TexCorvette

What is the Best Street Tire with the main focus on traction, then handling as a close second. I needs lots of traction with this 3500 yank :D

2000^C5

Pliots would be my choice.

XTrooper

The best all-around ultra-performance street tire out there is the Michelin Pilot Sport, but if you're looking for straight line traction, then the KDs are a stickier tire, probably the stickiest of street tires before going to drag radials ala the Nitto DRs.

P.S.- I had an ST3500 in my '99 SS and ended up with Nitto drag radials on the rear. They were the only "real" solution to my traction problems. Any street tire you buy is going to be a bandaid cure.


[Modified by XTrooper, 7:54 AM 3/25/2002]

C5Longhorn

I would go with the KD's for absolute, best dry traction and Pilot Sports if you need the best all around tire.

99 Corvette

I've been looking into tires a lot lately and I'm having problems making my mind up. It seems to me from what I have read that the best tires are the Bridgestone Potenza S-03s. Look on tirerack.com and compare them to the Pilot Sports. If I remember correctly the S-03s out perform every other tire in every catagory that comes in the stock sizes and they are only $878. Now I just have to decide if I want to pay a couple hundred more for the best tires or get the even less expensive Nittos since I go through tires so fast :cheers:

Jerry

TexCorvette

This will be for zo6 rims, so 18x10.5 in the rear, and with the 3500 stall, run flats don't work well, so I'm sure any high performance non-runflat will help alot over that. I have nitto 555R on an extra set of 17"s on the rear now, and that works pretty good, but I need something that comes in the larger sizes, and I think those only come in 17"s.

1990bevile

The tire rack seems to list wet traction breaking only....

1990bevile

nope im wrong, but its not a real test, just a hybrid of all the tire sizes offered for a set tire.


[Modified by 1990bevile, 3:54 PM 3/25/2002]

Horsepower

Perhaps the best overall, but if you read their test results carefully the KD has a higher rating than the 03 in dry traction (8.66 KD vs 8.25 S-03) and in dry response time (8.42 KD vs 8.16 S-03.) So those looking for just more hookup in a drag the KD's seem better.

YellaFella

I DID NOT VOTE.....I don't have experience with every tire on the list.....but a bought S03's :D

davidmax

If they still made the KD in a 335/30/18 for my HRE 547's for my mini tubbed rear compliments of Nate @ XTREME I would buy them tommorow AM.However my only choices are large 18's 18x10.5 frt 265/30/18's for clearing the 14" Brembos and the new 13" Baer setup 90% as good as the Alcon racing setup.Noe I run Pilots and on my new Kinesesis 5 spokeI will be looking for Khumos or Pirrelis,the pirelli are a bit grippier a 180 VS 220 on the Pilot tread wear indicator.

Even the current set up Nates comp alignment 8Way adj. Konis(very underated)Imhaving Nate build me coil overs which are custom tuned to take into account the C5r and The TT kit oil cooler Brembo big brakes Battery in rear so the coil over is made to fit your car only and T-1 Sway bars with lots of metal bushings,bushings make a huge differance in putting toether a true "g" machine,after all if your capable of 250+ mph you need brakes and suspension to compliment it,and we use an alignment shop that must have Harry Potter on payroll because they stick superb and at 10k miles I have 80%
tread life even with the negative camber.

So its going from great to flawless,we have the best price in the USA on the 14" Brembo kitwe sugget Fikses or HRE"s exclusvley for brake clearance we also have the best Baer 6 piton price we cant quote them in writting for advertising purposes(price) but check around and call us were only to happy to help.Were there to help under any cicumstance even if the part was bought elsewhere we live there almost let us be of assistance any tim of day we know youll be back for something else,were a small community here on the forum and we always do our share and as the good lord said no good deed is ever left unnoticed so let us help so we may grow.G-D Bless Us All.David Smilovic.

RG in Dallas

Pilot Sports.:)

RG

Crushinator

G-Force KD's here and love 'em!

NoMercy

I went with Pilot Sports!! :cheers:

EMDExpress

No mercy, great looking ride BUT, you need to lower that thang!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :crazy: :yesnod: :lol: :lol: :lol: :seeya

MattG

The KDs are the best handling, highest traction street tires I have ever driven on. They never cease to amaze me. They even hold up very well at track events and autocrossing. I even pulled a few 1.9 60foots at the drags with them!

I really do wonder if they grip even harder than the much wider 345 Pilot Sports.

GR8-LIFE

Matt,

I remember someone (it may have been you) saying that the KD's come in factory size but they aren't listed in factory size for the rears (hence, most dealers don't know this) - instead, the fist available Rear size are 295's. Any validity to this?

Also, what's the wear like on these tires compared to, say, Pilots, S03's, Nittos, etc?

TexCorvette

Yes, do the KD's come in 18x10.5? If so, I think this is my new tire!

MattG

The KDs come in 295-35-18 which is very close to stock diameter, and they WILL fit on the stock 18x9.5 C5 or 18x10.5 Z06 rims. For the front you would go with 255-40-17s which would fit on the stock 17x8.5 rims and 17x9.5 z06 rims.

The tires are a bit wide for the stock C5 rear rims but they do fit and you won't have any problems. I ran a set of KDs on my stock wheels for quite awhile and they performed great. I did quite a bit of autox'ing and even a roadrace event with them on the stock sized rims. I know some people will say they are too wide, but I had no issues and I am sure I put my car through a lot more torture in the corners than many would.

TexCorvette

How is the same tire fits on a rim an inch wider? Sorry if I don't understand.