3800 Good all-year tires

[98 TGP TOY]

Hey guys, its getting time for me to get new tires. I've had mine for 2.5 years now and they are going to be "illegal" soon. So what would be a good year round tire that isnt ungodly expensive. But maybe something that also does well at the track. We get quite the snow storms here in Iowa, especially since I live next to a corn field, the snow drifts are monsterous. So I need something that doesn well in snow, rain, and summer. And I need it to last a while.


May be a lot to ask, but what are my options guys. I dont know a whole lot about tires....Thanx guys.

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[imported_Ron Vogel]

I did a lot of research on this; BFG Trac T/A in 225/60/16 or Falken Ziex 512 in 235/55/16. The BFG's run wide on the contact patch, and the Ziex's are narrower, hence the upsize. Tirerack had the best price on the BFG's and Vulcan Tire had the best price on the Falken's. I had a bit of a problem at first with my Falkens, but the vendor took care of it, and I'm happy with them. I haven't tried the Falkens in the snow yet, but suspect they will be good. We have Ziex-502's (a bit racier than the 512's) on my wife's car, and they do well in winter. I got the Falkens in the 235/55/16 for $358 shipped to my door. Discount tire wanted $70 to mount and balance, so you'd be looking at $428 total. BTW Discount tire wanted $540 for these if I went through them for the tires.

 

[VHGTP]

Bridgestone RE950 is a really nice high performance all season tire... for 225/60/16 size they are $98 a piece at the Tire Rack.com i think Royal GTP put these on his GP a couple m onths ago and he likes them alot.

 

[98 TGP TOY]

Thanx for the suggestions. I like those BFG's. If they run wider, that will help with traction, and they still have a 60,000/6yr mile warranty.

Any reason to not go with the VR speed rated over the hr?

Anyone else have a Sears Road Hazard Agreement? I've had one for my present tires and its saved me a ton. Ive had to get a tire fixed every couple months. So do you guys know if I buy these off the net, and have Sears install them, can I still get that warranty? Thanx.

 

[imported_Ron Vogel]

It's a trade off on VR vs HR. The vr's have a stiffer sidewall that helps cornering, the HR's are lighter, so quicker acceleration, and better ride. I looked at a lot of tire comparisons, the BFG has the largest contact patch next to the Dunlop sport A60 of any tires in the stock size. However the D60's are heavier than most other tires in our size. Unsprung weight = roughly 4x sprung weight. If a total of 4 tires ends up being 12lbs heavier, it's like removing 48 lbs from the car. (roughly equivelent to removing the pass seat)

 

[98 TGP TOY]

Hmm...now I've got to decide between cornering and acceleration. Dang it. I mean, on one hand I already can peel out to much off a stand still, but the lighter tires will help a lot more at the top end. Then on the other hand I can corner better and be safer with my 160mph traps..... . Hmmm...now im going to have to think about that for a lil.