Ok... I put new wheels and tires on my '04 Z and now it handles horribly! So bad in fact, I don't even want to drive it.

What did I put on there?

I put on new tires-(never had a problem out of the tires before) Factory Z size General UHP
I put on new wheels- (OE Wheels LLC, out of Florida) Factory Z sizes, offsets, etc

So... would wheels do this? Did the tire shop break something on my car?

What is it doing?

At any speed over 40 if I try to turn quickly, change lanes back and forth, corner aggresivly, etc the car feels very wild and loose. So bad in fact, that the AH comes on. Same roads, same corners, but very different results. The tires I took off were BALD, and it handled better.

N E Ideas?

 

Air pressure issue??

 

Start by checking your wheel alignment. The lower control arm cams may have slipped and caused a toe problem. Also check wheel bearings and tie rod ends.

Bill

 

I had a control arm cam bolt loosen up on me and it caused the very same symptoms. Slide under ur car and check if the cam bolts are all cranked tight.

 

Also have a look at the sway bar end links.

 

Did this happen IMMEDIATELY after the new wheels/tires went on, or was there a period of time when the car was OK?

If it was immediate, the problem is in the wheels and tires. If there was a delay before the onset, then, as others have suggested, something might have gone out of whack in the suspension.





I just re-read your post....The AH comes on?? Did you get the tire sizing correct? Are the rear tires at least 1/2" larger in OD that the fronts? The computer wants to see that difference.

 

Bill has the best advice, get it to an alignment shop. Changing wheel size can effect the alignment. A miss aligned car can be a handful to drive.

After that go down his check list and make sure the major parts are in a good working state.

But do list the tires type and size, along with the wheel specs. If something is not right someone here can give you some advice, but without specifics its just guessing.

 

Edited my post with tire wheel info...

 

Get out your digital tire pressure gauge and make sure you don't more than 30lbs of air in your tires......as recommended by GM and the sticker on your driver's side door jam.

I once had new tires installed and the guy put in over 40lbs of air, but never said anything to me. I guess he wanted to make sure the bead was tight, I don't know..........but it rode like a truck and handled very strange. I got home and dropped the TP to 30lbs cold the next morning, and no problems since. Always check your tires cold in the morning before you drive the car.

Good luck!

 

Yes, go out and check the tire pressure and also check that the fronts are on the front and that the rears are on the rear. There was a post here about the car not handling right and the TC and AH acing up and it turned out the the front and rear were swapped on the passenger side.

Peter

 

Tire pressure is good...first thing I checked. I guess I'll head to the alignment shop Mon morning. I can't believe that it would be the alignment considering it was fine prior to the installation of the new wheels/tires, but I've seen stranger things happen.

 

Do you have "directional" tread tires? Like the original GY's from GM? Those tires should only be turning one direction, which the arrow on the sidewall indicates.
Make sure yours are on the correct corner of the car.

Just wondering!!

 

Did you go take a look and confirm the fronts and rears were in the right places? I'm not kidding, it came up before and a bunch of stuff was checked before the poster noticed the swap.

Peter

 

They are directional, they are going the correct direction, and mounted on the correct corners.

 

Did the new wheels/tires balance OK before they were mounted? Perhaps you received a defective reproduction wheel that is causing the problem. Good to check if you already verified your tires, air pressure, alignment and suspension components are good.

 

General Exclaim UHP tires are NOT good handling tires. Others have complained about them, they are soft tires.

I checked Tire Rack and these tires do NOT come in stock ZO6 tire sizes! What sizes did you get?

Here are some reviews:

1) first off, I didn't get the tires that I ordered. the fronts were correct 380 AA A, but the rears where 380 A A. I know, not a big difference, but silly me I'd like to think that I'm getting the tire that is advertised and that I'm paying for. Looking over the tire, I see that it was orginally a 380 AA A but the second A was filed off and the sticker was labeled 380 A A. WTH?! When I called tirerack to see what was the problem, I got nothing but the run-around. Anyway on to the tire. Good on the noise, and ride, but cornering the sidewalls are very squirmy. My bald OEM Goodyears turned tighter. At freeway speeds, if you give the wheel a quick flick the tires turn then the car lags behind, then snaps into place. Great tire for the average, cruise around town drivers, but be careful pushing it around fast corners. I'm still afraid to push them hard, but for the price I guess I can't complain. I'll be going back to the Goodyear F1 GS-D3... best tire I have had!

2)One word: REGRET! I completely regret not spending a few extra dollars per tire to get the Kuhmos that many recommended over these tires. If I go down a straight road and turn the steering wheel side to side repeatedly, the car immediately falls behind and never really catches up until ive stopped the turning. The sidewalls on these tires are squisher than the fat girls my roommate brings home from the bars. The tire is a good price and treadwear should be good but man, they are kinda scary to drive on. My car is lowered with adjustable Koni struts, a rear sway bar, front strut tower brace, and front subframe brace. The tires seem to render all of this equipment useless. If you honestly drive "spirited" look elsewhere. I think a lot of these people who say they drive spirited are in denial about their grandma-esque driving habits. I will not buy these again but am probably stuck with them for a summer or two. Lesson learned.

3)I put a pair of these on the front ofthe vette to replace some very worn Kumho MXs. They ride fine, quiet and smooth but when entering corners they are much less firm. They are pretty swimmy. I dont have the same level of confidence I did when turning in with the Kumhos. The Kumhos felt like they were part of the wheel and there was no sidewall deflection to be felt. This is definitely not the case with the Generals.
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Now a lot of people did review this tire as a good handling tire. I can only assume that they do not really drive hard. Very few drivers use all the handling of a C5.

 

WOW! Thanks oldvetter! The side to side description seems exactly like what my symptoms are. I push my car very hard and to the limit of my ability and at times the cars. I should have gone with a better tire. I'm still going to have an alignment done tomorrow morning, but I'm probably going to look at another set of tires.

 

New tires have a coating that needs to be scrubbed off before they can get good grip. I did a track day once with new tires and was sliding everywhere on the track.

 

i assume you used to have GY F1 SC.

you went from a summer only tire with sticky compound, reinforced sidewall and shallow tread depth to what essentially is a budget all-weather tire with harder compound, soft sidewalls and deep tread.

you get what you pay for when you buy the tires.

 

Well, I got the alignment and still have the same issue. I was talking to a friend of mine who owns a very large local tire store, and he assured me that what I am feeling is a tire issue. I believe these tires are great for your average driver, as I let a friend of mine who owns a C6 drive my car, and he could not feel anything. But, I guess since I drive my car on the edge, I feel the softer sidewall.

Thanks everyone for your help, and advice.

The generals are not bad tires, but not the tire for me. I am just WAY **** about things.