I don't know much about tires because I haven't been able to hold onto a car long enough yet to need new ones. I bought my camaro in August and was assured by the owner that the tires were only a year old and in good condition. He neglected to mention that when driving on anything but dry roads, these tires cause me to constantly lose control. No situation is good... snow, slush, ice, rain. And unfortunately, I live in Pennsylvania hell where precipitation and flooding is as bountiful as the cornfields.

I want tires that will handle better on sub-par roads and I'm willing to pay whatever it takes to actually feel a difference when I'm driving. So my question is, what will it take? I don't know what I have on there currently, but I can take a look later. I vaguely remember something about an H and 16 or 17 inches. My friend tells me that these are performance tires. That's fabulous, but I don't need performance. It's annoying when the little rice boys in their robin's egg blue hondas try to race me at red lights and I lose, but that's better than driving off the road and almost crashing into a brick house. That's what happened to me two weeks ago and it's only one minor example of the hell this car has put me through since winter started.

Help!!
Thanks

 

It depends on what you want the tires for.

I suggest BF Goodrich G-Force TA KDWS. Z speed rated, good in snow, rain, & dry weather, & a treadwear of 400 which should be good for 60k+ miles.

(If you don't plan to drive in snow or slush anymore you can get KDW - good in rain & dry weather, but the treadwear is lower.)

 

most here would recommend kuhmo ecstas... they are good and good for the money.... BUT watch out for the noise comfort i know a good amount of people that are displeased with it... specially if you do alot of highway driving and YES you CAN hear it over your performance exhaust

 

The Kumho's work great. I live in Oregon and in the rain they are fine. Noise isn't any problem to me at all. Even autocrossing on these they worked pretty well. The beauty of these is that I paid 320 for 4, mounted and balanced for 100+. Any tire on a Z28 needs some caution exercised though as with this much torque in the rain it can get squirrely real quick.

 

I'm about due for some new ones myself. When my original (Goodyear Eagle GSC) wore out, I went ahead and got 17" wheels and a set of Firestone Firehawk SZ50's. I liked them a lot.

However, I'm on the road a lot in the big truck, so I don't get to drive it much. I guess time took its toll on the tires quicker than the actual miles, 'cause I only have about 20K on 'em and they're worn out.

But they were really excellent when new. And they handle the wet situations well. I live in South Louisiana where it rains a lot.

 

Goodyear RSA 245 50 ZR 16 Quiet,comfortable,safe. Not for racing (except in snow!)

 

Can anyone explain what the letter rating of a tire really means? Or provide a link to sites that explain it? Some people are telling me that a higher speed rating is going to be better all around, and others are telling me that a higher rating will be even worse in snow.

These are my main concerns with new tires, in order of importance:

1. Weather. I want whatever tires are the best for all weather conditions, including snow. My car tries to 360 every time it hits wet or icy roads. Also, in low traction, like more than half an inch of snow, the tires just spin.

2. Cost. I'm willing to pay whatever it takes to ensure my safety but I probably can't afford much more than $600 including installation and tax.

3. Durability. It would be nice if they don't wear out after 20,000 miles.

Noise and racing performance are not an issue as long as my other needs are met.

 

check out www.tirerack.com and look around the site, they have things to explain the lettering, and the differences between the ratings.

you can also chose tires and compair different styles/brands and see how they rate against each other. they also use a customer rating system not just what the manufacturer says.

and they have good prices as well

 

I have a set of Kuhmo ecsta supra 275/40/17. I have yet to get them to lose traction around a corner. They are not very loud unless the highway is really in bad shape. They also hook great powerbraking to around 1500 rpm and punching it. All in all I would buy the same tires if I had to replace them.

 

Okay, I got my new set of 285/40ZR17 SZ50s from Tire Rack for $878 delivered. Another $108 to have them mounted, balanced, new valve stems and installed and I now have traction again.

I love these tires!

 

Another vote for BFG KDWS. I just put KDW on my car and they outperform the MIch pilots I was running in all conditions. Since you need snow (you are crazy though) I would look at the KDWS.

 

I actually own some Toyo snow tires. The guy at the tire store said there was no way I wanted snow tires but I told him to pound sand and ordered them anyway. They are 215's and fit easily on the stock rims. If I need to use my car in the winter thats what I do. I ordered four and had them studded. I have had them for four seasons now. They work great.

When the snow is gone you want a performance tire with some decent tread depth.

You have a decently fast car and you need the appropriate tire to handle it.