Ok- I have yet another tire question (sorry in advance). I noticed cord showing through yesterday on my rear GY Runcrap. Now I can purchase tires without being yelled at.
Here are the choices (both non-runflat)-
Both are from Discount Tire and both are with the road hazard protection-
Goodyear F1 GSD3- free shipping $1088
Nitto 555 (NOT R) - free shipping $699
Going to have them installed at my dealer (they are good guys)
$60 per tire mounted balanced and so on
$180 for a 4 wheel alignment- apparently the alignment guy is the best in the area.

The catch- we are currently trying for an addition to the family and although the wife says no I think I may have to get rid of my favorite car of all time in the near future. The wife tells me she will refuse to sign the title over if it means my happiness but I am thinking about what is practical..... I do have a beater but it is not long for this world and I worry about driving a little one around in a crap car anyway- SO
Do I buy the more expensive tires thinking I may get rid of the vette
Or the cheaper tires thinking I may get rid of the vette.
Please help me decide- the wife says it is whatever I want.....

 

If your selling it, go with the absolute cheapest. It is their responsibility to inspect the car and insure it is to their standard, not yours. If you are going to keep it, set money aside a little at a time for the tires so you don't feel such a pinch. it may mean you don't drive the Vette for a while. Or, you buy just the rears for now and be extra cautious driving with two different sets of tires. Also, you don't have to do an alignment, you could just suggest it to a perspective buyer.
Just remember, the family comes first, no matter what. Well, second if you count God.
If I kept it, I would use Yokohama's AVS Sports. I love those tires and have gotten over 30,000 miles out of the rears. I do burn them a little here and there too.
Other wise, GSD3 are an excellent choice from what I hear.

Also, another school of thought is to go with a mid line tire ie firestone wide ovals. If you don't track your car, they should be fine. Before you do anything though, you should do a self check to figure out what is best for you. I have a baby due Dec and found out that child care will be $500+/- a month for him. We already pay 200 for the other one. So now I am paying off as much dept as I can so our lifestyle will remain close to what it is today.

 

I have Kumhos, but I'm looking at Avons at The Tire Rack...they have great performance numbers.

 

Either way I would go with the GS-D3's. If you keep the car you have some great tires on there and if you sell it it's a good selling point. By the way I have the GY GS-D#'s on my car and I love them. Great wet or dry traction.

 

When I was looking to buy my vette I did consider the condition and make of the tires on the car. My perception is that the Kumos, Hankook etc. are not of the quality that I would want on my vette. So I would immediatly factor in another $ 1K when looking at a car with these brands of tires no matter what the condition.

JMO

 

Now I'd like to ask epicshooter a question. Does your wife have a vehicle? If so, would she be driving the little one half of the time, most of the time, or seldom? The reason I ask is that I was in your situation twice and while I rarely used my 68 to transport one of the kids, my 1973 Mazda did a fine job of doing so. This was in the early 90s, so the Mazda was a "beater". Still, my wife and I shared driving duties, so the kid was in the beater only once per day and only for 20 minutes at a time. It never occured to me that I'd have to get rid of the 68, since my beater took care of all the kid transportation duties - dentist, doctor appointments, etc.

As far as tires go, think about wet weather safety for a minute. You can't get safer tires in the rain than the Goodyear GSD3s. They stick better on wet roads than many tires do on dry roads. As an added bonus, they are within .01gs of being the best dry pavement tires. All that for $1100 installed makes for a super-performance tire bargain if you ask me. Keep the C5 and don't compromise when it comes to one of the most important components on your car - tires. Beside, if you ever DO sell (God forbid), your car will be worth more with top-of-the-line tires.

 

Response to questions-
My wife has an '04 Acura TL which I recently put the GS D3's on due to the wet and dry performance (wanted her to have the best). And I just got off the phone with her and she agrees- with most responses- put the goodyears on and if we do have to pass on the car that at least it will have good tires for the sale.
Now I am trying to find a better deal than what the dealer was offering- the prices for balancing and alignment are just so high in comparison to other shops.

 

I bought my GSD3s from the Tirerack. They listed not only nearby installers, but also, the cost to mount and balance. I believe there is a $75 rebate or some kind of savings going on now? Anyway, check the Tirerack list for more info that is based upon your zip code.

 

Do most people on here wait until they see the white cord showing through??

 

Please nobody take any head shots at me.. but if you need to run the little one around, take the wifes car. If your wife needs to go to work or someplace else, could she not drive the Vette?

I know it is like your wife going out for drinks with your mistress.. you never know what will happen, but the up side is you can keep both the wife and the mistress.. I meen the Vette...

 

Get some Kohmos or something like that...lot cheaper and check the A/s. Get them from discount online, Discount mounted mine for $10bucks each and ask for the force balance...4 wheel align. = $90. If you keep the car you will be satisfied and they will look and run good for you.

 

I'm on Nitto 555's. No complaints.
I do think $250.00 for mounting and balancing is way high.

 

I'd go with the GS-D3's - testing shows it is an excellent tire. Why compromise on a critical part of your car.

 

Goodyear GS D3 purchased from Discount Tire Direct. Having them mounted at a private shop that has better equipment than the dealer- for a cheaper price.
Normally I do not wait for white cord to show- it is actually only showing on one tire and it appears to be an alignment issue. So I will be getting an alignment at the same time I get the tires put on.
Difference in price from Tire Rack and Discount tire was $0.75.
Tire Rack had some ESPN special which I could care less about.
Discount tire had them in stock so I went that route.....

 

Not to mention Discount Tire has free shipping.

So no one ever answered. Is it normal on here for people to wait till the cord is showing?

 

I was wondering how you were able to take 2 spots in a police parking lot.

 

nope, your asking for trouble

 

I'm on my second set of Nittos 555's. I have been more than satisfied with the quietness, ride, and mileage (1st set 31K) Discount Tire's (in Ca.) installed them very carefully (on magnesium rims) for around $750. I believe they gave me a $30.00 trade in on two old tires with 4/32nds tread remaining. I carry a 12V pump, a plug kit, scissor jack, AAA card and cell phone. So far no problems, and I've been to some very remote areas!

 

Discount tire mounts and road force balances tires for under $20/tire..... why pay 3x this at the dealer?
$180 for an alignment???? The local stealership only charges $79 !!!

Shop around and put the dollars you save on alignment and mount/balance into your pocket or into a better tire...

 

So far I love the ride and how quiet the GSD3's are... Bought mine from my local tire shop for $1,150.00 balance and mount included!
Great tire so far