Curious now, you say the brakes are non stock, exactly what do you have?

 

4 wheel diskswith raybestos rebuilt calipers, hydroboost, stainless lines, wilwood mc, cross-drilled and slotted rotors

Got any pics of those tires? I love the stock aluminum wheels but they dont leave many options for tires

 

Hmm, not sure on the hydroboost but picking this is where your issue might be. Drive along in bare feet and do an emergency stop (in a safe place of course) using just your big toe on the brake pedal, if you can lock it up I would say you have too much assist JMPO
If it was me I would be changing to 17" wheels to get better options on tires that give better wet weather performance.

 

a little on the thinner side of my taste but anyone have experience or input on something like this
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....5R888&i1_Qty=4

the description contradicts itself a bit, it says theyre designed for grip in wet conditions but then shouldnt be used in wet conditions...

 

No No No, that is a track/autocross tire.

 

Fix the brakes then. Remove all the stuff that's causing the problem.

 

If you intend to keep the same size tire -- this appears to be your best bet in a 15"
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....lar=&tab=Specs

 

for now ill have to be content with non z rated tires (wheels and tires are beyond the scope of my budget right now. I will however try to ease up on the gas in the rain and refine my brake "feathering" however keeping future improvements in mind, i saw an old post about custom wheels made out of the oe rim to make for a bigger rim. Im curious what kind of shop could do this and how much it would cost.

(bottom of thread has factory rims welded within larger wheels)
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-wheels-2.html

 

I can't agree with you. Modern T/A radials are designed by Michelin and are a high-quality product. The OP has other factors coming into play. To start, a low brake pedal as he mentioned.

 

The BFG Radial TA is an S rated tire and was the tire I switched from 255/60/15's about 5 years ago when I switched rims and tires on my 78 to 255/45/17 ZR ultra high performance summer only tires. Any S rated tire is NOT any type of performance tire with that speed rating and a treadwear of 500 (very hard rubber-poor dry traction and worse wet traction). In addition the traction rating of B (AA is the highest-this is your WET rating) and temperature of C (the minimum grade, means tire will run VERY hot at high speeds. These are the tire facts-no getting around or disagreeing.They are what they are.

In addition, I am speaking from personal experience switching from the BFG TA 255/60/15 to the 255/45/17 ZR's mentioned above. There is ZERO comparison between these 2 tires on the road-wet or dry-steering, handling, wet and dry performance-NONE

The BFG radial TA is a standard mass market passenger car tire with raised white lettering on the sidewalls. They are not performance tires. Sorry-these are the facts.

 

Sounds like hydroboost over assist and not needed on C3 brake systems which are terrific in stock configuration if operating correctly. C3 brakes setup with stainless steel braided lines and a high performance brake pad will have a firm, solid, linear brake pedal feel. The pedal should not have the power assist of a 70/80's cadillac.....

 

Tires ultimately determine stopping distance in a panic stop. If the tire can't get traction to stop you, doesn't really matter what kind of brakes you have.

If you drive 80 mph in the rain, which could be avoided, you need modern tires like these.






Toyo R1R

 

In addition, I am speaking from personal experience switching from the BFG TA 255/60/15 to the 255/45/17 ZR's mentioned above. There is ZERO comparison between these 2 tires on the road-wet or dry-steering, handling, wet and dry performance-NONE

There is a comparison. I have 15" wheels with the BFG 225s. I drive around town on sunny Sunday afternoons and occasionally on the highway. In fact I will be on the highway tomorrow. Why spend serious money for wheels and tires that are not needed for that kind of driving? If the BFGs were not safe they would be taken off the market like Firestones many moons ago. The BFG is a safe tire for my type of driving.

If you want to autocross then that is another story.

 

No one said anything about the BFG TA''s not being safe. I did say that they are not a performance tire in any sense of the word. Since you brought up safety, not me, ultra high performance tires do indeed offer much more safety features than the DOT minimum standards of most passenger car tires in the form of much stronger tire carcuss construction-blow outs, potholes., much better dry and wet traction and braking, better overall handling etc.

I have a DD 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix with Cooper RSA-3A 225/60/16 ZR ultra high performance all seasons exactly for the safety reasons stated above-not because the tire is speed rated to 170 MPH-the car could not go anywhere near that speed even if I wanted it to. The reason is the margin of safety versus the S rated tires that came with the car 160,000 miles ago is night and day...safety.

 

Then you have a problem of your own creation.

 

I hate to break it to you but, the tread wear is 400, traction rating is A and the Temperature is B for the BFG tires in question. That is according to the information provided by tire rack.
Obviously, they are not Z rated tires. But they are not the $29.99 you make them out to be.

 

And of the hundreds of thousands (millions?) of these tires sold, there's no reports of them being inadequate in the rain, except by one guy that's modified his car to the point of being dangerous.

 

You could try moving the clevis attaching the hydraboost push rod closer to the pedal pivot. In other words, up the pedal. You get more pedal travel with less input pressure. Try about 3/4" to 1" further up the pedal arm. Cars that had both manual and power-assist brake options had 2 holes in the pedal arm just for this reason.

 

what tire pressure are you running cold?

 

You are correct that the treadwear is 400 not 500 but either way that is very high for a performance tire. Just for complete accuracy:

Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG)

Uniform Tire Quality Grading is a relative comparison system. Tires are graded by manufacturers in three areas: treadwear, traction and temperature.

The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear of a tire when tested carefully under controlled conditions. For example, a tire graded 400 should have its useful tread last twice as long as a tire graded 200. Treadwear grades are only valid for comparisons within a manufacturer's product line.

Traction grades represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on asphalt and concrete test surfaces. As of 1997, the traction grades from highest to lowest are "AA","A","B" and "C". The grades do not take into consideration the cornering or turning performance of a tire.

Temperature grades represent a tire's resistance to heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under controlled laboratory test conditions. The grades from highest to lowest are "A","B" and "C" . The grade "C" corresponds to the minimum performance required by federal safety standard.

The minimum DOT standard for any passenger car tire is 85 MPH and is a C rated temperature tire.

Again, no one is saying that the BFG TA is a bad a tire, only that it and other S/T rated tires are NOT performance tires. Responses along with others justifying why tires like the T/A and the like are a performance tire simply implies a lack of understanding the various factors that are essential to producing an ultra high performance tire and difference between such a tire and one that is S/T rated.