time to get a new set of 17 inch tires for my 86---there are several choices out there and im not sure what is good --better or best-- summer all season or high performance---whats a good all around performing tire these days

 

What size are your wheels (17 x ??)? What are the expected uses for the car (e.g. just street driving, autocross/track competition, etc.)? So you plan to drive the car when ambient temps are below freezing? Do you plan to drive it in the snow/ice? Will it be driven in the rain? Do you want a tire that lasts really long, or that provides the most performance (the two are somewhat inversely proportional). Is cost more important than performance, or what is your budget? Help us help you!

 

i currently have 275/40/17 michelin pilot sports on the car--dont care about rain or snow as the car doesnt get driven in either im looking for a good handling low road noise tire i guess an all season tire would be the best bet as the summer only tires dont like the cold temps---im in ohio my car is built to go fast and i do like to drive it that way so i am concerner about performance

 

***-uming you have 17x9.5 wheels (i.e. that the tires you have are the right size for the wheels), then among tires in this size some really good very-high-performance all-seasons are tested here. The BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 A/S, Cooper Zeon RS3-G1, and General G-MAX AS-05are all going to be high-performance tires that can handle below-freezing temps. You can read the TR test I linked and choose from among them. Looks like it would be hard to go wrong. HOWEVER, I'd bet the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 is faster than the other three, and very possibly quieter, if a bit more expensive. There just aren't the test results yet because it's a brand new tire. It seems to have been designed with the C8 in mind, but in the run-flat version. They had some seriously high specs for that car. The tire in your size is not the run-flat version (which is fine, because those suck in other ways), but I bet it's still the highest-performance all-season on the market right now. That's the tire I'd get in your position.

If you never drive in temps below freezing, then we can discuss some summer tires that will outperform those three. But you risk tire damage if you even inflate them in the cold temps, much less drive on them.

 

It's all about budget If.I wasn't so thrifty, I would have got Continentals. I have summer tires which limits use to above 50. They don't have grip until they are warm. The tires can fail sitting outside in sub freezing weather. All season give you the option to drive car on dry sunny winter days.

 

My first 35th Anni came with GY Eagle All Weathers that served quite well on street and strip, so I put them on my "new" 35th Anni as well as the recently purchased '89 vert.

Of course I drive both cars year-around so need light snow/cold traction as well as warm weather "stick".

 

I run the Michelin PS4 and I will gladly unass the money again after running Nitto quite happily before . The Michelin is a brilliant tire , rain , heat , track, or commute , it's hands down the best and well worth the high price of admission. The wear has also been decidedly amazing.

 

Just put Pilot sport 4 Michelins on my 89. So far very pleased. Excellent price

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...t+All+Season+4

 

Guys, the OP said he's driving in cold weather. So there's no point in recommending summer tires to him. That would not be wise.
The problem is that summer tires have compounds that get hard and brittle in cold temps. They can sit in freezing temps and not have any harm. But if you flex them in any way, it's possible that the rubber will crack. That means you can't move the car at all, you can inflate/deflate the tires, and you can't even jack the car up. But just sitting in freezing temps won't harm them.

Typically the temps to avoid are those below freezing. I'm not aware of any street-legal tires that can't be driven in 50F temps. Yes, they will have less grip than in warmer temps for a bit, but once you start driving they will pick up plenty of temp from flexing as they roll.

 

I ruined a set of summer tires first winter in Michigan and didn't garage the car. The tread cracked on exposing edge of belts.
Before coming to Michigan, I had coworkers who had ZL1 Camaro and GT Mustang both on summer tires. Both commented their cars weren't driveable in cold weather, they discribed it just short of driving on ice. Granted both have far more horsepower than an LT1, which may have been a factor.

 

Does anyone know for sure if these are directional tires?

 

.LOL cancel. Couldn't find any arrows but finally did notice the sidewall is marked "outside"

 

That's not "directional." It's "asymmetric." There's a difference: they can roll properly in either direction (i.e. not directional), but they have different inside and outside sides.

 

Searched the side of the tire for an arrow, Then saw the outside by the name. The shop had the rims on wrong on the rear. Scared me enough to check everything. Just switched the rears. All is OK now. Thanks.

 

ive narrowed my choice down to two tires---- michelin pilot sport all season 4----bf goodrich g-force comp -2 a/s plus both perform extremely well but the goodrich are considerably less expensive

 

I have the BF's on both of my C4's. 85 base had them when I got it. Loved them but didn't know any better. Drag strip and NCM Motorsports park. Took the 'summer' tires off the 85 Z51 and put BF's on it. Had it at NCM motorsports park behind pace cars for a total of at lease 75 laps (not on the same day) and at the local 1/8th mile without any problems. Over 12k on the Z51 daily driver, everything but snow, only because we haven't had any. I highly recommend them, ymmv.

HTH

Joe K

 

Very pleased with the Michelins. Not a lot of miles yet but quiet and great traction. Moderate driving.

 

Argh. I took a look on Continental's website to read more about the tires. They say don't drive their summer tires when it's under 45 degrees... for me, that'd rule out commuting to work about 9 months of the year -- it often is in the 40's starting in September here. They also don't recommend storing the tires on the vehicle when it's below freezing.

That seems... extreme, and I wonder how any car manufacturer can sell summer-tire-equipped vehicles most places in the country.

[RICHR]

 

See my post #9 as to why this is the case. I would say you can drive the Conti EC Sports in weather above freezing - 45 degrees is too conservative. I've never had a problem with any summer-only tire as long as it's at least 32F. Chances are you could get away with driving on them below freezing, but if the tire cracks you aren't covered by a warranty. So, given you are in the same boat as the OP, see my post #4 for good tire options.