Well it's that time(even though it shouldn't be ) to get new tires. I have put about 16k on these pirellis being nice to them and they are finally out of tread basically. Next week perhaps I am going to place an order for new tires. Thinking of purchasing some nitto tires. My buddy/roomate had an 03 Cobra and used Nittos in the front and BF Drag Radials in the back. He said they handled like they are on rails before he got the BF drags.

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They are a touch bigger then the stock tires it's 225/45/R18 rather then 215/45/R18. Discount tire has confirmed these tires will fit my car. The other generation tires they have are too big to fit my car. Plus at $144 a crack they are cheaper then the $200 a tire Pirellis Discount is sporting.

Opinons welcome. I would like to see if someone else sells a decent tire besides BF Goodwrich. There tires are expensive! And Michelin is kinda crappy. Want something that will help launch good and stick good with reasonable treadlife without getting all season tires .

 

Well Discount checked out my tires I have right now (2nd opinon since the dealership said they were bald). They said they weren't bald like the dealership said , in fact.. they still have half the tread life on them. I got them rotated today. Don't always trust what a dealership says. Kinda upset that I almost ordered new tires when I didn't need them yet.

 

Easy way to tell, here in Michigan at least, is to take a penny and stick it in tread "head first" and if the tread reaches the top of his head you're still good, you should check a few spots across the width of the tire too.

Edit, taken from AAA Michigan website:

Measure tire tread with a depth gauge (available at most parts stores) or a small ruler that has 1/16" graduations. Although it is not as accurate, you also can check tread depth by placing a penny in the tread of the tire. Insert the penny upside-down (inserting President Lincoln's head into the tire's tread). If President Lincoln's entire head is showing, it is time to replace your tires.

Take measurements in three locations across the tire's tread: (1) outer edge, (2) center, and (3) inside edge. The more tread the tire has remaining, the higher the reading will be. Uneven readings indicate improper tire inflation or the need for a wheel alignment. At 3/32 of an inch, it is time to shop for new tires. At 2/32 (1/16) of an inch, the tread wear has reached its legal limit in most states.

 

your funny. I'm down the street from you basically.

 

yeah, I'm at Hall & Van Dyke, maybe we can get together sometime when I get my SS, you goin to the Dream Cruise? Kinda scarry we even have similar jobs, probably about the same but my title of Network Administrator sounds better, lol, helps to work for a company that's casual enough to let you get away with choosing your own title.

By the way the 225/45/r18s should be ok, I know they usually recommend keeping the circumfrence (or diameter, either usually comes out close to the same) within 5% and that's a 4% difference.

 

heh I pass by Hall rd and Vandyke like everyday it seems. Def need to hook it up sometime. What are you sporting right now?

 

Those Nittos are nice, but everyone I've ever known that's had them always complains that the tread life sucks. As much as I hate to say it, you may not get too much life out of them either.

 

'92 Cavalier VL

 

I had my Nitto NT450's on my Sunfire for over 2 yrs and they still had half the tread left when I gave them to my brother.

I would recommend going w/ Toyo Proxy T1-S or the new T1-R. Wet traction is amazing.

 

"Z-rated (up to 168 mph)"

I thought that Z rating was to 143 mph???

 

Z is upwards of 149, but can exceed that. They just didn't test over 149. Back in 1991 they came up w/ W and Y to mark speeds over the 149 mph mark.

 

At least those tires have a higher treadwear indicator than the Pirelli's. 16K miles on a set of tires is pretty bad. They don't make enough tires for this car. Where are our options. I would like to see something with a bit higher treadwear and perhaps an all season tire for this car.

 

its a sports car folks, if u want it to "drive like its on rails" lik e i do, u have to go with the softer, lower treadwear tires, just part of it. unless u wanna buy some new rims and put some granny tires that get like 100k miles, but no traction.....just a thought! :co59:

 

all 110-120 horses? phew that's hot hope you get your new car soon.

 

Actuall,y if I remember correctly the '92 was only 98hp, it's supprisingly quick though. Let's see how long before we get accoused of jacking your own thread.

 

I'd go with 225/40/18s. 45 series might look funny because the sidewall will be bigger. It looks ok on a 215/45/18, but a 225/45/18 might not look as good. 225/40/18 is a popular size, so I'm sure you'll have lots of options to go with.
The nittos are great tires, and they have one of the biggest contact patches, but like someone said, they wear very quick

 

Nah, you'll be hard pressed to see a visual difference between 215/45/18 and 225/45/18 unless you get down and really look at it. The wheels are only 7" wide, so a 225/45 is a better fit than 225/40.

 

whatis the biggest size rim you can fit on an SS?... i think 19in..

 

Quite taking it to the extreme. Is it really a bad idea to say get a traction rating one grade down and get double the tread life? Shooting for 30K miles treadlife doesn't seem unrealistic or require 'granny' tires. I think a tire with 30K miles of treadlife can still offer very good traction.

Honestly, if you're driving around corners pushing the extents of the Pirelli's traction, you are either on a race track or a reckless driver and need to get off the road. I don't think it's such a stupid idea to offer a marginally better treadlife tire when the sacrifice in traction would be unnoticable to most sane drivers.

You can still get very good traction and more than 16K miles out of other tires out there on the market. Hopefully BFGoodrich will start making some of them for the SS soon.