I have a question on my tires. I bought my 96 in December and I have just started driving it since the weather has been great in the North East. The guy I bought the car from put new tires on it when he bought the car 4 years ago they are OEM Goodyear GSCs non run flat they have about 7,000 miles on them. He stored the car in the winter. The tires have plenty of tread left on them especially the front but the back are still very good. They do have one problem they have small cracks in between the tread it looks like dry rot. I would attribute that to sitting all winter on concrete which I think dries the tire out. The tires have no dry rot on the side walls.

The other day I pulled the car out of my garage I noticed fine black dust on the floor in my tire tracks, also behind the rear wheel well on the paint there is a fine layer of the same dust from the tires. I have only driven a few hundred miles. Is this dust normal or do you think my tires are just too dry. I have also noticed the rear tires squeal slightly when I am pulling out of a road hard right or left under just moderate throttle. The tires seem to hookup nicely under straight line acceleration. I can only slightly chirp the tires when shifting hard from 1st to 2nd gear.

1. Are these conditions normal?
2. Do I need new tires now?
3. Any other opinions

Thanks Adam

 

My 96 (53k mi) came with a set of "new" GSCs when i bought it a year ago, however, the tires were manufactured in 1995, and i too noticed the dry rot, did i have dust issues... i couldn't say because i dont have a garage.

oh being a manual 96... i would assume you have an LT4... correct... Ive never had problems burning the tires when i shift from first into second at WOT with my LT4, so it seems odd that you can only chirp them... oh well, i guess its just that my driving style can get the most out of my cars.

 

I have a 93 LT1 with a 6 speed. I Also have a little dusting on the rear of the car when driving. I think it is more from the exhaust than from the tires. I had an old set of GSC and now have 315 dunlops. The car has only 50,000 miles so I think it is normal. BTW, I have no problem squealing the 315's with my 6 speed into 2nd gear so your Lt4 just needs a little more pedal and it will be sideways before you know it.....Good choice in the LT4 and get yourself a california duster for the rear...........

 

Look at the DOT number on the side of the tires, they are only one one side. Last digits give week and year of manufacture.
Example 248==24th week of 1998, or 1202==12th week of 2002.
If cracks are deep enough that moisture could penetrate to the belts the belts will corrode and you will have sudden tire failure, also known as blowouts. Think Safety First. Think what a blow out would do to fiberglass second.

 

Tires should be changed out every 4 yrs 5 max.They react to the air and change over time and should need replaced around that time on a normally driven car.Our problem is they usually don't see the miles to wear the tires off.They still need changed IMHO.

 

I agree, five years max.

 

You guys get FIVE YEARS out of a set of tires????!!!!

I think your carpet is all bunched up under the gas pedal.




(EDIT: Oh, yeah, original question: the tires are fine. They will have slightly less traction each year they are in service, but if you keep that in mind and drive accordingly, there should be no reason to replace them before the tread is gone. My opinion only.)

Larry
code5coupe

 

I know I should probably replace them, the one problem is I was hoping to get a set of BFG KDW tires but I cant find them anywhere. They are a bit cheaper than the GSD3s. With the money I would save I was going to get some cross drilled and slotted rotors. I guess I will just have to wait on those…..

 

Try the Firestone Wide Ovals instead. I took off the BFG KDWs and went to the F/SWOs and much, much better. Drilled and slotted rotors don;t do anything for you unless you race it anyway. But try some Bosch ceramic pads, little pricey, but work great, lifetime warranty and NO brake dust.

ps--5 years is not a finite tire life. Bridgestone (for one) does not want dealers selling any new tire that is more than 5 yrs old (old stock). But a new )never mounted tire stored inside is not exposed to sunlight and ozone, nor any petroleum product actually stays in near new condition for 5-10 yrs.

 

Drilled rotors that you'll buy are NOT for racing, they are for looks only and won't last as long as stock rotors. I'd get them if you're not tearing up your stock rotors. I, on the other hand, have a cracked set of drilled rotors on the car right now....but I crack stock rotors each year. Any site selling drilled rotors should have a statement in fine print saying drilled rotors are not for track, most sites seem to have this statement somewhere.

A friend of mine just removed Wide Ovals from his Z06 cause the tire doesn't look good. By that I mean the sidewall has an ugly big ole rim protector on it that sticks out more than most rim protectors and the sidewall itself does not have the attractive rounded form like most.

Check tires.com and tirerack, they seem to have the KDW in stock. I don't skimp on tires, they are the most important part of a vehicle. Traction is something I depend on daily. Given that, I have GSD3s on the front and michelin PS2s on the back. The KD series also seems to be a good tire and is the only one I'd currently try besides the two I already use.

 

I can agree the rim protector on the FSWOs is bit too much, but the performance is worth it to me. The FSWOs are superior to the KDs in my opinion, and for my needs as traction is my #1 priority. Meaning they do better on wet roads, but also rated as worse in snow/ice. In Georgia we get heavy rains, but not snow/ice to worry about. Maybe just hallucinating, but seems to me I get a somewhat softer ride out of the FSWOs as well. I have never tried the GSD3s, but they are very highly rated by others in the forum. Good luck in whatever tire you decide to go with.

 

I have a lot of those cracks on my tires too and was doing 140 mph this summer but then im not all there. I hate to buy new tires till I can see the cords showing

 

Suicidal are we?

 

go to a goodaer tire dealer and ask what pro-rated cost for new tires would be...wiyh lots of tread still on your old ones it could be real cheap