I'm about to need a new set of tires and wonder if anyone has any information as to preference. Currently have Goodyear Eagle F1's. Looking for something with a smoother ride, but still have the handling.

 

I have a 98 vert, and when I traded for the car, it needed tires as the original goodyears were thinning....pretty much like me....any way, did some research talked to fellow owners with goodyears, firehawk tires and as the original goodyear's rode like rocks, decided to go with the michelin zero pressures. They made a great difference, much quieter than the originals, softer, quieter and so far, are wearing like iron.

 

If you go to http://www.tirerack.com/ and punch in your vehicle details you get a very good summary of the different options with performance figures.

I just went through the same process. I came down to the Miichelin PS2s and the Kumhos. The kumhos are great value but don't have quite the edge on the PS2s. As one member said, it's the only part of the car that connects you to the road so probably worth the extra $$s if you can afford them.

I went with the PS2s and just waiting for delivery. Got a good deal at the local Costco in the end.

 

Consider Bridgestone S-03 tires. I just put some on, much quieter, better ride than stock.

 

 

or Firestone Wide Ovals.

 

...then check out the latest edition of Car & Driver. Although they "only" used a 325 BMW as a test mule, you are very likely to experience similar results with your C5. To minimize variables such as driving techniques, track surface temps, etc, C&D enlisted the help of the Tire Rack and their test mule vehicle. Although the track used was small, it's lined with sprinklers that can soak the asphalt. "It took three days to perform all the tests. We accerated to 50 mph and then braked to a standstill. There was a benefit to that lower speed: It ensured that we were measuring the braking performance of the tires and not just brake fade."

"In addition to factoring the wet and dry scores, we gave points based on a tires's price and tread-wear grade, which is a rough estimate of how long a tire will have usable tread." "Our test focused on measuring performance, so we decided that results in the dry-lateral grip, for example - would carry the most weight."

So, without further adeau, here're the results:

(Best to worst):

NUMBER 1: Goodyear GSD3: "As an all-around performance tire, you can't beat this Goodyear. It was the best performer in all three wet-track tests and was very competent in the dry. It generated .94g on the dry skidpad, only .01g off the first place (dry) BFGoodrich and tied with the Yokohama and Hankook.
The Goodyear gripped so well, that you might not have been certain that the road was wet. It held onto the wet track with .82g of stick, an impressive figure considering the worst tire in that test made only .67g.
...And like the Continental, the Goodyear had a high 280 trad-wear grade. At $145, ieach, it's $34 cheaper than the most expensive (guess which tires have THAT distinction!).

2nd place: Continental ContiSportContact 2: "It simply didn't feel as sporty as the others.....on dry surfaces, the Conti never rose above third from last among 11 tires. It felt soft and imprecise. But in the wet, the spread from best to worse was 15 percent, which made for a larger point spread (giving the Contis a boost). Plus the Continental had a 280tread-wear grade that was the highest (tied) for this test.

3rd place: Yokohama Advan Neova AD07: Excellent dry performance, but a bit on the slippery end in the wet stuff - expensive at $175 apiece.

4th place: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2: "At $179, the PS2 is the most expensive tire in the test." Competent, but expensive sums up this tire.

5th place: Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212: At $99 each, these are the least expensive tires - very good on dry pavement, but "greasy and slow to recover" on the wet stuff.

6th place: Dunlop SP Sport Max: "In the dry, the tire seemed to lose its confidence..."

7th place: Pirelli P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico:"In the dry-lateral-grip test, the Pirelli tied for second to last, and it finished seventh in the dry-braking test.

8th place: Toyo Proxes T1R: "...the Proxes never placed higher than eighth in any test"...nuff said!

9th place: Bridgestone Potenza RE050A: "it felt dull and disconnected and was somewhat soft and imprecise when driven hard."

10th place: BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD: Outstanding performance on dry surfaces, but very scary on wet surfaces - don't get caught in a rainstorm wearing these shoes...

11th place: Kumho Ecsta MX: "They didn't offer much grip and the time of 30.28 seconds in the dry autocross was .62 second slower than the fastest tire. That may not seem like much, but our course was only 0.3 mille long, and on a longer track, that gap would be commensurately greater." "And although the MX - at $136 per - was the third-least-expensive tire in our test, the high score in the price category wasn't enough to regain ground lost in the performance tests."

On a congratulatory note, the first place tire is made right here in the USA by an American tire company

 

Goodyear GS D3's

 

You might want to try Pirelli P Nero Zero. They are an all season tire with a 400 rating. They are the OEM tire on the new Mustang which in the test drive review in Car&Driver raved about the Pirelli's.

Those of us who have them love them and they look great too. Check the reviews on Tire Rack.

I have about 3,000 miles on them and they still look new.

Good luck.

 

I think the Firestone wide ovals and Bridgestone S series are pretty much the same great tire. Can't believe how much quieter and smoother the ride is vs stock GY runcraps.

I put an electric 12v tire pump in the back and carry a AAA card just in case...

 

Also, if pricing is an issue, Falken tires are a great cost value for any C5, as well.