When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
2 questions:
1. The only winter tires I’ve found for the C8 are Pirelli Sottozero 3’s. Anyone know of others?
2. Can one take a C8 through an automated car wash or should one anticipate ground clearance or tire width issues?
Sorry for the mundane nature of these, but the answers impact the practical day to day safe use and care of the vehicle. Thanks in advance for any insight you might add.
Not sure about the winter tires but they suggest being very careful in how you wash the car if you are getting a coupe. The rear glass over the engine is fully open on the sides for ventilation which means a car wash will likely flood your engine bay with water. I am sure it is fine for things like a rain storm since the water will channel away but the pressurized water of the car wash jets will definitely get in there.
Most ME cars have vents over the engine, water does get in there,
BUT the parts in there are built to deal with water intrusion and heat and steam.
While I would never take my C8 to an automatic car wash, I cannot conceive that the GM design team screwed up big time enough so that damage will be done.
Sottozeros go on most of our big HP RWD stuff at work. They are fairly decent, if you plan on driving such things in the white stuff. Drove a GT350R on them in the snow for a week last winter, never had an issue. If you don't mind tweaking the front tire size a bit (can get 245-40 or 235-45), you can also get Pilot Sport Alpins, another good choice for performance cars.
Anybody that has a nice car, not even a C8, and takes it through an automated wash really shouldn't even own a nice car.... Billy Bob just took his off road, muddy as hell 4wd truck through that wash just before you. The mud caked brushes, mechanicals, etc will do a fine clean job for you.
It's not so much water that is the problem with car washes, it's the soap that gets into the engine compartment that's chemicals do not get rinsed out that is the problem.
Like they say, it's your car. It's your choice to do with it as you please.
Uncertain of the tires, yet suspect you'll have a few choices within the year.
For wash....no. Definitely want to avoid the automated washes.
Track that could scratch up wheels
Track could rub body kit
Pressure wash gets inside car. It's not the water that's the problem...it's the chemicals
Grime from previous cars
Often the towel dryers drop on ground and rub your finish with fine pebbles/debris
While I'm sure GM did their homework...Targas and Convertibles are not exactly the most air tight cars made.
I'm sure there's a few more to this list....
It's very rare that I even hand wash my cars unless it's actually muddy/dirty from something in the road I couldn't avoid. For normal driving, a spray detailer works great and takes less than 5 minutes. You'll need a different spray/towel for the wheels, yet that's fairly quick as well. You don't need to crack out the hose and bucket....just use detailer sprays and detailer fiber towels. Keep in the frunk and detail as needed!
Thanks for the replies! I agree with the comments about spinning brush car washes, and I would not use them. I live in Nebraska in a downtown building rather than a house with a garage and have no place to wash the car by hand in January without getting frost bite! Anyway, I was just curious if the C8 tires might be wider than the usual wheel guides in the typical car wash. I have used a completely touch-less car wash to get the salt and grime off my current 370Z in winter. I drive it year round and put Blizzak tires on it in winter and get around great! No Blizzaks are the correct size for the C8, so I was wondering about options. I know many purists would not drive a nice sports car in the winter. However, I love driving my current vehicle, and my philosophy has been that I bought the car to drive it and if I can do it safely in winter with the right tires, that is more fun and cheaper than a 2nd winter vehicle. Winter here is long enough already, so why make it worse by taking away the fun of driving! One thing I hadn’t thought about was how best to keep the C8 engine clean since it is fully visible through the back window...perhaps another topic... I’m guessing the group will not recommend an automatic car wash. ;-)
Agree with what's been posted. NEVER take a good car through an automated car wash. I only hand wash my cars at my house. A foam cannon is inexpensive and so are good, soft, micro fiber wash mits/towels.
2 questions:
1. The only winter tires I’ve found for the C8 are Pirelli Sottozero 3’s. Anyone know of others?
2. Can one take a C8 through an automated car wash or should one anticipate ground clearance or tire width issues?
Sorry for the mundane nature of these, but the answers impact the practical day to day safe use and care of the vehicle. Thanks in advance for any insight you might add.
While I understand the majority of folks with nice cars choose to never go through an automatic car wash but you are forgetting that some people like myself that have physical limitations and cant hand wash their cars have no choice but to use an automatic car wash.
Its not as bad as some make it out to be.
This is my 5 year old Challenger that has been driven through ice and snow and salt and had nothing but carefully selected automatic car washes (never hand washed). Still looks as new as the day I bought it.
I am sure it is fine for things like a rain storm since the water will channel away but the pressurized water of the car wash jets will definitely get in there.
If you have a waterproof camera and a way to mount it under the hood of your car, I'd recommend that. Then take it for a drive in a rain storm. What you'll end up watching when you're done is a veritable hurricane under the hood. It's not just a little water that channels away like you suggest would happen in a rain storm. It's a monsoon wrapped in SMC and other plastics.
Worrying about the engine vents because of water or soap or any other car-washing chemicals is a bit on the silly side.
I only read this thread because I saw JVP replied. Now that I"m hear though I want to applaud the OP for being willing to drive these cars year round and not treat it like a trophy - well done sir!
I take my C7 Z06 thru touchless car washers that offer under carriage wash all the time. My friend commented the other day saying how clean the bottom of my Vette is especially that it has 34k miles and is 5 years old.
While I understand the majority of folks with nice cars choose to never go through an automatic car wash but you are forgetting that some people like myself that have physical limitations and cant hand wash their cars have no choice but to use an automatic car wash.
Or those of us who only have dirt road access to our house, who want to clean it off once we hit pavement before going somewhere we want it to look nice.
Tires
