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Tires... what a huge catagory.
This is a supplement to the wealth of information you can find at tirerack.com and is Fbody specific. If you have any questions, as always, feel free to email me.
Tires determine exactly how much force your car can exert on the road. Poorly made tires designed for superlong life tend to not have the most traction, and sticky tires for racing don't last long but have phenomenal grip. For most people, they want a good balance in between, and thats what I tend to shoot for on my daily driver.
Acceptable sizes for the stock 16" Wheel
P215/60R16 (stock size)
P225/55R16
P235/55R16 (stock size)
P245/50R16 (stock on Z28s)
P255/50R15
The P245/5016 is the most common and has the most options for daily driving and all season. The P255 is 10mm wider than the P245, but is more limited in tire choice. The wider the tire, for a given brand, the more contact patch you will have and thus the more traction. However, it isn't much, and if you find a better tire in the P245 size don't hesitate to buy it over a crappier tire in the P255 size.
For other wheels, like the 17x9.5s that are optional on Camaro SS and Firebird Trans Am/Firehawks, here is a tire size list:
P255/45R17
P275/40R17
P285/40R17
Going under or over these tire sizes is not adviseable on 17x9 or 17x9.5" wheels.
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Tread patterns:
There are many styles of tread patterns out there. For rain/dry I prefer the V-type to the block-style. Here are some rules of thumb for choosing a tire tread to meet your needs.
The blockier the tread, the noisier the tread.
The more sharp edges on the tread, the better the snow traction.
The wider the grooves, the better it is in the rain.
The fewer the grooves, the more dry pavement traction it will have.
Small cuts in the tires known as sipes = good in snow.
Also... tire warranty's should be looked into carefully. Picking a tire witha 60,000mi treadlife warranty can save you a lot of money down the road if you only get 30,000 miles out of it. Choosing a tire without a warranty on treadlife means when it wears out, you must replace them at full cost. If you have a 60K mile warranty, and you are at or near the legal limit at 30K, you will get a new set of tires for 50% off!
When it comes to buying tires, also keep in mind tirerack is about the cheapest around, and they're a board sponsor. Most places will meet or beat the price on tirerack's website - but you have to talk to them in the right way to get it done properly.
Lets say Im looking at a $100 yokohama P245/50 on tire rack. To figure the cost of the tires you need to add a few things.
Tires ($100 * 4) + Shipping ($40) + mounting and balancing ($60-75).
Total cost = $500-525
So when calling up the tire store, tell them "I would like to have blah blah tire put on my car, what will you charge?". He'll look it up in the PC and tell you $685 installed. Then you say "Well I can have them shipped from tire rack ot my door for $440, can you match that plus mounting and balancing?
Most likely the tire store will come close enough that its worth your while to buy from him or her. If he or she won't comply, then just find another store. I know discount tire company and sears both compete with tirerack for business and will pricematch competitors.
need more info? www.tirerack.com
This is a supplement to the wealth of information you can find at tirerack.com and is Fbody specific. If you have any questions, as always, feel free to email me.
Tires determine exactly how much force your car can exert on the road. Poorly made tires designed for superlong life tend to not have the most traction, and sticky tires for racing don't last long but have phenomenal grip. For most people, they want a good balance in between, and thats what I tend to shoot for on my daily driver.
Acceptable sizes for the stock 16" Wheel
P215/60R16 (stock size)
P225/55R16
P235/55R16 (stock size)
P245/50R16 (stock on Z28s)
P255/50R15
The P245/5016 is the most common and has the most options for daily driving and all season. The P255 is 10mm wider than the P245, but is more limited in tire choice. The wider the tire, for a given brand, the more contact patch you will have and thus the more traction. However, it isn't much, and if you find a better tire in the P245 size don't hesitate to buy it over a crappier tire in the P255 size.
For other wheels, like the 17x9.5s that are optional on Camaro SS and Firebird Trans Am/Firehawks, here is a tire size list:
P255/45R17
P275/40R17
P285/40R17
Going under or over these tire sizes is not adviseable on 17x9 or 17x9.5" wheels.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tread patterns:
There are many styles of tread patterns out there. For rain/dry I prefer the V-type to the block-style. Here are some rules of thumb for choosing a tire tread to meet your needs.
The blockier the tread, the noisier the tread.
The more sharp edges on the tread, the better the snow traction.
The wider the grooves, the better it is in the rain.
The fewer the grooves, the more dry pavement traction it will have.
Small cuts in the tires known as sipes = good in snow.
Also... tire warranty's should be looked into carefully. Picking a tire witha 60,000mi treadlife warranty can save you a lot of money down the road if you only get 30,000 miles out of it. Choosing a tire without a warranty on treadlife means when it wears out, you must replace them at full cost. If you have a 60K mile warranty, and you are at or near the legal limit at 30K, you will get a new set of tires for 50% off!
When it comes to buying tires, also keep in mind tirerack is about the cheapest around, and they're a board sponsor. Most places will meet or beat the price on tirerack's website - but you have to talk to them in the right way to get it done properly.
Lets say Im looking at a $100 yokohama P245/50 on tire rack. To figure the cost of the tires you need to add a few things.
Tires ($100 * 4) + Shipping ($40) + mounting and balancing ($60-75).
Total cost = $500-525
So when calling up the tire store, tell them "I would like to have blah blah tire put on my car, what will you charge?". He'll look it up in the PC and tell you $685 installed. Then you say "Well I can have them shipped from tire rack ot my door for $440, can you match that plus mounting and balancing?
Most likely the tire store will come close enough that its worth your while to buy from him or her. If he or she won't comply, then just find another store. I know discount tire company and sears both compete with tirerack for business and will pricematch competitors.
need more info? www.tirerack.com
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