Billet to clean the "saw teeth" & wipe away with a good cotton rag.
11) Use a Mother's ball or cone with Mother's billet.

Note: It takes a while to use this stuff, for those who have never done it you will get a black mess, just keep rubbing the ball with the electric drill all over the wheel till it goes away.

12) Clean wheel with a good cotton rag, use a lot of elbow grease and get all of compound off the wheel.
13) Use "speed tape" (metal tape) and cut into 2" long pieces and mask off tire placing tape under rim lip.
14) Use masking tape and news paper cut in half to mask off the rest of the rubber placing masking tape on speed tape
15) Spray clear coat per directions which you can buy at O'Reily's or other auto parts supply stores.

Note: As a former woodworker as a hobby for 40 years, do NOT use WOOD poly, it NEEDS to be WHEEL CLEAR COAT or weather will cloud it in a hurry.

16) Wait till it dries, about 1/2 hour then remove all tape.
17) Wait a little while longer then mount wheel
18) Do NOT clean it for several weeks as it takes a while to cure.

I am VERY pleased with the way they came out. I could shave in the reflection if I wanted.

Good luck.

Paul

 

[John Robinson]

Item 18

Paul

Do you mean not to use harsh detergents or not to even wash off the dirt for several weeks?

Was all the sanding just to get the poly off so you could polish the rim?

The reason I ask on motorcycles I have used spray gasket remover to remove the clear coat and then polish the aluminum. Either way I plan on following in your footsteps on this one.

 

[LT4man]

Paul, your rim looks absolutely like NEW! Any estimate on total time involved per rim?

SAVE THE GOSH DARN !

 

[Paul Higg]

Hi John & LT4.

First John,

I would only use Dawn or something like that AFTER a week. The can says it isn't okay to wash till 7 days have passed. But it has been my experience with clear coats that they really need to cure and harden which takes about two weeks. THEN I am going to use a clear coat safe cleaner and a soft toothbrush to get between the teeth to clean the brake dust off. Then the soap I use to wash the car with.

Yes, the sanding was to remove the poly. If I had the rubber removed and the stem I would have used aircraft stripper you can buy it at auto parts stores, I have been around this on jets for years but it is DEADLY!! VERY deadly. It works but be very careful. I wrote the company and they said do NOT use it on rubber as it will eat it like nothing. So I sanded.

LT4, thank you for the compliment. Total time per rim, about three hours. But your mileage may vary.

I really like the way they look. It is like factory new. They look sweet in the sun! In my opinion, WELL worth the effort considering how much new rims cost, and I do not know if you can even get these in OEM anymore.

Besides, I LIKE doing this kind of stuff! To me it is fun. I like the finished result and I did it myself.

I appreciate you saying they look nice.

Paul

I am going for my daily prayer walk now so I will be back in a few hours. It is 33 degrees and windy here in ATL so I have to dress warm. I plan on doing 12 miles today.

God bless.

 

[Paul Higg]

 

[Toms007]

Paul, sorry for your loss of the tire. I know that you didn't need that expense. But to look on the bright side, it did give you a chance to get the wheel done....and it looks great.

 

[Paul Higg]

Thanks Tom, I got 'em all done now. It is STILL on jacks. I'm hoping the tire comes in today. It needs to be driven.

Paul

 

[topless82vette]

I can relate, I once had a roll-pin enter my tire at about 70'ish the car didn't do anything weird just started making a humming noise and then the sidewall gave out.

 

[Paul Higg]

Well I just got the new tire mounted a little while ago and I test drove it and it's fine. The rims look neat in the sun though!

 

[LittleRedFlatBack]

Wheels

Paul, I had my wheels on my 90' coupe refinished about 4 or 5 years back. It cost me around $500 or so for all four wheels. I've got to tell you, your wheels turned out as good or better. You've done good Paul. Looks great.

Dennis

 

[Paul Higg]

Thanks Dennis! I appreciate the compliment. It was a lot of elbow grease but it was worth the effort. Besides, I didn't know it would cost that much to restore 'em! Did they unmount the tires? I'll bet they did. I had just the one with the flat unmounted and it makes it a lot easier. But, to me, doig stuff like that is fun.

Paul