I'll be the first to admit that I don't know a whole lot about tires and I was wondering what others were considering for tire upgrades. A lot of what's been said in reviews I read about the car is they fault the tires for some of the handling issues they had. I was just curious what those who did have their cars already thought about the tires, and what y'all would consider for replacements. Thanks
Location: Wilds of Canada, or the Pac NW, or the Upper Penninsula of MI...
No probs. If you don't have to worry about snow AT ALL, I'd recommend the Goodyear Eagle GS-D3 - EXCELLENT wet and dry handling, comfortable ride (not run-flat type, tho I don't think they offer it in that flavor) and nice, snappy steering. I'm sure it would complement the Solstice very well. I'd bet that either the P245/45 or the P245/40 would work, go with the 40 series if you want better handling, 45 if you want a bit longer life. Either of these sizes would prolly work for Michelin, Continental, or Pirelli's too, but I seem to have had better luck in the past with playing with the GS-D3's.
If you DO have to worry about snow a little bit, then I'd get a 2nd set of wheels, and get the GS-D3's for summer/late spring/early fall, and use the RS-A for a "little bit" of snow.
If you have a "Mid-Michigan" amount of snow, the RS-A's will be a good, all around compromise.
If you get more snow than that, (> I'd definitely go with the 6-month Summer-only, and at the first hint of 40 degree weather, change to TRUE snow tires or if you are brave, try out the RS-A's for a bit to see if you like them.
Jus' my two cents.
If you are racing or autocrossing, try the P245/40 or P245/35 Hoosiers
There are also designed low-profile tires designed for the snow which utilize a very soft rubber compound such as and not limited to the Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3.
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Envious, loaded except smokers package, XM and OnStar!
Ordered September 17, 2005
In Driveway on 2/7/06
Vin #9234
Well Fortunately I'm blessed with Texas weather, with as the looks of things this year, winter isn't coming anytime soon. Unfortunately though, neither is my oppourtunity to get a solstice this year
I discovered that the Solstice manual was correct when it gave a caution that the low-profile tires are susceptible to severe damage when bumping a curb.
Subsequently I did some research about the OE tires. Lowest new price I could get was $218 on the net and $238 locally. on eBay Motors I found a pair for a total of $135, but even though they were rated at 70% (life left), they didn't look that great. My mileage is almost 8,000 now, so I'm not sure where that puts the life of my tires.
Anyway, I came across a Dunlop tire for a lot less new that met the specs AND is more highly-rated than the Goodyear. The comparison is attached below; anyone have any experience with Dunlops?
__________________ 506 - acquired 3 YEARS AGO Sept. 23rd!!! Vanity: SUNSTED (Old Eng. for Solstice) Mods: Stubby ant. w/blk rings; lil' chromies; ctr cap red logos; sport pedals Extras: CA Car Cvr; splash guards; GM bra; KappaShield Oops: front bmpr (road debris) 4/28/06; Blown rear diff @ 14,797 mi on 9/29/06, fixed 10/05/06; new cat @ 29,550 on 9/26/07
-> Celebrating over FOUR+ YEARS on this Forum!
-> NASSOA Founder #44
-> CURRENT MI: 39,204
be very carefull when you buy tires.. if you buy the cheapest ones you may end up with a bad ride. i did this in my firebird!! i bought the pepboy speacials thinking that tires are tires and boy was i wrong! at 55mph+ the car would sway as if something was wrong with the suspension and it was all due to the tires having a weak sidewall.. once i got good tires (bfgoodrich are my favs) it felt like a new car! i'd stick with the RSAs for now.. they are not the best in the snow but they will be just fine for wet/dry traction for a car like the solstice that does not put down a ton of power.
be very carefull when you buy tires.. if you buy the cheapest ones you may end up with a bad ride. i did this in my firebird!! i bought the pepboy speacials thinking that tires are tires and boy was i wrong! at 55mph+ the car would sway as if something was wrong with the suspension and it was all due to the tires having a weak sidewall.. once i got good tires (bfgoodrich are my favs) it felt like a new car! i'd stick with the RSAs for now.. they are not the best in the snow but they will be just fine for wet/dry traction for a car like the solstice that does not put down a ton of power.
Oh, I'm ALL about the quality ... that's why I find it interesting that the Dunlop seems to be a better tire than the Goodyear OE's for about $60 less per! Would love to hear about Dunlop experiences out there! (apparently Dunlop is now owned by Goodyear?)
__________________ 506 - acquired 3 YEARS AGO Sept. 23rd!!! Vanity: SUNSTED (Old Eng. for Solstice) Mods: Stubby ant. w/blk rings; lil' chromies; ctr cap red logos; sport pedals Extras: CA Car Cvr; splash guards; GM bra; KappaShield Oops: front bmpr (road debris) 4/28/06; Blown rear diff @ 14,797 mi on 9/29/06, fixed 10/05/06; new cat @ 29,550 on 9/26/07
-> Celebrating over FOUR+ YEARS on this Forum!
-> NASSOA Founder #44
-> CURRENT MI: 39,204
If I remember right my last T/A came with F1's. They didn't last more than 16000 miles. The again, the 3 sets of BFG's that I have had didn't give me much more than 1 1/2 years of service either.
The thing about some 'better' tires for performance is that you give up some of the common uses like not being able to rotate them but only front to back.
Softer is better but doesn't last.
Softer is also more expensive. The BFG's G-force that I bought about 2 years ago ran about 1100.00 installed. The previous model, Comp T/A were that much once and then dropped to about 850.00 installed.
Tires aren't cheap if you want good stuff.
I ran a set of Dunlop Sx000-something. I don't remember the numbers that followed the 'S' but they had a decent life but were too hard for me.
All were low profile 17's in case anyone wanted to know.
A great passenger tire for the sport-tour machines like an Audi, BMW, or alike would be a Michelin Pilot. I have not owned any for my 4 wheeled friends-yet.
Anyway, I came across a Dunlop tire for a lot less new that met the specs AND is more highly-rated than the Goodyear. The comparison is attached below; anyone have any experience with Dunlops?
Goodyear now owns Dunlop. I like the Goodyear F1s.
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REAL sports cars don't have Back Seats or Automatic Transmissions.
I have the F1' GS-D3 and they are excellent but also pricy,
I ran accross this tire and look into this Korean Co. (not Chinese) and based on the numbers they look good, check them out.
Nexen N3000
Ultra High Performance Summer
Ultra High Performance directional tread design. Superior Handling. Quiet comfortable ride.
Treadwear Traction Temperature
340 AA A
SKU SIZE PRICE
326101113 245/45ZR18 $106.00
Blackwall
100Y
Usually Ships in 24 Hours
You can see the manufacturer's mileage rating here.The Uniform Tire Quality Grading rating is a quality rating system developed by the American Department of Transportation. It is designed to tell consumers the relative performance of passenger tires.
Below is an example of a UTQG Rating:
150A B
The "150" indicates the treadwear rating
the "A" indicates traction
the "B" indicates temperature
The ratings are based on controlled conditions based on a particular course. A tire graded 150 would wear 1 and a half times as well as a tire graded 100. Traction ratings are AA, A, B, and C, from highest to lowest. This measurement indicates a tires ability to stop on wet pavement. Temperature ratings are as follows from highest to lowest: A, B and C. These measurements indicate the tire's ability to sustain high temperatures which often cause tires to wear away quickly or in extreme conditions lead to sudden tire failure
You can purchase the Tiresavings Nationwide Road Hazard Program for this tire for $16.96 per tire.
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