time for new tires for '96 Y87 bird, suggestions greatly

[lostatlantis]

I am currently running the original Y87 tires, the car has about 45000 miles on it and the treads seem a bit low (especially on the front tires). I've been reading through relevant articles on the forum about tires but still can't make up my mind

First, I understand the deal about tire size and how the speedometer would be incorrect if I got new wider tires. Is it easy to adjust the speedo? Money is a main concern b/c yours truly is a typical college student with little extra fund for fun stuff like this [img]smile.gif[/img]

If it's not cheap/easy to adjust the speedo, I think I'll have to stick with the current Y87 size of 235/55/16. Performance isn't number one priority (as long as it's not average); cost is the main concern. I'll be driving mainly in the southeast US - the Carolinas, Georgia, Vriginia, Maryland, so I think I'll need good performance in all weathers. What are your suggestions? Keep in mind I am new to tires and know very little - I am learning every moment [img]smile.gif[/img]

Oh and one question, the wear on my front tires are more severe on the outside, is that caused by hard turning? Also, the tires in the back have more tread than the front ones, would it be safe to move the back tires up to the front? Would doing so provide any benefits?

[Arctc Wolf]

255-50-16's will keep the speedo accurate. 285-40-17's and 295-35-18's are also very close to the stock tire height.

[Guardsman]

I concur on the 255-50-16s.
As to the wear on the outside, yes, it could be from aggressive cornering, or your alignment could off, or you could have too much toe-in.
And yeas, you can swap the tires around. Your owners manual should tell you how to rotate the tires, there's a specific pattern you're supposed to follow for doing it. If I remember correctly, you move the rear tires straight foward, and the fronts go to the opposite side on the rear.

[lostatlantis]

so staying with the current 235/55 wouldn't be a wise choice? Wouldn't 255/50 be much higher in term of cost? do you have any specific recommendation?

[hockeyman]

Definately go with the 255/50's! I got my Kumho 255/50/16's from tirerack, and I can say they are exceptional in wet traction, and they ride much quieter on the highway than my previous tires.
In my opinion, the 235's are just way too small for our cars, no matter what type of driving you do. Shop around a bit, you can find some pretty good deals on 255's, especially at tirerack.com.

-Marc

[L32EatonProject]

You could also go with 245/50R-16's, they will work just fine, keep your speedo accurate, and if I remember correctly, they were offered as an option for the F-Bodies. They'll also fit correctly on the 16x8 wheels you've got.

Jon

[camaro_speedemon]

I have Kumho Ecsta 712 255/50/16 and they rock. Cornering is good, I have yet to drive in wet weather though.

[hawgs]

45000 miles on stock tires?! must be nice. i am on my 3rd set of tires at 46,000 :(

[Jason McCallister]

Go to www.tirerack.com and do a tire search on 245/50/16 & Kumho brand. You'll find the Kumho
ECSTA 711's for $56. If you get THAT many miles on a set of GoodYears (CRAP, IMHO), you should double that on these tires! ;)

[lostatlantis]

hehe well I haven't had the chance to drive my car the past two years since college started, so that really helped prolong the life of those tires [img]smile.gif[/img]

actually, the front tires are practically bald. I think they have 1/32 or 2/32 left. The rear tires are a little better, I'd say maybe 3/32, maybe a little more.

So are all Goodyear tires bad, or is it just the Y87 set that sucks?

Is it practical (read: cheap) to calibrate my speedo for the bigger tires? I REALLY want to go to 245 or 255, but my mom has requested that the speedo be accurate and since she's gonna buy the tires for me as a gift, i have to comply ;)

Right now, she's saying I should just get same set of tires ... *sigh* is there any decent 235s for our car? I guess as a back-up option.

That reminds me of one thing: the discrepency in the speedo from bigger tires would mean an inflated mileage counter for the car,right? because say the speedo reads 70mph but I am actually doing less, if the mileage counters are tied to the speedo... that would kinda bite, since the trip counter would be a little off, and the total counter would run faster that it should.

[gregmondro]

i have some Kumho 711 in 245/50/16s

they didn't cost all that much, they look pretty good, and they hook decently (:S)

for the price you pay, they're great tires :D

[V6Bob]

"Is it practical (read: cheap) to calibrate my speedo for the bigger tires? I REALLY want to go to 245 or 255, but my mom has requested that the speedo be accurate and since she's gonna buy the tires for me as a gift, i have to comply"

With 245/50s, your speedo will read between 1 and 2 mph high. With 255/50s, the error will be less than 1 mph.

"So are all Goodyear tires bad"

No. To give just one example, Eagle F1 GS-D3s are great. But some people have had bad experiences with the RSAs that come stock on many Y87s.

"so staying with the current 235/55 wouldn't be a wise choice?"

It's a perfectly reasonable choice for street use. The advantages of the 235/55s is that they are cheaper, ride a bit better, and nibble a bit less over road irregularities. The advantages of the 245 or 255/50s is that they have a bit better steering response, stick a bit better on dry pavement, and many people think they look better. Some of the best high performance tires come only in 50 profiles, and not 55s.

The most reliable info I know about a wide variety of tires is at www.tirerack.com, in the owner surveys. A lot of experience is stated there.

"is there any decent 235s for our car?"

Decent, sure. One way to find them is to search tirerack for 235/55-16s and check out owner surveys, owner reviews, and tests.

If you have less than 2/32s on your tires, drive very carefully in wet weather and get this done fast.

[ June 13, 2003: Message edited by: V6Bob ]</p>

[lostatlantis]

Ok guys, I am still looking around but I think I have a choice for 235/55/16 - Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. From Tirerack.com, this tire has pretty good reviews. I was wondering if anyone here have had any experiences with these?

Genereally speaking, what do y'all think of firestone tires? That fiasco a while back regarding tread detachment on SUV tires is my mom's main concern, but I think the problem didn't exist in their non-SUV tires... I am not sure. I just want to get some opinions, because these Indy 500s seem like pretty good 235s.

[lostatlantis]

btw my current tires are Goodyear Eagle GA touring, 235/55/16, M+S (what does M mean? S is for 112mph speed rating), were these the OEM Y87 tires for the 1996 firebird?

[Dominic]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by lostatlantis:
btw my current tires are Goodyear Eagle GA touring, 235/55/16, M+S (what does M mean? S is for 112mph speed rating), were these the OEM Y87 tires for the 1996 firebird?<hr></blockquote>

Yes, V6Bob is wrong. The Eagle RSAs only come on Z28 Camaros.

P245/50 and P255/50R16 are both 100% acceptable and will show no appreciable difference in speedometer accuracy. Thank your mom for the new tires too [img]smile.gif[/img]

www.tirerack.com if you'd like to check out pricing on those sizes... Its handy to know the prices and maybe even print them out before you walk into a store to make sure you're not getting ripped. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]