which tires: goodyears or bf goodrich

[sscam69]

I am about to put new tires on my 79 L-82.
I called Discount and the clerk told me he had BF goodrich and goodyear tires (road hugger) in the right size 255/60r15. I currently have 245/60r15.

My question is which would be the better tire to put on.

The goodyears cost $60 each and come with 45,000 mile warranty and the BF Goodrich are $75 and come with 50,00 warranty. The sales man suggested the goodyears but I want to know from you guys which are better or which have you had a better experience with both in the difference you feel and down the road after a lot of wear.

sscam69

 

[80convertible]

I personally like the BF Goodrich tires better. Have them on my vette now. I've had Goodyear in the past and was not very fond of them. Did not hold the road as well in the rain. Although, they are not the exact tire you are considering. At some point in the future I plan to change from my factory wheels to something else. I had planned to stay with 15" rims, but you can't find any high performance tires in 15" anymore. Not sure why considering the amount of old cars with 15" rims still on the road. If there is a negative to the BF Goodrich, its that they are only S rated (112mph). You can get Goodyear and Firestone in an H rated tire(135mph). Although you may not drive to these speeds, the speed rating also relates to the rubber compound and how well it sticks to the road. Maybe we should start a petition to BF Goodrich on making a 15" Z rated tire

Regards,

Jim

 

[Nut]

Cam,

I've run nothing but BF Goodrich on my '72 and '81. The tread is quiet and gives a very nice ride as well as great handling characteristics (even for a C3). But I've run Michelin's on my Bonneville's for years and love them just as much. Check the Portal in the CAC for tire suppliers that have a good track history with other members. You may find your selection cheaper than your quotes now. Personally, I'm a BIG fan of www.tirerack.com.

Good Luck......... Nut

 

[c4ever]

BF Goodrich T/A on the 82. Dunlop on the 85.

 

[Bullitt]

I like BF Goodrich as well. Yet, I do like Michelins and am always am willing to try something new. However, due to my lead foot I have never seen these mileage claims. Concerning speed ratings though, I've always questioned running ZRs when a VR rated tire is available. Mileage wear is better on the VR and you give very little on street performance. If your thinking about heading out to the track, you should probably invest in some Comp T/As which hold incredibly well for a "general" racing tire, but cost around $300 a piece. :eek

--Bullitt

 

[KenSny]

OK, I'll be the guy that likes Goodyears...

I currently run Goodyear Eagle 255-VR-60-15 on my car.

On the Camaro I used to own a couple of years ago I had BFGs, a couple of different styles, and thought they were ok. But then I got a set of Goodyear Eagle GTs. They are very soft and wore fast (about 25k), not good in the rain, but very-very good cornering and off the line on a dry surface. Needless to say that I think they are not for the everyday driver. I stepped up to Eagle GT+4 for that car and really liked them. I thought the ride had improved also.

I also ran BFG street tires on an OPEL GT that I used to play around racing in SCCA, did not change out to racing tires, and did not like the "under pressure cornerning". Felt like the sidewall was really giving up too much. Changed to Goodyear GTs and could feel the difference for the better.

Now I normally put Goodyears on all my "fun" cars. On my "grocery store, work" Beretta I'll put whatever is on sale.

I will agree that even if you don't drive over 100mph, you should get a higher rated tire for the Corvette. It will feel a lot better and it will make the suspension act like a true sports car. I am running V-rated. Not because I expect to sustain speeds of 149+mph but because I got them for the same price as H-rated from the Conrad's I deal with a couple of years ago.

 

[resto75]

C4ever
I see you are using Dunlops also. I also assume they are Dunlop Qualifier gt's which is what I have on my car. I like the looks of them but feel they are a little slippery in the rain.

I don't normally take the car out in the rain but do occassionally get caught in a thunder storm while out. Although I haven't had any scary moments in the rain, I did spin it out one day making a left turn at normal speed on wet pavement where a lawn sprinkler was shooting water out into the road.

I was wondering if you or anyone else had any similiar experiences with these tires. It's possible as it was at a turn that the road was just slick or there was something spilled there, but it looked clean, just wet.

 

[Bullitt]

Resto75, I think the road was probably just dirty, as many roads are. The water just brought out the oils and other car fluids or road chemicals that are present there everyday. The water just made it even more slick, despite it's appearance. I've had similar experiences. Of course, this reminds me of an old coot that hated motorcycles. He would go out and pour a quart of oil on a curve that was down the street from him. All the local squids hated him, as did most of his neighbors. I'm sure that he would tell you however, that payback is a b**ch. :gap --Bullitt

 

[69vettester]

I swiched from 235 '15 goodyears to 255/60 15 BF Goodrich's last tire change. Ive got alot more meat on the road now the ride improved immensly, But , some or alot of the improvement was noticed because the Goodyears I took off were beat :eek
I had started to order Goodyears again but ran into problems getting the tires delivered??so I switched the order and the BF's arrived quickly.
TC

 

[c4ever]

Resto75
I'm running the Dunlop 5000's on the 85. I gotta say they stick like glue in the rain and we get some pretty good downpours here. I have experienced the back coming out from under me but I agree with Bullitt. Some substance on the road or oil rising to the top of the asphalt. I kinda like when that happens

 

[resto75]

sliding around

Yeah it might of been the road surface that was slick from wear or oil. As for the fun of sliding out, while it might be fun to do that it was the tree in the median that was worrying me. Luckly it stopped with the front wheel a foot into the grass and about two feet from the tree.
To make the whole thing worse I had just had my front an rear bumpers painted the week before and didn't really want to wipe one out so fast.

 

[Eric]

I know I'm starting to sound like an employee of Firestone but I love my Firehawks SS20 tires. They look great and handling is incredible!

-Eric

 

[dmgsr]

BF Goodrich/Goodyear

I have run both on my 72 and when I had a 92. I like the Goodrich tires. They run quieter (both types on both cars) I think if ultra high performance is yur goal go Goodyear, all round cruising Goodrich. Oh by the way; BF Goodrich was bought out a few years back and is a division of Michlin Tire....

Good luck and happy cruising

 

[60w427]

I went from Goodyears to 245-60 Goodrich on my '79. Wish I'd bought those in the beginning. Putting Goodrich's on the '60 this spring.

 

[sscam69]

dmgsr

Well since you have tried both, I guess goodrich. It will be a daily driver so for now goodrich. But when i turn her into a 11 second monster goodyear.

thanks everyone for you input, greatly appreciated.

sscam69

 

[DADS8T2]

Had BFGs for years---a good tire. Currently, I've got Goodyear GTs on the vette. Noisy, harse ride, in my opinion. I'm getting rid of them, even though they still have plenty of meat left on them. I've heard real good things about the Firestone SS20's. Tire Rack. If you can get past the Firestone name, what the heck, it's not like your goin' off roading.

 

[Buckskin7T7V]

Let me tell you about the Goodyear tires company. They suck. Back in the good old days, I purchased four NCT Goodyears for my 77. They were mounted on my polished factory mags. The wheels were perfect, with no deflections what so ever. I took the car down to the Goodyear dealer. They mounted and spun balanced them. I drove about five miles to my house. We were going on a trip to Las Vegas the next day. I had purchased new rear shocks and decided at the last minute to put them on for the trip. I am glad I did. I jacked up the car and low and behold, the now bent rim, had wobbled so much, that the cross leaf spring all but cut through the new NCT tire. It was obvious bent, when they installed the new tires. I installed the spare tire and drove back to the dealer. I showed the manager what had happened and they first tried to say; I must have hit a curb that bent the rim. I asked them why there was NO blemish marks on the tire then. No answer. Then he said, it must have been bent before they mounted the tire. I asked, him, why would you mount a $300.00 tire and spin balance it on a bent rim? No answer. I told them, they should replace the rim and mount a new tire on it. He refused. I asked for the Goodyear regional managers telephone number and called him. The BEST they would do, is sell me a new NCT at cost. They would not replace the rim. Take it or leave it. I was stuck. I purchased a new unpolished rim at full cost and a new NCT tire at there cost. I have NOT purchased a Goodyear since. I still have the vette and it will see Goodrich tires until I die. A product, is as good as the company that will stand behind it.

 

[sscam69]

I already bought the BFG's this morning. Next step is the alignment.

Thats a bad experience!

sscam69

 

[400hp_76]

suggestion

First of all if you are running any type of 15" rim with a 50 or 60 profile there is gonna be a lot of side wall flex...a lower profile tire is always the way to go...but a low profile 15" tire on a vette would look retarded...i suggest that you go with a 16 or 17 inch rim for handling reasons...