I need 2 new back tires. I was looking at the BFG g-force t/a KDW tires. The guy on the phone said to me he won't tell me if any are in stock because I didn't know my stock speed rating on my 1997 Formula. He said I can't mix different tires together, they have to be the same speed rating. Would it be ok to get these tires with my stock ones in front?

 

Don't know why that would be a problem as long as you aren't exceeding the speed rating of either tire. If the new ones have a higher speed rating than the old one's, they should not be concerned.
On the inside of the door jam on the driver side should be a sticker that states the minimum speed rating of the tires for the vehicle, make sure the new ones meet or exceed that and they should not be concerned then.

 

I have had this issue before. Nobody wants to do it(shops) and most won't. As I understand it, it is not really the speed rating that is the problem. It is the stopping power. This is actually part of what determines the 'speed' rating. They don't want your front and back tires(or side to side for that matter) to differ for safety reasons. I did get a place to do it but they really didn't want to. They would only put the higher rating on the front due to about 85% of your braking is on the front tires.

 

They said the same thing to me "they" said that since I have Z rated rear tires I need the same up front to cut down on road noise. I think it was a buncha BS... but I like the tires I got anyways. I've never heard of it being dangerous though sounds like bs again to me.

 

Just take the wheels off the car you want to have replaced and take them up there off the car to have new tires put on...
Thats what I do for 2 reasons: 1) you get in and out alot faster, no waiting for a bay to be open if its like Discount Tire.
2) You don't have some idiot that doesn't care what he's doing putting the wheels back on...couldn't tell you how many times the nuts were not torqued correctly of the center cap was put on incorrectly and in one instance even broken on the GN because the guy tried putting it on after the lugs were tightened down...which won't work since the lugs hold the center cap on!!

 

ive never had an issue maybe there just tryignto sell you more tires. ive mixmatched alot of tires and i have never been told anything of this.

 

as strict as we are on stuff at americas/discount tire, ive never heard of letting customers know that

 

I called up a Pontiac dealer and was able to order:

They didn't have 2 BFG g-force T/A KDW's in stock, they only have one, so they are trying to get a hold of one before tomorrow or Friday. I ordered 2 KDWS *which by the way are extremely ugly and I don't know if they are a good "hooking" tire* for backup. I should know by the morning if I can get that one extra tire before tomorrow or Friday. The KDWS tires are guaranteed, while the original ones I wanted, the KDW, are not.

 

The KDWS is an all season tire with a 400 tread wear rating. It isn't going to hook like a KDW (300) which won't hook like a KD.

I have KDWS on the wife's stock 01 Grand Am GT in 225/50-16 and it can spin them.