Warning on Goodyear Supercar Tires
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,596
Likes: 426
From: Fulshear TX
Warning on Goodyear Supercar Tires
With 21,000 miles on my Z it was time to replace the original rubber. While the front tires were fine (or so I thought), the rears were down to the point that I was getting dirty looks from the auto inspection people -- into the tread wear bars. The worst of it was that the tires had become very prone to flats from any road debris. With no spare tire or jack -- well you all know how nervous that makes a Z06 owner.
The shocker came when the front tires were removed and the left one showed almost an inch width of cords running halfway around the tire on the inside edge. This was totally invisible to anyone, even the auto inspection guys during my annual. And it was all caused by a shift in the carcass of the tire, which surely must go back to the manufacture of same.
Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me. There were two fellow Z06 owners in the tire store with me at the same time and I showed the offset of the tire casing to them. Perhaps they will chime in on this thread.
Word to the wise - you may think you have 4/32" of tread depth on your Goodyear Supercars and be showing the cords bigtime, as I was.
Be careful.
The shocker came when the front tires were removed and the left one showed almost an inch width of cords running halfway around the tire on the inside edge. This was totally invisible to anyone, even the auto inspection guys during my annual. And it was all caused by a shift in the carcass of the tire, which surely must go back to the manufacture of same.
Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me. There were two fellow Z06 owners in the tire store with me at the same time and I showed the offset of the tire casing to them. Perhaps they will chime in on this thread.
Word to the wise - you may think you have 4/32" of tread depth on your Goodyear Supercars and be showing the cords bigtime, as I was.
Be careful.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 5,267
Likes: 16
From: Syracuse NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
I know a guy on here with a C5 coupe who had both front tires worn to the cords on the inner edge. It was a camber issue, not a tire issue. His was covered under his new car warranty at the time.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,186
Likes: 7
From: Evansville, IN The GOCC, rebels without a clue.
St. Jude Donor '06
Agressive Alignment?
I found the same thing on my front tires after 10k. I chalked it up to a pretty agressive alignment that was put on for canyon carving.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,202
Likes: 5
My front GY SC's were worn on the inside and I replaced the enitre set set at 16K miles. I replaced them with the PS2's. The alignment was off only by a hair. I too was not able to tell the tires were in such bad shape until I looked at the tires during an oil change, when the car was raised.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,937
Likes: 3
From: Jacksonville Florida
Originally Posted by Cruncher
My front GY SC's were worn on the inside and I replaced the enitre set set at 16K miles. I replaced them with the PS2's. The alignment was off only by a hair. I too was not able to tell the tires were in such bad shape until I looked at the tires during an oil change, when the car was raised.
Same with me...replace the whole set after over 17K miles. Both front tire are worn in the inside.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 5,941
Likes: 281
From: Was New Orleans but swam to Baton Rouge LA
Cruise-In IX Veteran
I bought my Z with the original tires on it and about 20k miles. The fronts looked the same with the cords showing on the inside of the tire. I just replaced them with Wide Ovals and kept rolling. I do need to get an alignment to be sure it was not that though.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 28,753
Likes: 9
From: San Jose/Bear Valley CA
CA Events Coordinator
Originally Posted by Rex99Coupe
I have mine removed from the rim and flipped every 8,000 miles so they will wear more even.
Side to side rotation is the best thing to do with our cars and will really extend tread life!! 
VR
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 54,204
Likes: 180
From: S.W. Ohio. . . . . . NRA Life Member
Originally Posted by Rex99Coupe
I have mine removed from the rim and flipped every 8,000 miles so they will wear more even.
In other words - does it pay off in the long run?
(I'm seriously asking since I have never heard of this being done before)
Racer
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 470
Likes: 8
From: Northwest Washington
Originally Posted by Mike Mercury
that sounds good, but how much does it cost to have that done - compared to the amount of added tread life it gives?
In other words - does it pay off in the long run?
(I'm seriously asking since I have never heard of this being done before)
In other words - does it pay off in the long run?
(I'm seriously asking since I have never heard of this being done before)
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,596
Likes: 426
From: Fulshear TX
Attempt #2 Warning on Goodyear Supercar Tires
OK, everyone who has left a comment so far has missed the point of this message. This is not about wear of the inside edge due to negative camber. This is about casing shift on one of my front goodyears that was so extreme that it was well down into the cords for almost half of the circumference and there was plenty of tread left on the other half of the circumference.
So it's about casing shift not negative camber.
It's about defective tire manufacturing, not wear.
As low as the Corvettes are, with all the overhang on the front, there is practically no way to see this without removing the wheels from the car.
So it's about casing shift not negative camber.
It's about defective tire manufacturing, not wear.
As low as the Corvettes are, with all the overhang on the front, there is practically no way to see this without removing the wheels from the car.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 28,753
Likes: 9
From: San Jose/Bear Valley CA
CA Events Coordinator
I am sorry to have missed the point of your thread. If in fact the casing has gone bad... I would not ever buy another supercar tire again. I have had very good luck with Michelin Pilot Sports as well as BFG KDW's. Having run the MPS tires on the street and track for years... thats what I would be buying now if I were you.
VR
VR
Racer
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 470
Likes: 8
From: Northwest Washington
Originally Posted by Millenium Z06
Supercars are side specific, they cant be switched from side to side.
Sorry Z.06, didn't realize this was caused by casing shift.