new tire problems
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 4,971
Likes: 9
From: The reason time exists is so everything doesn't happen at once
new tire problems
i recently replaced the old goodrich radial t/a's (225/70/15) on my 69 coupe with a set of goodrich radial t/a's, 245/60/15 in the front and 255/60/15 in the rear. i thought the handling would be better, but it isn't. at certain highway speeds the car feels as if its hydroplaning. Is this a common problem, and are the alignment specs different with the wider tires?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,340
Likes: 2
From: Moro IL
Re: new tire problems (6t9l4t6)
Are you talking about the feeling of when going down the road the car tends to want to veer one way or the other while on a dry road and it's much better on some raods then others? If so what you are experiencing is the tires getting stuck in ruts in the road, normally the wider the tire the more common it becomes, my 73 used to have 225's on it and I never noticed this problem with that size, when I went much wider I started to get stuck in the same ruts as the 86 did, just one of those things you have to live with with a wider tire.
:cheers:
Pat Kunz
:cheers:
Pat Kunz
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 4,971
Likes: 9
From: The reason time exists is so everything doesn't happen at once
Re: new tire problems (73 LS-4)
thanks for the reply. you hit it right on the head; on some roads the handling is great, but on others it feels as if the back end wants to drift to the right. if this is really caused by wider tires, a drive in a ZR1 must be a real white knuckle experience. by the way, do you know if the original alignment specs should still be used or do the wider tires require different settings.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,103
Likes: 0
From: Tucson AZ
Re: new tire problems (6t9l4t6)
Wide tires do grab more of the road and will track all grooves, cracks, etc. It can be a handful. Keep in mind that modern cars like C5s have active suspension systems, many of which are controlled by computers. That will enable the car to handle better, compensating for the tires. Wide tires were generally meant for speed, not comfort. There is a trade off.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Re: new tire problems (6t9l4t6)
I use to have this problem on my 75 with 265-50-15 TA radials. Certain places on the road it would dive one way or the other and at high speed on rough roads it was a handful but it was my steering box bushings. After replacing the entire front end plus rebuilding the box it still dove on rough roads. After replacing the pitman shaft bushings and tightening the entire box up NO MORE bad behavior. Wide front tires can handle just like smaller tires with a good box. :)
