Tires???
Heel & Toe
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
I just put the third set of tires on my vette at 43K miles. I went with the Firestone Indy500's replacing the Kumho Ecsta's. So far I have put just over 1200 miles on them on from 1 road trip.
Good:
MUCH MORE QUIET
Feel just fine at up to 155 MPH (I love west Texas roads)
Reasonable Price
Cons:
None so far
Good:
MUCH MORE QUIET
Feel just fine at up to 155 MPH (I love west Texas roads)
Reasonable Price
Cons:
None so far
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
No. That's the max tire pressure.
That's like saying we need to run our Corvette 174 mph because that is the max speed of the car. Trust me, doing 65 mph is okay. Besides, if you put 50 psi in your tires you'll get many warnings on your DIC stating tire pressure is too high. I think (not sure) anything above 34 psi will get you a DIC warning.
Race Director
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 16,574
Likes: 13
From: Winfield IN
following something written 10 years ago is wrong.
I decide my tire pressure as anyone should, by watching were patterns.
I have never seen it good to run a tire 15lbs below max. If they were mine
I would start at 40 lbs. No way 30 lbs is correct, and I would watch the wear pattern.
It is not at all hard to tell what your tires need.
This thread was started about tire life and not about performance. We all know
deflating a tire a increase traction. I run 6lb when on a drag strip. I sure as heck am
not going to drive on a highway at 6lbs. I am not going to get into what tire pressure
for all condition. He drives a lot and wants tire life.
Does he know increasing tire pressure reduces drag and increase gas millage.
Commuting like he does, I would sure as heck run a higher air pressure to increase
gas millage. There are a lot more factors then just what the owners manual says to consider.
I respect you... I understand what you are saying. I simply do not agree.
The owners manual applies to stock tires and stock wheels.
Short version for the OP: don't assume the air in the tires is correct just because a $10
an hour employee put that much air in them. You need to look at all factors. Tire rating,
driving style, tire life, gas millage, recommended by manufacture, and where you feel you like
them. Watch the wear pattern and adjust accordingly. I have always gotten more then the
manufacture says you can out of there tires. Properly taken care of you can get
25k out of a 20k mile tire, specially on a car as light as a Corvette.
I decide my tire pressure as anyone should, by watching were patterns.
I have never seen it good to run a tire 15lbs below max. If they were mine
I would start at 40 lbs. No way 30 lbs is correct, and I would watch the wear pattern.
It is not at all hard to tell what your tires need.
This thread was started about tire life and not about performance. We all know
deflating a tire a increase traction. I run 6lb when on a drag strip. I sure as heck am
not going to drive on a highway at 6lbs. I am not going to get into what tire pressure
for all condition. He drives a lot and wants tire life.
Does he know increasing tire pressure reduces drag and increase gas millage.
Commuting like he does, I would sure as heck run a higher air pressure to increase
gas millage. There are a lot more factors then just what the owners manual says to consider.
I respect you... I understand what you are saying. I simply do not agree.
The owners manual applies to stock tires and stock wheels.
Short version for the OP: don't assume the air in the tires is correct just because a $10
an hour employee put that much air in them. You need to look at all factors. Tire rating,
driving style, tire life, gas millage, recommended by manufacture, and where you feel you like
them. Watch the wear pattern and adjust accordingly. I have always gotten more then the
manufacture says you can out of there tires. Properly taken care of you can get
25k out of a 20k mile tire, specially on a car as light as a Corvette.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,681
Likes: 47
From: Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks , State Of Confusion
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14
Racer
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 315
Likes: 1
If I am wrong prove it. I see how my first comment could be miss read. I corrected that.
You my friend are wrong. All corvette owners should not run 30 lbs because you feel they should.
If I did what GM said my tires would explode. GM says to run 60 lbs in
my 3500. Max pressure in the current tires on it are 45 lbs. I just went
out and looked. GM did not account for 9" drops and air ride.
Owners manual only applies if everything is stock.
Call GM and ask... They will agree with me.
I will not lie to these guys to make you all feel good.
Your wrong. You cannot do what GM says 100% of the time.
It is recommend not a freaking law.
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Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,681
Likes: 47
From: Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks , State Of Confusion
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14
I have said nothing incorrect.
If I am wrong prove it. I see how my first comment could be miss read. I corrected that.
You my friend are wrong. All corvette owners should not run 30 lbs because you feel they should.
If I did what GM said my tires would explode. GM says to run 60 lbs in
my 3500. Max pressure in the current tires on it are 45 lbs. I just went
out and looked. GM did not account for 9" drops and air ride.
Owners manual only applies if everything is stock.
Call GM and ask... They will agree with me.
I will not lie to these guys to make you all feel good.
Your wrong. You cannot do what GM says 100% of the time.
It is recommend not a freaking law.
If I am wrong prove it. I see how my first comment could be miss read. I corrected that.
You my friend are wrong. All corvette owners should not run 30 lbs because you feel they should.
If I did what GM said my tires would explode. GM says to run 60 lbs in
my 3500. Max pressure in the current tires on it are 45 lbs. I just went
out and looked. GM did not account for 9" drops and air ride.
Owners manual only applies if everything is stock.
Call GM and ask... They will agree with me.
I will not lie to these guys to make you all feel good.
Your wrong. You cannot do what GM says 100% of the time.
It is recommend not a freaking law.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 315
Likes: 1
Because of this I have reduced the towing load of the truck. That is fine.
I tow a Corvette. I am well under tire load capacity. I am running a 6 ply tire not a 10 ply.
GM put 10ply tires on the 1 ton duallies.
Discount spent 2 weeks trying to find me a 10ply that would fit under the truck.
My point was there are times the owners manually cannot be used.
Race Director
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 16,574
Likes: 13
From: Winfield IN
I
Anyone who things reading the sidewall has anything to do with a specific car is just stupid. AT GM we call that sticker an idiot proof sticker because so many people were putting what the sidewall said for pressure. the sidewall spec are put their by the tire manufacturer because they have to, and that number is put there after the tire has been thoroughly tested, its part of the design phase . The tire manufacturer does not know if the tire is going on a Corvette or a dodge crew cab with a 2 ton payload.
Ill say it again.. you want around 30 psi HOT but 30 psi cold will work compared to someone putting in 52 psi because it says so on the sidewall.
but that sticker, 30psi goes on a car in North Dakota, or Alaska and also in the desert of Arizona. where the differences in temp can be as much as 60 degrees different on the same day. tires that are sitting cold in your garage are much different than those same tires out on the highway after being heated up . you don't need to change the psi every day but you have to know when daily temps can vary from morning to afternoon, you want the tires to be around 30 psi in the hot sun of the day.. this is where 30 cold can get to 38 hot and become center high and this is where all your tire longevity gets erased, also you lose handling because the foot print is cut in half..
You can listen to someone who as done this for a living for 40 years or you can listen to the clueless...
Anyone who things reading the sidewall has anything to do with a specific car is just stupid. AT GM we call that sticker an idiot proof sticker because so many people were putting what the sidewall said for pressure. the sidewall spec are put their by the tire manufacturer because they have to, and that number is put there after the tire has been thoroughly tested, its part of the design phase . The tire manufacturer does not know if the tire is going on a Corvette or a dodge crew cab with a 2 ton payload.
Ill say it again.. you want around 30 psi HOT but 30 psi cold will work compared to someone putting in 52 psi because it says so on the sidewall.
but that sticker, 30psi goes on a car in North Dakota, or Alaska and also in the desert of Arizona. where the differences in temp can be as much as 60 degrees different on the same day. tires that are sitting cold in your garage are much different than those same tires out on the highway after being heated up . you don't need to change the psi every day but you have to know when daily temps can vary from morning to afternoon, you want the tires to be around 30 psi in the hot sun of the day.. this is where 30 cold can get to 38 hot and become center high and this is where all your tire longevity gets erased, also you lose handling because the foot print is cut in half..
You can listen to someone who as done this for a living for 40 years or you can listen to the clueless...
I have said nothing incorrect.
If I am wrong prove it. I see how my first comment could be miss read. I corrected that.
You my friend are wrong. All corvette owners should not run 30 lbs because you feel they should.
If I did what GM said my tires would explode. GM says to run 60 lbs in
my 3500. Max pressure in the current tires on it are 45 lbs. I just went
out and looked. GM did not account for 9" drops and air ride.
Owners manual only applies if everything is stock.
Call GM and ask... They will agree with me.
I will not lie to these guys to make you all feel good.
Your wrong. You cannot do what GM says 100% of the time.
It is recommend not a freaking law.
If I am wrong prove it. I see how my first comment could be miss read. I corrected that.
You my friend are wrong. All corvette owners should not run 30 lbs because you feel they should.
If I did what GM said my tires would explode. GM says to run 60 lbs in
my 3500. Max pressure in the current tires on it are 45 lbs. I just went
out and looked. GM did not account for 9" drops and air ride.
Owners manual only applies if everything is stock.
Call GM and ask... They will agree with me.
I will not lie to these guys to make you all feel good.
Your wrong. You cannot do what GM says 100% of the time.
It is recommend not a freaking law.
Do you run air bags and helper springs on your Vette???
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Tire height and brand effect it. I cannot fit a 10ply tire under it any more. Wish i could.
Because of this I have reduced the towing load of the truck. That is fine.
I tow a Corvette. I am well under tire load capacity. I am running a 6 ply tire not a 10 ply.
GM put 10ply tires on the 1 ton duallies.
Discount spent 2 weeks trying to find me a 10ply that would fit under the truck.
My point was there are times the owners manually cannot be used.
Because of this I have reduced the towing load of the truck. That is fine.
I tow a Corvette. I am well under tire load capacity. I am running a 6 ply tire not a 10 ply.
GM put 10ply tires on the 1 ton duallies.
Discount spent 2 weeks trying to find me a 10ply that would fit under the truck.
My point was there are times the owners manually cannot be used.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 315
Likes: 1
I do not disagree with one single letter of that.
But... will gm buy me new tires if I run mine at 80 lbs...
GM still does not know what mods have been done to the car.
You don't know what mods have been done to the car.
Anyone who blindly says run 28lb cause the book says to is an idiot.
Look at the freaking a_s wear pattern and learn what the tires are telling you.
Both numbers are for guides and recommendations.
Read what Mr Bill said... He is seems to be the smartest guy on this forum.
Like I said the perfect tire tech put 32lbs in my truck tires, It had 6 flat tires.
As I said originally, you can not assume that the air in the tires is correct, just because a tire tech
put that air in them. I never said to run max air pressure.
Im going to repeat that for you slow readers.
I never said to run max air pressure.
I never said to run max air pressure.
I never said to run max air pressure.
I never said to run max air pressure.
But... will gm buy me new tires if I run mine at 80 lbs...
GM still does not know what mods have been done to the car.
You don't know what mods have been done to the car.
Anyone who blindly says run 28lb cause the book says to is an idiot.
Look at the freaking a_s wear pattern and learn what the tires are telling you.
Both numbers are for guides and recommendations.
Read what Mr Bill said... He is seems to be the smartest guy on this forum.
Like I said the perfect tire tech put 32lbs in my truck tires, It had 6 flat tires.
As I said originally, you can not assume that the air in the tires is correct, just because a tire tech
put that air in them. I never said to run max air pressure.
Im going to repeat that for you slow readers.
I never said to run max air pressure.
I never said to run max air pressure.
I never said to run max air pressure.
I never said to run max air pressure.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
First of all I replied to your private message.. as far as what you did.. just go back and read over what you have said to answer the question that was the topic of this thread.
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 33
Likes: 3
From: Phoenix, Arizona
Excellent discussion. It appears everyone is trying to help determine good options for tire choices. As a "track day" veteran, it's truly amazing how tires change as the temperature changes. I've seen in excess of 10 lbs. change towards the end of a session coming off cold tires!
I think I have found what I feel is an excellent choice for C5 street tires. The Hankook V12 Ventus are absolutely awesome handlers one the street and seem to wear extremely well. I also like the fact that they're very quiet. I had some Pirelli Rosso Asymetricals on previously and they must work better on Porches, because they totally sucked compared to these Hankooks. I bought them from Discount Tire and got 295X30R19's and 265X35R18's for under $1000 including shipping and a 4 tire hazard warranty for life. Good luck with your tire upgrade!!
I think I have found what I feel is an excellent choice for C5 street tires. The Hankook V12 Ventus are absolutely awesome handlers one the street and seem to wear extremely well. I also like the fact that they're very quiet. I had some Pirelli Rosso Asymetricals on previously and they must work better on Porches, because they totally sucked compared to these Hankooks. I bought them from Discount Tire and got 295X30R19's and 265X35R18's for under $1000 including shipping and a 4 tire hazard warranty for life. Good luck with your tire upgrade!!
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,548
Likes: 15
From: Paris TN
My car had 25K on it when the tires were replaced with OEM equipment tires. I am never doing burnouts or deliberately burning rubber for any reason. I drag race, but I bought drag radials for that purpose since they cost $300 a set compared to at least that much per OEM tire. Next set of tires will be the Firestones and a flat tire kit. I never run greater than 31 PSI cold.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 25,044
Likes: 1,265
From: Virginia
St. Jude Donor '11
Hankook V12s...I love them...
Now...The original Goodyear runcraps were horrid...I hated them...noisy, didn't handle well, etc...they did last 25,000 miles and still had 40% left on the rears but the front were wearing out on the inside because of poor alignment, my bad
...the rears lasted because of advice I got from Evil-Twin over 8 years ago and that was to run 30 lbs. HOT...so I adjust to attain that pressure seasonally...and it has absolutely worked. In my almost 11 years here on the forum, this has been the best tip so far for me on the forum...After seeing that ET knew what he was talking about with regards to tire pressure and how it really worked by adjusting tire pressure so it would be at 30psi hot...for years that followed that tip, I believed 99.999% of what Bill(ET) said on this forum .The other .001% was just incase he screwed up
And anyway, how the hell could you know more than ET when it comes to the C5? He was one of the engineers who helped develope the the damn thing
God Bless America (and ET for helping us for over a decade with our
C5s)...
Evil-Twin
Now...The original Goodyear runcraps were horrid...I hated them...noisy, didn't handle well, etc...they did last 25,000 miles and still had 40% left on the rears but the front were wearing out on the inside because of poor alignment, my bad
...the rears lasted because of advice I got from Evil-Twin over 8 years ago and that was to run 30 lbs. HOT...so I adjust to attain that pressure seasonally...and it has absolutely worked. In my almost 11 years here on the forum, this has been the best tip so far for me on the forum...After seeing that ET knew what he was talking about with regards to tire pressure and how it really worked by adjusting tire pressure so it would be at 30psi hot...for years that followed that tip, I believed 99.999% of what Bill(ET) said on this forum .The other .001% was just incase he screwed upAnd anyway, how the hell could you know more than ET when it comes to the C5? He was one of the engineers who helped develope the the damn thing
God Bless America (and ET for helping us for over a decade with our
C5s)...
Evil-Twin
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
This is what you said !!! and you deserve what you get
Why would anyone in their right mind listen to you when well educated engineers calculate the correct pressure for this car as delivered and run under normal conditions..
You asked this in open forum where we can all read what you said, and you asked me in Private what you said that was wrong... can you get the analogy between what you said , and how what you said equates to being clueless?
With all my love
Bill aka ET
I hope I am not being too insensitive, it isn't my nature