Biggest problem for C4 owners-TIRES
03-01-2018, 12:28 AM
#41
Race Director
OK. So it is ok if you don't need it NOW because your car is on some deserted area. Fair enough. IIRC, back in the 90s, my F-body used to get the take off tires. Wish they had those now for C4 sizes. BTW, I just priced out Goodyear Eagle F1 and they were cheaper on Discount Tire Direct at $773.60 vs Performance Plus at $852.91 and that also includes the $24.95 handling charge
Hey, if they didn't, how would you know you received the tires?
Hey, if they didn't, how would you know you received the tires?
I've mail-ordered all my tires since the mid-90s. There isn't a specific dealer that will always provide the best price on all brands. Pick your tire (brand) first, then shop it around. (Occasionally, I just shop by size) One pair (for a girlfriend) came from a listing on ebay. I was a bit worried they'd be crap, but they are still going strong. It was a Florida dealer that I'd buy from again. I've bought from TireRack, Discount Direct, PerformancePlus, and, yes, even a Mustang Specialist. Only one time (for small tires) did local dealers make it worth while.....and I usually give them a shot.
Guess I've been lucky. I've never NEEDED a tire the same day. I will say I always let NTB mount/balance and buy their lifetime rotation/balance....EXCEPT on the vette. Those tires don't last long enough for the lifetime package....plus I've had them road force balanced -- which NTB doesn't do.
Last edited by GREGGPENN; 03-01-2018 at 12:29 AM.
03-01-2018, 05:42 AM
#42
Burning Brakes
Hi guys,i am here opening this thread to address the issue of the major problem affecting C4 owners-TIRES AND WHEELS and how to solve the problem on a budget.
Every time you buy a C4 Corvette the first problem you face are dry rot tires,you simply have to replace it right away and we're talking $600. out of the pocket,nowhere to run.
This is a big no,no,in regards to the overall value of these cars and most people opt out of these model just because of that factor.
I want people to come up with suggestions towards circle this problem on a budget.
Most of the C4s come with the salad tosser wheels and the tires for these wheels are 255-50-16 which are not only impossible to find used but running around $150. each new.
It is a known fact that you can get 225-60-16 or 225-70-16 for half that amount but these sizes simply don't cut in height,making the car horrible to drive.
I am on my second C4 and i was thinking about studying options to have in my garage as a temporary set of wheels and tires just to keep on driving the car while i cannot come up with the funds to acquire a new set of tires for the original wheels.
One thing i thought about was to get a set of 15" wheels with adequate height tires to use as temporary.
I know that GM offered (at least in the catalog) for 1984, a set of 15" wheels that was supposed to be the "standard" wheels for the C4 but actually never put into production,these were to be 7" wide and supposed to come with 215-65-15 and covered clearance and height perfectly,ironic is the fact that 7" is a lot narrower than 1982 wheels 8" and 8.5",well GM gave up on the idea and C4s never came with anything but 16".
Every time you buy a C4 Corvette the first problem you face are dry rot tires,you simply have to replace it right away and we're talking $600. out of the pocket,nowhere to run.
This is a big no,no,in regards to the overall value of these cars and most people opt out of these model just because of that factor.
I want people to come up with suggestions towards circle this problem on a budget.
Most of the C4s come with the salad tosser wheels and the tires for these wheels are 255-50-16 which are not only impossible to find used but running around $150. each new.
It is a known fact that you can get 225-60-16 or 225-70-16 for half that amount but these sizes simply don't cut in height,making the car horrible to drive.
I am on my second C4 and i was thinking about studying options to have in my garage as a temporary set of wheels and tires just to keep on driving the car while i cannot come up with the funds to acquire a new set of tires for the original wheels.
One thing i thought about was to get a set of 15" wheels with adequate height tires to use as temporary.
I know that GM offered (at least in the catalog) for 1984, a set of 15" wheels that was supposed to be the "standard" wheels for the C4 but actually never put into production,these were to be 7" wide and supposed to come with 215-65-15 and covered clearance and height perfectly,ironic is the fact that 7" is a lot narrower than 1982 wheels 8" and 8.5",well GM gave up on the idea and C4s never came with anything but 16".
03-01-2018, 05:48 AM
#43
Burning Brakes
I never cheap out on tires, cheap tires will kill you or someone else. I had a little boy come out of the dark on his bicycle. No street lights, there was baseball field on the corner of a side street. He simply rode out in front of me.
The performance tires I had allowed me to use the whole road and not hit him. I almost put it into the ditch on the other side getting away from him. But the point is, I did. His parents were drinking around a bonfire (I went around the corner) and didn't even know how close he came to being killed.
Tires attach you to the road. If you are in a serious accident (your fault) and an astute member of law enforcement, or the other parties insurance/lawyer catches on that a person is using substandard, etc tires, the issue of negligence can come into play.
Getting off my soapbox.
The performance tires I had allowed me to use the whole road and not hit him. I almost put it into the ditch on the other side getting away from him. But the point is, I did. His parents were drinking around a bonfire (I went around the corner) and didn't even know how close he came to being killed.
Tires attach you to the road. If you are in a serious accident (your fault) and an astute member of law enforcement, or the other parties insurance/lawyer catches on that a person is using substandard, etc tires, the issue of negligence can come into play.
Getting off my soapbox.
03-01-2018, 05:56 AM
#44
Burning Brakes
Even at $900 installed for Continental extreme contact sports I am probably installed lesser quality than the original good years.
The tires I bought the car with which are still on the car now have plenty of tread but manufacture date is 2001.. extremely dangerous... which is what I hate about buying tires for a weekend car.. they may dry out before the tread is gone.
Last edited by barchetta1; 03-01-2018 at 06:04 AM.
03-01-2018, 07:12 AM
#45
Racer
$600?? I have an appt to have 4 continentals put on for $900! Am I making a mistake??? these are in the staggered 8.5 and 9.5" format.. I priced tires and was the going rate.. I dont like buying cheap tires as I have been burned with noisy crap.. anyone have some advise? I havent read all of this thread yet but.. man this is expensive!!
03-01-2018, 04:30 PM
#46
Pro
$600?? I have an appt to have 4 continentals put on for $900! Am I making a mistake??? these are in the staggered 8.5 and 9.5" format.. I priced tires and was the going rate.. I dont like buying cheap tires as I have been burned with noisy crap.. anyone have some advise? I havent read all of this thread yet but.. man this is expensive!!
03-01-2018, 06:32 PM
#47
Burning Brakes
thanks for the reinforcement.. pricey but over the life of the car $300 is nothing for a nice quiet yet grippy ride..
I need to call them tomorrow and have them check the date codes.. very concerned.
03-01-2018, 06:38 PM
#48
Team Owner
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Hi guys,i am here opening this thread to address the issue of the major problem affecting C4 owners-TIRES AND WHEELS and how to solve the problem on a budget.
Every time you buy a C4 Corvette the first problem you face are dry rot tires,you simply have to replace it right away and we're talking $600. out of the pocket,nowhere to run.
This is a big no,no,in regards to the overall value of these cars and most people opt out of these model just because of that factor.
I want people to come up with suggestions towards circle this problem on a budget.
Most of the C4s come with the salad tosser wheels and the tires for these wheels are 255-50-16 which are not only impossible to find used but running around $150. each new.
It is a known fact that you can get 225-60-16 or 225-70-16 for half that amount but these sizes simply don't cut in height,making the car horrible to drive.
I am on my second C4 and i was thinking about studying options to have in my garage as a temporary set of wheels and tires just to keep on driving the car while i cannot come up with the funds to acquire a new set of tires for the original wheels.
Every time you buy a C4 Corvette the first problem you face are dry rot tires,you simply have to replace it right away and we're talking $600. out of the pocket,nowhere to run.
This is a big no,no,in regards to the overall value of these cars and most people opt out of these model just because of that factor.
I want people to come up with suggestions towards circle this problem on a budget.
Most of the C4s come with the salad tosser wheels and the tires for these wheels are 255-50-16 which are not only impossible to find used but running around $150. each new.
It is a known fact that you can get 225-60-16 or 225-70-16 for half that amount but these sizes simply don't cut in height,making the car horrible to drive.
I am on my second C4 and i was thinking about studying options to have in my garage as a temporary set of wheels and tires just to keep on driving the car while i cannot come up with the funds to acquire a new set of tires for the original wheels.
The problem isn't the cost of the tires. Heck, when the cars were new, tires for a C4 were a LOT more than now. The problem is the people buying these cars for 4-5k and thinking they need zero care or feeding.
03-01-2018, 06:46 PM
#49
Racer
$150/tire, new. Last set of tires I bought for my Mom's car (she's older and doesn't shop well...) were about that, but in an 18" size.
The problem isn't the cost of the tires. Heck, when the cars were new, tires for a C4 were a LOT more than now. The problem is the people buying these cars for 4-5k and thinking they need zero care or feeding.
The problem isn't the cost of the tires. Heck, when the cars were new, tires for a C4 were a LOT more than now. The problem is the people buying these cars for 4-5k and thinking they need zero care or feeding.
03-01-2018, 06:49 PM
#50
Team Owner
$150/tire, new. Last set of tires I bought for my Mom's car (she's older and doesn't shop well...) were about that, but in an 18" size.
The problem isn't the cost of the tires. Heck, when the cars were new, tires for a C4 were a LOT more than now. The problem is the people buying these cars for 4-5k and thinking they need zero care or feeding.
The problem isn't the cost of the tires. Heck, when the cars were new, tires for a C4 were a LOT more than now. The problem is the people buying these cars for 4-5k and thinking they need zero care or feeding.
03-01-2018, 08:52 PM
#51
Le Mans Master
Put some 235 55 16 on it and call it a day. They will fit very close to the same diameter as the 255 60 16 and they are cheap. I would not spend time looking for 15s.
03-01-2018, 09:32 PM
#53
Advanced
Thread Starter
03-02-2018, 07:19 AM
#54
By the way they are suppose to be a similar design tire as the Cooper Zeon RS3-S (Cooper, Mickey Thompson and Avon are under the same company ownership forgot who owns who ).They were quiet and cheap but I lost it on a hard shift into third gear (under 45 MPH tires had about 1500 miles on them) never had that happen before! The rear end came around so fast, I was able to get it slowed to about 15 MPH but the back end was like a swinging pendulum before I kissed the rear bumper going backwards into a chain link fence coming to a stop!!!
A bit of damage but it could have been a lot worst.
I pulled those POS tires off and bit the bullet and bought the GoodYear Eagle GSD3s. The GoodYears are very expensive but the grip is much better and the tire is more predictable when the car does slide.
For me lesson learned, I will never purchase a set of cheap tires for any of my cars again.
03-02-2018, 07:24 AM
#55
Le Mans Master
03-02-2018, 07:37 AM
#56
I put the BF Goodrich Comp TAs on my 91. Smooth and quiet at speed, the cost of high performance tires comes with driving a high performance sports car. Goodrich tires are made in the US not China, had a go round with Chinese tires on my sons car they would not hold air and were pieces of junk. Goodrich started racing their street tires in the 70s and have used the knowledge gained on the race track in their street tires. Most Hi-Po Goodyear tires are made in Chile, American tires for America's sports car.
03-02-2018, 10:49 AM
#57
Especially these days.
Keep in mind the standards of stock are insane compared to the 80's. If people are looking at cars they want to feel good about what is there and maybe even care about "bigger is better" etc.
03-02-2018, 12:13 PM
#58
Burning Brakes
Discount tire had received my order of continentals this week. I called and asked then to check the date codes. rears are 2417 285/40/17 which is bad but fronts 255 45 17s are 2316.. nearly 2 yrs old.. told them not interested. But now where do I find tires that arent 2 yrs old??? Just cant see laying down $900 for tires/install when the fronts are nearly 2 yrs and rears are nearly 1 yr old already.. I would think that the oils and so on are partially gassed off? Am I being too picky?
They said they would check around... which didnt sound too good.
They said they would check around... which didnt sound too good.
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03-02-2018, 01:13 PM
#60
Burning Brakes
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