Tires: are GY GSC's the best dry traction tire for the money?

[sothpaw]

Hi everyone!

I just wondered what you all
thought, I bought 4 new GSC's
last year thinking they were
still the best bang for the buck
if you only considered dry traction.

I also like the treadwall design as
opposed to other Goodyear tires
or BF goodrich tires. Bridgestone
Pontenza RE730's have a nice, bold
treadwall like my GSC's.

What do you think?

 

[Ken]

The only thing I didn't like about the GSCs when I was running them, was the fact that they gave you absolutely no indication of when they were going to break loose. As they say, "A happy tire is a squealing tire."

I like to know when the limits of adhesion are about to be reached or exceeded.

_ken

 

[rwd]

Tire Rack has some comparisons on their site, you might find some information there.

 

[Eagle85C4]

I did the comparison on Tirerack.com and bought the Firestone SZ-50's. I have never had such a pleasure driving as I do on these. Wet or dry they stick like glue and are harder to turn over and squeal like the goodyears I had on the car. The goodyears almost killed me by being so slippery.

 

[rwd]

I had the original SZ50's on an '85 Z51, and my only objection was that the steering response was less immediate than with the original Gatorbacks. Other than that, they were fine. Don't know about the EP's. I was considering S02's or S03's, but that's a little different price range.

The '93 suspension and its tires are different, and I don't know how that size will react. That's why I didn't mention them earlier. But the grip and wet handling will be the same.

 

[6 Shooter]

The only thing I didn't like about the GSCs when I was running them, was the fact that they gave you absolutely no indication of when they were going to break loose. As they say, "A happy tire is a squealing tire."

I like to know when the limits of adhesion are about to be reached or exceeded.

_ken

The Dayton Daytona's P275/40ZR17 do that for u also . . .

They start screaming @ u , letting u know u r about to go sideways !

 

[vms4evr]

When I bought my car it still had a reasonably good set of the GSCs on it. I didn't like them. They wandered on back roads, were noisey, and pulled when you would slow down. Dry traction was good. Wet traction not so good. I'll stick with my SZ50s. They handle about the same in wet and dry. I may try another when these wear out but it won't be Goodyear. Never had good luck with their tires. What is interesting is the SZ50s are narrower than the GSCs and many other tires. But consistently score much better ratings when you look at Tirerack and such. I have to agree with the ratings.
I don't know if they give you really good feedback about breaking loose when you're cornering hard. I don't think I've pushed them far enough up to the edge to find out. I guess I must not be pushing hard enough :L
Graham

 

[morphious]

For me they are worth the bag for the buck.

 

[Redbob]

Keep in mind in your tire comparisons that tires get harder and less "sticky" as they get older, so ANY time you replace tires, you're going to be astounded at how much better the traction is with the new tires, regardless of brand, compared to say a two or three-year-old set. Unless you get some Bridgestones with that new variable hardness rubber stuff.
Brought to you, of course, by the company that builds the Firestone tires that seem to work sooo well on Ford Explorers...

I've even run some BFG T/A "blems" that I got from Discount Tire for $130 each, and they work just fine on a daily driver, wet or dry. They're well on their way to having probably 35,000 mile usable life.

 

[Eagle85C4]

First off....the SZ-50's are made by Firestone, but not the same division connected with the SUV tires folks have the problem with. That was my reaction when I heard they had a great tire for vette's. Until I did some research and was straightned out.
Secondly....if some modest research is done on the SZ-50 it would be found out that as the tire wears and gets older it runs into the under layers of the tread that are designed to react to the changes the tire goes through. Normally the layers underneath get harder with age and do not stick as well...but the SZ-50's are made with stickier layers as you wear through them to maintain the "good as new" feel to them as they wear. I just put a set on my 85 and drove to Virginia and North Carolina for vacation from Ohio. In wet as well as dry roads I was impressed how well they rode as well as the performance in various temperture ranges during the trip.
Be that as it may...I will continue to run Firestones on my car. I am glad I got rid of the Goodyears, they cannot not hold a candle to the SZ-50's...IMHO

 

[rwd]

Several other manufacturers had tires with failure rates as high and higher on the truck, but they went unreported and uncrucified. And it's not a coincidence that there are so many ads advising people to check their tire pressures now.

There's no reason to be concerned about the SZ50. One advantage as yet unmentioned is the silica compound enables the compound to work better in cold weather where others become hard and slick. IMO, FWIW, and YMMV.

 

[Shadowing1985v]

well,

better performace maybe
but everytime i hear the name firestone "i think" ford

and i hate ford

i try to stay as far as ways from ford as i can


even though it really doesnt have anything to do with ford
accept thats what they put on brand new ford cars... but maybe they don't do that...
and my infro is on,,, anyone know?


anyways, my question is,, i don't make much money,, so what is the cheapest tire i can buy for my car

i have an 85. i don't want z rated.. that cost to much i need a tired thats supports 150 mph that is cheap to buy

cansoeone tell me what to get

 

[Eagle85C4]

Shadowing.....

Before you start badmouthing Firestone...you might want to do some research. Go to www.tirerack.com and you can look over almost every tire made and see the comparisons as well as a performance chart at the bottom of the page. You just might find that Firestone has some of the highest rated tires out there. If in doubt ask some of the boys in Nascar or Indy cars for that matter.
And if you cannot afford a decent tire for the vette then maybe you should think about another car....maybe a Escort or a Honda or something "cheap".....

 

[jsinga]

The SZ50 are made in Japan aka Bridgestone. I will buy another set for my 87 unless it becomes a seldom driver.
From the reviews at Tirerack try the Kumho's or Nitto they are the lowest price tires around. Most people don't talk bad about them.
Dunlop Sport 8000 is another highly rated reasonably priced tire.

JS

 

[vms4evr]

Just an added note on some of the other tires mentioned and available for the Vette. Some of them have terrible wear ratios. If you're strapped for money I understand your need to get the cost down. But also keep in mind that some of these tires will barely make 20K miles even with easy driving. In the long run you may spend more money because you're replacing them more often! So besides reviews on the performance also pay attention to wear and tear remarks and the UTG rating.
Graham

 

[intruder9]

My buddy has a '95 and had the Kumho's installed at his last tire change and has nothing but good things to say about them.

Thought about trying them next, but the reviews on the S-03's over at Tire Rack are making me think real hard about slapping a set of those puppy's on the "Bullet"!

 

[Vettelt193]

I just bought the Kumohs for my vette, If I ever get it back from the body shop I will let you know how they ride

 

[Topless]

I have run the GS-Cs, and they stuck like glue on the dry and wet. You have to be careful when you get down to the wear bars though, they do get a little slick.

I agree about the age of the tire affecting its performance.