Recommended tire brands and size?

[Abaddon]

Yes, I've read the FAQ on tires. What I'm looking for is recommendations when I go to the shop. I'm considering Firestone Indy 500s in the 235/55/16 or the Bridgestone Potenza G in the 215/60/16. The big thing is I want to get rid of these worthless Goodyear Eagles that are on it. They came new on the car when it left the lot and they have never been good in wet weather. They are almost dangerous.

Anyone have any thing to add about their tires? Recommended brands? Size? Comments about ones you hate would certainly be appreciated. I've read the reviews on TireTrack but it'd be better to get reviews from you guys/gals who actually drive Camaros.

What about the size difference? Would it affect my mileage or my speedometer? Thanks for any input.

Abaddon

[Everglades W68]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

215 60 16, 235 55 16 and 255 50 16 will all give you accurate speedo & odo readings. 245 50 16 will throw off your speedo and odo a little.

I have used the Goodyear 235 55 16s that came with my car (W68 package included the 235 tires), Fulda Extremo 255 50 16s and now BF Goodrich G Force 255 50 16s from Tirerack. The BFG's are really excellent and ride perfectly at high speeds.

I definitely would NOT recommend 215 60 16 to anyone. I like the big 255 50 16 size, but it is not for everone's liking. Your gas mileage will be a little lower with the wider tire.

[Abaddon]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

Excellent info. Thanks for the advice. I've got to get this done ASAP because I have a 6 hour road trip coming up soon. Unlike most people would probably imagine, my Camaro is an excellent road car. I want to keep it that way. Some quiet, smooth riding tires (that also handle well in wet weather AND still keep the handling in the turns) are exactly what I'm looking for. I drive a ton in this car. I bought it new in 2001 (even though it was a 2000 model...dealer couldn't sell it for some reason) and I already have 110k on it. It still drives and runs as perfectly as the day it rolled off the lot. And it looks perfect, too.

Yes...I love my car. :)

[Everglades W68]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

The 255 50 16s are Z rated and wear down quicker than other ratings but handle really nice. You may need to get used to how wide tires "track" in some worn/uneven pavement. The BFGs are way better than the Fuldas.

The 235 55 16s are a decent compromise if you want longer lasting tires.

The 245 50 16s were the OEM size for the TransAm in the first year of the 4the 4th gen F body. I would have gotten that size, but the diameter of the 245 50 16 is smaller than the other 16" tires sizes, plus I did not want to have my speedo / odo be off. It just happens to be my personal preference.

What I'd really like is to have bigger rims; however, that costs $ that I'm not able to put into my car.

[Abaddon]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

My car came with factory chrome 5 star wheels. I'm happy with them for now. I can sympathize, though. There's nothing better than washing and waxing the car and then standing back to see the sunlight glint off the chrome. It's almost spiritual. ;)

It'll be nice to have some excellent tires on the car to make it handle better. Right now the tires are so warped (the price of living in a city where no one cares about potholes!) that the car vibrates like it's falling apart. You just can't turn the radio up loud enough to make that vanish.

[kristen]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

i have 235 45 17. pirelli p zero nero m&s tires. they are best tires ever. i wouldn't never ever go with anything else. they at the best all season max performance tires. they grip so hard, and there isn't wheel noise.

[V6Bob]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

Excellent info. Thanks for the advice. I've got to get this done ASAP because I have a 6 hour road trip coming up soon. Unlike most people would probably imagine, my Camaro is an excellent road car. I want to keep it that way. Some quiet, smooth riding tires (that also handle well in wet weather AND still keep the handling in the turns) are exactly what I'm looking for. I drive a ton in this car.

Then you should know the tradeoffs of the different size tires. Wide, low profile tires, like 245/50-16, are best for dry weather handling. Their relatively short sidewall makes them stiffer and the short wide contact patch makes them stick a little better in the corners. Many people think they look better - racier.

Narrow, high profile tires, like 215/60-16 ride smoother and track over road irregularities better, because their relatively taller sidewall absorbs bumps better. The longer narrower contact patch makes them corner not quite as well, but also makes them have a bit better stability in wet weather. Many people don't like them because they think they look funny on an fbody.

These trends are eggagerated a bit by what the tire manufacturers do. For wide tires they tend to choose stiffer construction, softer rubber and more agressive tread patterns (which can be noisier) to make the best performing tires in cornering. For narrow tires they focus on ride, noise, and long life.

For road trips on Interstates, I'd take the 215s, hands down, unless you can't stand the way they look. Quieter, better ride, less nibbling over road irregularities, better in the rain. You're not zooming around corners, so the advantages of the wide tires are lost.

Here are some tires which look good on Tirerack's ratings (which is the only information I have about them):

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

Click on "tests" for some comparisons with other tires.

Or these:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....l=Turanza+LS-V

These look like an inexpensive but good choice:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....del=Solus+KH16

Note that you can't choose just by brand. Any brand of tire tends to make some good models and some bad ones. You need info on the specific tire you buy.

[andrew.brandon]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

I will vouch for my 245/50/16 BFG KDWS's. like said they are an agressive tire and you are not probibly going to get more than 20K-30K out of them. but they handle great. and way better then the stock goodyears, be it dry, wet or snow.( KDWS= dry wet snow, KDW = dry wet, KD = dry) I had KDWS's and switched the kumo 711's last year because the KDWS's were about $150 tire and the 711's were like $115 a tire. big mistake, lost some time at the track and got put in the ditch twice during light snow. I will never go back to a cheep tire.:rant:

[Abaddon]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

Interesting. Looks like I'll be sticking with the 215s. I don't do a lot of street racing or hard cornering but I do a lot of interstate driving. Hitting bridges, potholes, or wet spots in the road are things not too uncommon. I think the ride is going to be more important than the handling.

I'm still undecided on the brand and model of tire I'm going to get. All I know is I won't ever be getting Eagles again. Goodyear lost a customer thanks to those.

[Nikos95]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

Personally I have changed..

Goodyear, Firestone, Bridgestone, Mich non of these tires do I EVER look at buying anymore.

My new set are Toyo Proxes 4, 245/50/16
These are all all season Max Performance tire, they are far better than my original Goodbears, they are quieter, ride better, plus take all the pounding I can give them, and it's hard as he77 to get one to break loose even in the rain,seriously in the rain or a slightly wet road the tires break and catch within a second and catch hard.

But saying you wanted to keep to a 215, I would say take a good look at Toyo, Bf Goodrich, Kumho, Yokohama, Perelli.. As you will read on Tirerack.com like the other guys said, the American tire companies have started to slack off and the forgien ones are picking up the business with quality and quality control which is the new part.

Well over and all my friend is jelous of my rubber retail on mine are just around $175 a piece, and he bought brand new goodbears for just under $320 a piece, and he wants my tires, honestly I have driven his car, I would switch too.

[Lurieh]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

I'll go ahead and throw one more opinion in the mix. I personally wouldn't go with a 215 tire on an 8" wide wheel(unless you've got a narrower steelie wheel). Some 215/60/16 tires aren't even rated to fit on an 8" wide wheel. Case-in-point: The Bridgestone Potenza G's you list aren't rated to fit on an 8" wide wheel(7.5 is max, so if you have that wheel width you'll be fine).

BTW: Did 4th gens come with a 16x7.x" wheel on any of the packages?

You don't want to stretch a narrow tire over a wide wheel. You'll compromise the integrity of the sidewall, and the ride might actually feel worse than a slightly wider tire. I would suggest a 235/55/16. They come in a wide variety of styles(winter, all season, summer). And they fit the 16x8 rims quite well, and ride good.

[Abaddon]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

Well, now this is getting confusing. Maybe I'll just go take some advice from the local tire shop. I just hate trusting some guy who wants to make a sale. I'm leary of Bridgestone/Firestone because of the Firestone tires that popped on the Fords. I know it was a result of several different issues (including the wishbone design of the frame and won't be a factor for the Camaro) but I don't want to put on a tire I can't 100% trust.

Is anyone using run-flat tires?

[Nikos95]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

Okay lol the Factory steel rim is 16x7.5" other 16s are 16x8.

But yes that is a good point although you can put a 215 on a 16x8 it isn't recomended. If you want to go to a 225/60/16 you are back in the safe zone. And still have a nice smooth ride.

I believe with steel rims you come stock with 215/60s and with aluminum you come with 235/55s < not sure just guessing.

With a 225/60 your spedo will be a little low and your odo will go a little slow, by about 1mph or so.

If you go with a 235/55 you are back to normal, but your tire selection is so low, because of that rarely used size.

[V6Bob]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

"Goodyear, Firestone, Bridgestone, Mich non of these tires do I EVER look at buying anymore."

No offense, just an intellectual observation. I don't pay attention to comments like this. All of these companies make some very excellent tires. They also make some not so good ones. I recommend you consider only comments on specific tires, not on whole brands.

"I believe with steel rims (7.5?) you come stock with 215/60s and with aluminum (8.0?) you come with 235/55s < not sure just guessing."

I think that's right, but I'm also not sure.

"Maybe I'll just go take some advice from the local tire shop. I just hate trusting some guy who wants to make a sale.

Good caution. They're worried about the money they'll make on that day. I wouldn't take their recommendation without seeing what tirerack (more reviews than anyplace I know) says.

[Abaddon]

Re: Recommended tire brands and size?

I'm with you on the brand bashing. Just saying "don't use Goodyear" or the like doesn't really help. Giving me an exact model and some reasons helps a lot.

I guess in the big scheme of things, I just want to make sure I get a good, all-round tire. I've been so disappointed in the Goodyear Eagle GAs that I don't want to get burned again. The GAs lasted a long time but they have no traction in the rain at all. And let's face it...the Camaro is so light in the butt they don't do well in the rain without some decent tires.

I've got a friend that had a Z28 and he had to put bags of sand in his hatch during the winter to get decent traction in the wet. To his credit, he also found some amazing tires on TireRack that wouldn't let him slide in the rain even if he wanted it.

Since I've got a trip planned very soon, I don't want to wait to get tires from TireRack. I've got to get some put on the car tomorrow. I'm considering the Bridgestone Potenza G 009s since they got an excellent rating on TireRack and there is a dealer right down the street from my house. I only hope they have them in stock. Thanks for the help, gang!