The best tires i have owned so far.

 

May sound like a dumb question.....but can you spin them?

I put stock size GS-D3 tires on the car a few weeks ago. From a dead stop to full throttle, I can't spin them at all. Car just goes from idle up to redline. TH700R4 and 3.27 gears.

 

Gord, how much horsepower are you putting down?

With a clutch dump from anywhere north of about 1500 rpm, I can smoke them all the way to redline in first gear. Now that I've had some practice, if I'm really shifting quickly (i.e. powershifting), I can chirp them enough going into 3rd that the LOW TRAC light comes on, but not enough that the ASR actually interferes.

That said, they do grip better off the line than the previous set (BFG KDWS, which were on the car when I bought it).

Now that I've had the car for several months, I figure I'll share some long-term observations:

Braking and handling in the wet are phenomenal. Wet braking is very nearly as good as dry braking.

In the dry, these tires start to howl as you approach the cornering limits. However, the howling starts when you have quite a bit of cornering ability left. This is really nice because it gives you a very early warning. However, once the howling begins, all of the cornering feedback disappears, and so it's very difficult to get right up to the limit without spinning the car.

These tires make a lot of noise on the road. At 55mph, tire noise is louder than wind noise. It's not a particularly annoying noise, but at the very least, you'll notice.

I've put about 10,000 miles on these tires so far, including a couple dozen runs at the drag strip, a few laps around a couple autocross courses, a couple of highway roadtrips, and a lot of DD duty. Judging by the remaining tread, I have another 5000-7500 to go.

When the time comes to replace them, I'm planning on trying out a set of Michelin PS2s. I have a feeling that they're worth every penny of the additional cost.

 

Trust me, this thing has got torque.



L98 with SuperRam and Accel intake. Various minor bolt ons as well. With the automatic and 3.27 axle, I have a pretty good first gear.

My old Gatorbacks were hopeless in 1st. I would spin them until around 4 grand and then hook up, then get sideways into 2nd. Granted, they were the original tires.

With the GS-D3's, going from full stop to full throttle in manual 1st gear, I barely even get a chirp. It's more like a peep, and then it takes off from idle to redline. Going from stop to full throttle with the shifter in O/D, I get no sound at all. It just takes off from idle. I'm definitely not taking off in 2nd gear as it red lines around 40 mph.

If I had put these tires on the Green Z28 (auto, 2.73 gears, LT1) I wouldn't stand a chance to spin them.

You're chirping them into 3rd? HOW!!!

I've tried to see how well they corner, but I get to the point where my body is leaning on the door with my feet trying to keep me on center. No noise, no howling. Took a nice sweeping corner on the highway at 105 mph last week. Stayed right on center. Maybe Goodyear has changed their compounds lately, I don't know. But these things grip like slicks and corner like racing compound. I took 'em real easy for the first 500 kms or so (Tire Rack's recommendations...let the coating from the factory wear off). I was quite surprised when I finally did boot it. Even when the Gatorbacks were brand new (1989), they would spin on WOT.

I looked into getting some PS2's as well, but they only offer them in 17" and up.

You mention dumping the clutch above 1500 RPM, that must be the key. As when I boot it, the revs go to 1500 and it hooks. Then it's 1500 to 5500 with 100% traction.

Sounds like I need a Vigilante.

 

Good tires...they were my last set. Have BFG KDWS now...like the GS-D3s better.

For next tire, will probably try the PS2, Nitto Invos, or the new Bridgestone RE050A Pole Position.

But definitely would buy the GS-D3s in the future.

 

Powershifting. The engine is at ~6100 rpm and the pedal is on the floor when I release the clutch.

 

Well yeah, the KDWS is an all-season tire, and the GS-D3 is a summer tire.

BFG KDW compares pretty well with GS-D3s, but they're not quite as good in the wet (according to magazine tests -- I haven't tried them personally), and they're a little more expensive.

 

FWIW: I actually JUST found out what my vibration is caused by. I've head my D3's on for over a year now, they've done it since day 1. Time just flew, so I meant to get it fixed.

THey have a fancy balancer at the skills center on base. It shows the runout of the tire and everything. Turns out that I have flat spots on my tires. I asked if I could just rotate them and burn it off, but the tech said it could be caused by the manufacturer or from storage. My vib starts at about 60 gets BAD at 65 and stays just as bad till about 90. then it's more of a fine harmonic vibration. the dash and steering wheel will jump at about 85... VERY annoying!

I've had some bad luck w/ the quality of my D3's but I still love them, overall.

BTW, I couldn't find it in here, but what size(s) did you get?

 

I bought them in the stock Z28 size: 245/50R16, as I can not yet afford new wheels. I mentioned it in the first post.

Flat spots can also be caused by locking up the brakes at speed and letting them stay locked. Which tire(s) had flat spots?

 

^ ABS bro... I can't lock em up.. My brakes arent that good.. THey work nice, but they will not lock up..

You think a 50 sidewall handles good.. wait till you try a 35 series sidewall!!