I just started shopping for tires. Local shops don't know a thing about vettes. I found Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 recommended by Tirerack. However the Goodyear site does not show them so I am not sure it is accurate. What are your recommendations for a C5 that drives only in Houston? I would like low noise and good in wet conditions.

 

As far as I'm concerned, the way to go is Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Zero Pressure - the A/S stands for All Season. They are worlds better than the Goodyear EMTs - quieter, smoother, and great in the rain as I just found out these last three days of heavy rains in California.

 

Take a look at. A poll by forum members:


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=708566

 

The forum clearly suggest the Kumho Ecta MX but the tirerack survey clearly shows F1 GS D3? Any other opinions?

 

my bad

 

.....the Kumhos are about HALF the price of the Goodyears so I think that's why people like them; problem is they are on backorder into 2005. The GY's are the most expensive; the Firestones and the Michelins are about the same price, a couple hundered less than the GY's. I just bought the Firestone Firehawks and love em....smoother, quieter, and better handling than the GY's....

 

I don't believe the Kumhos are on backorder at Tirerack. In fact i just put a complete set on the car. It's not just that Kumhos are cheap they are really good in wet and dry.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/max_perf.jsp

 

I've heard the GS-D3's are very good tires. I have the F1 Supercars on mine and like them also - but they are non-runflat tires. If you want to stick with runflats, give the Firestone Firehawks a try - I have them for my "winter" tires and they ride well, have little road noise and handle just fine.

 

i have the gsd3s and i love them
ive also had the gy emts and i think the gsd3s are a far superioir tire grip in the rain and dry is amazing with the gsd3s and handling is great too

after my sales pitch i may have a line on a deal for a set of the rear gsd3s brand new 2 275-40-18 for 500 shipped

 

Lets make sure we are all talking EMT tires only......the Kumho EMT rears are on backorder....nobody, Tirerack, Sears, anybody can get them....I would have bought them if they were available anywhere in the country ......the Kumho non EMT's are not on back order

 

Kumho ECSTA MX
(Max Performance Summer)
Overview | Specs | Warranty | Reviews | Test Results | Survey

I JUST CUT THIS OUT OF TIRERACK.COM
Rear: 275/40YR18 RunFlat
Serv. Desc: 99Y
SL
Price: $226
Estimated Availability: Back Order Rear:
012345678
Road Hazard Program $93.84 total with four tire purchase

 

The original poster never asked about run flats. He mentioned D3's which are not runflats.
Kumho MX Non Runflats are in stock.

 

I highly recommend Toyo T1S tires. They are absolutely great in wet conditions. They are quite, durable, and provide in the area of 95% traction compared to F1 SC. I have them on my car, live in Olympia, WA, specifically because of their wet handling characteristics.

 

I am hearing that runflats have more noise. I definitely will not buy the GY F1 runflat. I'm thinking with most of my driving in the city and a cell phone? Do I really have to worry about a flat? I plan to carry a pump which should hold me except in a serious tire injury. Right?

Also I just drove a BMW Z4 with the Pilots on it. It ran much smoother and less noise than whatever they had on it last year.

 

Put on the F1GSD3's 2 weeks ago . Tirerack did me right with these, Night and Day from the Runflats. Quite, very low noise much smoother ride. Absolutely no comparison the the runflats in the rain.

 

The Goodyear GS D3s are outstanding tires, wet or dry, are made right here in the USA, and are far less expensive than Michelins. As a matter of fact, here're the results of a comparison test using a C5:

"Productreview: F1 GS D3
By Dan Barnes
Photography: Dan Barnes

Designed in Europe, the Eagle F1 GS D3 is Goodyear's "first truly global product," and its first tire aimed at the maximum-performance tire segment. The Eagle F1 GS D3 targets sport compact and tuner vehicles, and follows Goodyear's traditional emphases of maximum wet performance and good, all-around driveability. Goodyear is producing the Eagle F1 GS D3 in 39 sizes, from 15 to 21 inches.
The Eagle F1 GS D3 has internal construction features expected from the latest maximum-performance tire, including high-tensile steel belts, spiral-wound cap plies for excellent roundness and high-speed durability, high ply turn-up for strong sidewalls and quick response, and a rim flange protector molded into the sidewall.

It's the tread design that sets the new Eagle apart. It's divided into three zones; a solid center rib for good steering response is connected to shoulders with large, solid tread blocks by a series of power transfer bridges. The latter are part of what Goodyear calls V-TRED. The diagonal grooves are three times the length of the contact patch, helping evacuate water and avoid trapping air, thus reducing noise. Goodyear refers to the tread compound by the AAtrax moniker, emphasizing the tire's AA UTQG traction rating.
We sampled the Eagle F1 GS D3 at Goodyear's proving grounds outside San Angelo, Texas. The 7,250-acre facility has 58 miles of roadway with 53 different surfaces. There we witnessed demonstrations of wet-traction testing with a pickup truck and trailer test rig, as well as the phosphorescent hydroplaning test made famous in Aquatred commercials. The latter can be done at speeds approaching 200 mph for racing applications. We also drove the new Eagle F1 on a dry-handling loop in 2002 Audi A4 sedans. At moderate to high slip angles, the Eagle F1 felt like a good, ultra-high-performance tire, but it does make more noise than most tires in the maximum-performance category when cornering loads rise. The grip-slip knee in the load/slip-angle curve was very gradual. That made the tire extremely forgiving, but it also made it difficult to decide how hard the tire wanted to be pushed for best speed. Overall, though, the strongest impression was that the Eagle F1's capabilities were well beyond those of the stock Audi's suspension, and a complete evaluation would require a car with more aggressively tuned dynamics.
For evaluation on its Vehicle Dynamics Area, flooded to 0.050 inch with water, Goodyear provided three convertible Corvettes equipped with automatic transmissions. One Vette wore Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3, one wore Michelin Pilot Sport and one Bridgestone Potenza S-03 tires. Though the cars were theoretically identical, they were rentals and could have had some differences.
In a braking test, the numbers indicated the Michelin third, Bridgestone second and Goodyear first, inverse of the order in which we drove them. Interestingly, we didn't feel the ABS pulsing for the last third of the stopping distance with the Goodyear. On the wet autocross, journalists were firmly instructed to drive in second gear with the Traction Control System on line. The Goodyear worked well and showed a gradual, forgiving nature. The tire was also well matched to the Corvette's TCS, which intervenes very late, and allows the driver to get sideways. The Michelins slid more and sooner than the Goodyears, and the car was a bit tail-happier. The Bridgestones slid the most."

 

If we are going to start quoting test results it might be a lot better to look at some independent tests. Controlled tests by a manufacturer, in this case Goodyear, are always a bit suspicious.

Take a look at the Tirerack trests.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...d3_charts.html

 

GS D3s ALL THE WAY!!

I've got 285s in the rear and they look MEEEEAAN. They also hook much better than the run-flats Just keep a tire-repair kit handy

 

It seems the Goodyear is the most popular but perhaps not the best performer. Assuming I go with nonrunflats, where do I get the Z06 tire kit?

 

Best bet is to find a wrecked Z and call the yard. . . or check ebay.

Otherwise you'll be shelling out 500 bucks for one!