New Tires for my LT-4

[mad47]

Ok Guys, its time for that annual discussion of the best tires for our LT-4's.
I live in the New Orleans area so wet road perfromance is a plus.
What is the current thinking on best replacement tires ?

 

[74bigblock]

Bang for the buck BFG G-Force KDW is the best all weather performance tire I have purchased. Blows away GSC and Firehawk SZ50's.

 

[Tuna]

Do a search here for the GoodYear F1 D3 report by Hib. They come very highly rated.

I'm currently using Michelin Pilot Sports and they do pretty well in the rain also while having really good dry traction in the summer.

 

[redvette6spd]

i have f1 d3 and like them. though i have not used them in the rain thay stick real good on dry roads look bad azz too.some road noise

 

[74bigblock]

All of these tires have bad road noise... you cant get away from that. I've also heard good stuff about the F1 D3. Prob can't go wrong with any of the above mentioned. Guess it just depends on your taste and wallet.

 

[lt1george]

tires

Original GOODYEAR GSC's that's the best. My .02. Best of Luck.Save the Wave.>George

 

[siller]

Ok Guys, its time for that annual discussion of the best tires for our LT-4's.
I live in the New Orleans area so wet road perfromance is a plus.
What is the current thinking on best replacement tires ?

My vote goes to the GoodYear Eagle F1 GS -D3.
IMO, they are quieter, provide improved traction, and look much better than the Nitto 555s (which I did not like - noisy and poor traction, but were cheap) and the GY GSCs (which I did like, but EMTs were expensive - $320/tire ). I have driven them in some rain, though not much, and I think they perform well - no complaints. I cannot wait until I can by them for the fronts as well.

Three main reasons I bought these tires:
1. OVERALL RANKING - Ranked first by Tire Rack in their Max Performance Summer category - see link http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=MP
and most internet and face-to-face reviews agreed. The D3 also compares farvorably to most of the tires listed in the Ultra High Performance ranking as well - in fact nothing in that list can match the wet traction and hydro resistance scores of the D3.
2. PRICE - At $200/tire (for rears - 285s), they were significantly less expensive than the EMTs and most of the other highly-rated performance tires. Their price and performance make for unbeatable combination for a daily driver.
3. LOOKS - I thought they had the best (coolest) looking tread design.

Good luck in your search.

 

[mad47]

Thanks to all of you for the input, and great suggestions on links.

I ordered the Goodyear R1 GS-D3 today from Tire Rack, and very much look forward to comparing them to the Michelin Pilot Sports that have been on the car for the last 35k miles. Although I loved the ride and wear of the Michelin's, they were not very comfortable in the wet. The Goodyear's seem to have better wet road capability based on the reviews.

 

[wx briefer]

I replaced my first generation Michelin Pilot Sports with the GS-D3's. The pilot sports were noisy and had bad high frequency vibration. I bought the GY's when the PS's still had 1/2 tread left.


The GY GS-D3's have NO detectable noise. They are smooth as a touring tire. I took them to the Nashville Speedway and ran the road course while the D3's only had a couple of thousand miles on them and they DID NOT cup at all. Smooth as glass on the interstate back to the house. YMMV.....

 

[NotSlo]

I have the Eagle F1 GS D3s for going on1.5 years and love them. They throw the water wonderfully. I have never felt even the slightest hint of hydroplaning while driving in the rain. As a side benefit they are wicked sticky on dry pavement.


http://photobucket.com/albums/v403/notslo/Vette/?action=view&current=blackrims3.jpg

 

[Paul G]

GY F1 GS D3's here also. No complaints

 

[Dammit man]

That what I will be getting !!!!

 

[dcaatc]

Gy Eagle F1-gs-d3

The "Y" and "Z" ratings are the speed ratings for the tire. Some will say I don't need to go 149 mph and in most cases that is true! My dilema was that I have "Spare Tire Delete" OEM and getting rid of the GY Eagle GSC-EMT's (RUN FLATS) was my main concern. I wanted to get rid of the noise (EMT's), now all I hear is the exhaust purring. I purchased the GY EAGLE F1 GS-D3's last thursday 4-14-05 and the noise is gone! They ride as smooth as glass and are rated excellent in dry and wet weather! Total cost in and out the door with Hazard Insurance, everything $1304.00! (5% Union Discount) GOOD LUCK w/ your decision!

Dick Cox
1996 LT4, Polo Green/Beige
Charlotte Hall, MD
BOP-BOP

 

[mad47]

Since there have been a couple of new quotes, I thought I would post an update and review of the GY GS-D3's. The bottom line is I think they are great ! The road noise is much less than the Michlins and the dry road capability is outstanding. But what really makes a difference to me down here in south Louisiana is the wet road capability. These tires throw off the water unbelievably ! At 90 plus mph in the rain they have all the composure of bone dry pavement. Needles to say I am very happy and would recommend these tires unconditionally.

 

[siller]

Be careful buying GY EAGLE F1 GS-D3'S from Tire Rack! They sell the YR rated tire and the LT-4 really should have the ZR rated D3's which cost about $100.00 more per tire at your GY Dealer. I thought at first it was a typo and Tire rack sold them for $200.00 to offset shipping costs, but that is not the case! The YR and ZR ratings are the speed ratings for the tire. Some will say I don't need to go 149 mph and in most cases that is true! However GM recommends the ZR rating.!

Now I don't work for a tire manufacturer or a tire installer, so my info comes only from responses to questions I asked about the distinction between Z-rated vs. Y-rated before I bought my D3s. I was told the Y-rating meant the tire was rated for up to 186 MPH, wheras the Z-rated tire was only rated to 149, so that by going with the Y tire, you sacrifice nothing. I was under the impression there were not two different types of tire, just one, which was y-rated, but still said Z on the sidewall.

I just checked both the sidewall of my tires and the sales paperwork (from Discount Tire) and both say 285/40ZR-17 100 Y. I now see the following info on the following Tire Rack link:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/general/speed.jsp which confirms this., so my interpretation is that the Y-rated tires have been tested in excess of 186MPH and are therefore OK for our cars. Not sure if there really is a Z-rated only tire, because I have only looked at mine.

Hope this helps...

By the way, These tires work better than great on wet surfaces. On a dry day the other day I was accelerating to pass someone on a two-lane freeway interchange, when at the mildly banked corner I came upon a broken sprinkler that was flooding the two lanes with about one hundred feet of running water. No time to panic, I let off of the gas and let the tires do their job - never even hydroplaned on that banked curve going much faster than I should have been going. Love the tires, they pushed me through.

 

[WantaVette]

The Z tire rating came out as an all around performance rating, 149mph+, ratings like V, W, and Y were meant to distinguish the varying degrees of how much over 149 the tires could go, Y is 186 mph, which most of our cars can't even go.

 

[Greg@NASA]

Just replaced my rear tires a month ago, for some strange reason they wear faster than the fronts......LOL, I upscaled to 315/35ZR17 Eagle F1 GSD3's, they are the best tire I've ever driven.The fronts are still like new.

 

[Greg@NASA]

Good results to report on Michelin Pilot Sports as well, have them on the Porsche and they are a good second place to the Eagle F1's, which I have to add are GREAT in the rain...(Houston has it's share), and are scary sticky on the dry.

 

[dcaatc]

Gy Eagle F1 Gs-d3

Just replaced our original GY EAGLE GS-C EMT's (41,000 miles) with new
GY EAGLE F1 GS-D3's. What a difference, no noise, just the purring of our exhaust system, with an extremely smooth ride. According to an article by "Hib" Halverson and the testing GY has done, they are excellent on wet & dry pavement! (No respectable corvette owner would TAKE their "Vette" out in the rain would they?)

We have N84 OEM "Spare Tire Delete" on our 1996 LT4 and was a little afraid of getting rid of the EMT's, but someone explained that if we have a credit card and cellphone and the chance of getting a flat is low, we would be O.K.. (No one replaces "RUN-FLATS" with "RUN-FLATS" on the 1996)

One tip is to make sure the tire dealer only uses stick-on wheel weights! The regular wheel weights will not allow the rim protector lip (rim flange) on the GY F1 GS-D3 to seat properly and will cause a slow leak, losing anywhere from 2-15 psi tire pressure in two days. Make sure you get a good high speed balance for each tire and if you haven't had a wheel alignment done in some time get that too! Smoooooooth, reduced tire noise, and the D3's corner well, but I don't think as good as the EMT's did with the thick sidewalls.

Tire Rack has our sizes $100.00 per tire cheaper than a GY dealer, but you must pay for shipping and once you find a tire dealer, pay the charges for demounting/mounting, stems, etc.

If you are having "RUN-FLATS" removed,make sure the dealer is qualified/equipped to work on the EMT's. Also make sure you purchase the road hazard insurance from the dealer as they will replace the tire free up to 25% tread wear. Check the Goodyear.com site for rebates/coupons and maybe like us, my Union got us a 5% discount coupon. Its all personal preference, but we are extremely happy with the D3's and that exotic tread design is a "CHICK MAGNET". The LTPWS sensors continue to work normally, just make sure the dealer knows they are there!

For our 1996 LT4 Coupe, the correct sizes are: FR: 255/45ZR-17 98Y 8.5" rims, RR: 285/40ZR-17 100Y 9.5" rims

The "Z" speed rating in the "tire size designation" signifies a maximum speed capability in excess of 149 mph. The "Y" in the "service description" indicates the maximum tire speed of 186 mph. If the "Y" rating in the "service description" is enclosed in parentheses (98Y), the top speed of the tire has been tested in excess of 186 mph. Tire rack uses the "Y" rating from the tire "service description" in their advertisements, but they are the same tires.

Michelin explains it best: "Y" & "W" speed ratings in the "service description" are sub-categories of the "ZR" rating in the "tire size designation"!!!!!

Dick Cox
DCAATC
Charlotte Hall, MD

 

[dcaatc]

Gy Eagle F1 Gs-d3

HOLY COW,

Got caught in the rain today on our way back from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Approximately one hundred miles in this rain and the GY EAGLE F1 GS-D3's were awesome!! All I can say is "STICKY WHEN WET", great traction. I love these tires and the tread is a "CHICK MAGNET" be careful!!

Dick Cox
DCAATC
Charlotte Hall, MD