It's time to replace the tires on my '89 auto coupe, more or less stock L98, 3.07 rear. It came with stock '93 sawblades on it, 285X40-17 rear & 255X45-17 front. I drive it in the rain unless it's still clean from the last wash/wax but I don't drive it on salted roads, which reduces winter driving a good bit here in central OH but not necessarily cold weather driving. I don't drag or burn rubber and my kidneys aren't wrapped very tight so I don't need the ultimate in cornering either. I usually country cruise at about 74 MPH, jack-rabbit a good bit and pass anything that isn't going at least 6-8 MPH over the speed limit. I'm very likely going to re-engine with an LS? of somewhat over 500 HP within the next 2 years so I don't get burned by a 350 HP grocery-getter in the future (my wife nearly bought a 265 HP Camery recently- that's 20 more than my 'vette for pete's sake).

I did some searching here and review reading on the net to narrow my search and it seems that what's normally reccommended for 'vettes is geared more toward dry weather max performance. I'm a bit concerned about limitations in rain and cold weather with that type of tire but I don't think I need or want all season tires.

Any recommendations for this type of driving will be greatly appreciated.

 

Continental Extreme Contact DWS are designed for Dry, Wet and Snow. They have received great reviews from just about everyone. I have the Conti DW and they are the best rain tire I've ever had and they do well in the dry. They are also value priced compared to some of the other "big" brands.

 

Thanks for the review Bill. The Conti DW and Nitto 555 were the two I was leaning toward. They are reasonably priced and the 285's are readily available. Have you heard anything about the DW's in cold wet or dry weather?

 

I have the Continental Extreme Contact DW's (Dry/Wet) down here in FL and absolutely love them. Super quiet, great ride, great traction, and at a great price. I believe I got all 4 mounted and balanced for around $800.

 

Thanks for the report Patrick. I don't expect you have had any experience with cold weather but I believe it does rain in FL. With the price you quoted, I think I'll push the local dealer a bit!

 

I've only seen about 45 degrees and raining and honestly, I couldn't tell any difference from warm weather. They still did not want to hydroplane......I checked but I did not try to handle like a maniac either. A man's gotta know his car's limitations.

My last tires, fairly new FireHawks, were terrible in the rain at speed. I sold them with about 7/8 of the tread remaining. When I first got my Conti DW tires I intentionally ran through some standing water and slammed on the brakes. The ABS and tires worked together to produce a low pitched squealing sound.....in about a half inch of water. I was impressed.

 

I've run these on my 95 for the past 4 years and am on my 2nd set. It rains here almost every day for 6 months of the year from Oct - March and they are great in the rain and the dry cold. Just bought them as winter tires for our Sonata as well.

 

Hi Mark on the daily driving-I think that's the way it should be. If OH didn't bury every single snowflake with a pound of salt, I'd get a lot more drive time.

I've been sorta harassing a co-worker for the last three years about driving his '87 'vert to work to the extent that I paste a small color pic of his car on my bulliten board every time I spot it in the parking lot-sort of like fighter pilot kill flags on planes during WW2. It breaks him up!! This year he doubled last years record--he got up to ten!

Thanks for the review-I think it's time to make the final deal with the Conti dealer. I'm anxious to see how the 'vette handles with good tires on it.
Cheers
Tony

 

No problem Tony! It gets pretty cold here a few days out of the year (18-23 degrees). Haven't drove with them in the cold yet but I expect them to do well. I had them filled with nitrogen and roadforce balanced. My dad is the service manager at the Ford dealer in town and they have awesome deals on tires and rebates. Your local dealer should too and they will also match any price!

 

That's good news Bill. 45 deg is close to the temp the ODOT starts to spray the roads with calcium solution which kills my 'vette driving. It's time to get some tires!
Thanks
Tony

 

Thanks for the tip; I'll check with the local Ford dealer. They can't balk too much, my '89 has Ford injectors and a custom altenator bracket that has Ford stamped on it.

 

I bought mine from Sears. They matched the best deal I could find and took off an additional 10%. They're so big that they can get real tough on pricing if they want to.

 

I run Nitto NT555s (summer times) year round here in Phoenix. Summers are obviously hot, but our winters can get down into the 20-30s at night. I've yet to notice any degradation of tire performance/grip with my Nittos. That said, I don't drive it like an autoXer either... my car is a cruiser/commuter with occasion fun sweeps through a freeway clover leaf, etc. IOW, I don't ricky-race it.

But if I lived in a true cold weather clime I'd have probably just bought some all-season tires and been done with it. That, or just not drive it in the winter (which is probably more likely).

BTW, the Nitto NT555s are available in both 285/40/17 and 255/45/17... just as an FYI.

 

Hi Jon,
Thats good news on the temps. At those temps OH has already salted the roads, wether there's snow or not and my driving is done. Nitto 555 was was on my list but harder to get here and I didn't get near as much user info on them as I did on the Conti DW's. So I went with them. Thanks for your input. I keep telling 'vette guys I meet to check out this forum when they want to know something and it never fails.

 

Thanks for the Ford tip-I contacted a local Ford dealer and got $43 bucks off my best 'till then price, $822 total and they're on the way home from work. Ordered them for mounting on Monday.
Also got a 30 day better price match which I'll check out with a couple of other sources but wanted to get them on ASAP since the weather guy is calling for snow showers this weekend. Hope ODOT doesn't get crazy with the salt spray until I get to test them.

I'm assuming "roadforce balance" means they apply a roller force to the tire while spin balancing them to simulate loaded conditions. I haven't heard of that before but it sounds like a reasonable idea. If I'm wrong, educate me-never too old to learn. Thanks again. Tony

 

I did check Sears but their listed prices were on the high side and they're about 70 miles away (RT) since they cut back on their stores a few years ago so I didn't pursue it. Thanks for the tip, though.