This summer I am planning on buying some grand sport wheels and new tires. I know this is probably a question asked everyday. But what kind of tires do you recommend to double as daily drivers and track tires? 315s in the back and 275 I think in the front. Keep in mind I am in college, so I will buy these tires with money from my part time job, which means not the most expensive tires. Basically, what are some good tires for a realistic price? And what are some estimations on how much these tires will cost? Also, where is a good place to buy corvette tires? Thanks all. -Matt

 

Sumitomos are probably the best bang for the buck, a tire shop next to me charges $110 per tire mounted and balanced.

 

shop around for the best price by all means but heres where i got my firestone wide ovals and i could be happier with the tires or the vendor both are great....

www.tirerack.com

 

I have not bought tires yet on my 96 Vette. However I can tell you that on the others sports cars I have owned that Michelin's were excellent, Good years were a reliable brand and gave good traction, but the best tires I have ever owned were Yokohama!!! They were the only brand that I felt the difference in traction.

As for price, here is how to get a good deal. Go to a tire dealer and find the brand that you want at a price you could afford at full retail. Ask him to give his best price with tire dealer throwing in the installation.

Then go home and call the other tire dealers in the Yelllow Pages, and lower the price by 10% each time. By the time you get a dealer saying he won't match the last best price you got, you have gotten a good price. Also use the internet, you would be amazed what you deals you can find.

 

Just got me a set of wide ovals from the tire rack and couldnt be happier! Great tires and customer service

 

I like my Kumho MX's. Very talkative on the autocross course.

 

Go to tire racks web site and you'll see there are few tires that meet your size requirements. There are only four that are street tires with a warranty. Goodrich T/A, Goodyear GS-D3, Yokohama AVS, and Sumitomo HTRZ. Except for the Sumitomo they are $1000+ for the four shipped to you and then you have to get them mounted. The Sumitomo will cost you $374 so on your limited income I would say that's your best bet. That said I have the GS-D3's and asside from the cost love them.

 

The Kumho's and Firestone's are not available in the sizes you'll need...

The 315 is hard to find and usually expensive when you do....

 

Check out tirerack for very good prices. I've had FWO's and Sumitomos. The FWO's are better in the rain but the Sumitomos are better for launching.

 

Matt,
Any good street tire will serve for limited use on the track.
Any good track tire will serve for limited use on the street.

Everyone is on a budget of one sort or another; some's budget are much larger than others'.

If you are on budget that will not allow dedicated track tires(as it appears), then avoid the 315's and go with 275/285's all around (9.5" wheels). This way you can rotate them for max miles.

Any of the Korean...Kumho, Hankook, etc,... or cheaper Pacific rim brands... Sumi, Toyo, Nitto,Fuzon, Falken....will give you the miles, if not the grip, of good BFG, Goodyear, Michelin, Pirelli, Yokohama tires, at a significant savings.

Keep in mind that almost all the brands sell more than one type tire in the sizes you may be looking for, with varying prices...so brand recommendations Will come with some caveats.

Basically, what I'm saying is that there is no one answer to your question.

When you say...
...do you mean brand or type of tire? I think you would want an Extreme High Performance Summer or High Performance Summer type of tire. The brand is up to you.

Also, do you mean drag strip or road course when you say "track"??

You could also go to the Drag forum and the Autocross Forum here. There you will find much first-hand experience on tires.

Larry
code5coupe

 

Larry,
I understand about the track vs street tire dilemma. Call me hardheaded, but I have made up my mind and I have to have 315's. Basically when I asked what kind of tire, I meant, what do you guys in similar situations have, what do you like, what do you dislike.
By track I mean very limited track time on autocross and 1/4 mile. By very limited I mean once or twice a year for each.

I will probably wait a bit longer, grab a few more paychecks, and spring for the good tires. Thanks for all the helpful responses corvette forum!

 

Kuhmo Ecsta ASX all seasons are on my Mustang Gt. I have 275 40/17's on 17x9 Cobra wheels they are great tire-well worth the few extra dollars up from a Sumitomo-which I have as a spare set in 245/45/17 on 17x8's. Tirerack all the way...

 

Don't know what the best price tires are. But last year Sears Auto match the internet price on the Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval for me and also was very competitive on mounting and balance. They did ask for the shipping charges the internet wanted . I copy and paste it to notepad and printed it. So expect to pay that too if you can swing the deal with them or some other local company as well. hope this helps you.

Enjoy The Ride..... ....JC

 

I agree with Larry on going 275/40/17 all around. Your choices for using the larger setup are limited to four choices, the Sumitomo HTR-Z, Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3, the BFG g-Firce T/A KD, and the Yokohama AVS Sport.

I personally considered the FS Wide Oval and the BFG g-Force sports, and decided to go with the BFG due to the excellent reviews and my personal (perhaps unjustified) bias against Firestone.

--Tor