Tag Archives: tires

New Set of Tires for My 2014 Camaro 2SS

4 Replies

BFGoodrich G-Force Comp-2 A/S

So the factory Pirelli P-Zeros finally gave up the ghost – time for a new set of tires for my 2014 Camaro 2SS.  The TireRack is my favorite tire supplier and I used their website to see what’s available…

Given the Camaro is my daily driver and it won’t be tracked, I made the decision to view all options on what tire choice to make.  You see, the P-Zeros are summer-only and given the temps fall below freezing here in the Upstate of South Carolina, I decided to buy a set of “ultra high-performance all-season” tires.  BF Goodrich G-Force Comp-2 A/S fit the bill.

I’ve purchased BF Goodrich tires in the past with good results.  Specifically my Honda S2000 is wearing a set of the summer-only version Comp2’s (you can read about it here). The S2K is a garage queen and seldom (if ever) has been out in anything that would remotely be called “bad-weather”, so the summer-only tires is not an issue.

I made a few calls to find a place that would mount and balance the new tires.  I was quoted several prices and settled on Costco:  they told me they would do the work for $15 each.  After locating the proper locations for the jack stands I lowered the Camaro and eventually got the tires over to Costco.  About 3 hours later, I had them back.

Several things I realized:

  • They boys at Costco don’t have a clue how to read a tire pressure gauge:  I had four freshly mounted tires with four different tire pressure readings!.
  • The rear tires are w-i-d-e!!  275/40ZR 20’s are huge.
  • The rear tires are h-e-a-v-y!!  Came close to giving birth to my colon lifting these things.

It is way too early to tell anything – hell I only have about a week so far on these tires.  I barely have scuffed them but they are very quiet and the car feels sure-footed once again.  I haven’t pushed them yet but so far I am very pleased.

And finally…  I found this:

This is the brake cooling duct mount.  Turns out the 2014/15 Z28’s came (from the factory) with a duct mounted in this area that enables cool air routed into the front rotors.  Pretty nifty.  I checked on this – the kit is not too expensive.  The kicker is the install:  it requires removal of both front fender liners as well as the entire front fascia.

I think I’ll pass.

New tire mileage…

 

Can’t Fix Stupid

5 Replies

I am constantly amazed by the carelessness of drivers around me and in this particular case, that carelessness gets upgraded into the realm of “can’t fix stupid”.

Since I have had some issues with my internet service provider’s billing, I decided to stop by one of their offices.  Yes, I tried the phone but they were reluctant to help.  I thought a face-to-face visit might solve the problem, but no.  I was greeted by a very friendly person, but that is as far as it went.  The experience was a complete waste of time because the person on the other side of the counter gave me her minimum-wage’s worth of help.  But, I digress.

Back to my story…

On the way out of the internet provider’s office I noticed this parked sad and lonely SUV with a flat right-rear tire.  What struck me as odd was the ring on the sidewall showing evidence of severe wear.  It is very obvious, this tire had traveled a long distance completely flat.  So much so, that the sidewall material is showing through the rubber on the sidewall.  Just imagine how hot this sidewall got too!

Cord exposed on the tire’s sidewall due to severe under inflation

I suppose I am overly sensitive to stuff like this because I am very particular about the care of my automobiles.  However, in today’s world there are so many people who ignore the basics of automotive care.  Are drivers so oblivious they don’t notice issues with their vehicles?

Flat or under inflated tires are prevalent these days.  I’ve witnessed on several occasions SUV’s (driven by millennial soccer moms) with kids in tow and yet the tires on these vehicles are either low on air or past their prime (sometimes both!).  Then, I can just hear the conversations blaming tire quality when catastrophic failures like the one pictured above happen.

Can’t fix stupid.

Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08 on a Triumph TR6

2 Replies

Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08R

After lengthy research I finally decided on a new set of tires for bowtie6.  Out with the old Kumho’s and in with a brand new set of Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08’s.  As usual, I internet ordered my new tires from The Tire Rack, delivered via brown truck in only a couple of days.

The decision to go with these tires did not come easy.  Given bowtie6 is not driven on a daily basis, I did not want to spend a ton of money on a set of high-mileage tires.  Instead, this time I wanted to buy something very soft and sticky.  However, soft sticky tires and “budget priced” does not pair up very well.  Fortunately the good folks at The Tire Rack had just the right tires priced at the right price.  Can’t go wrong with that.

As it turns out, the SCCA has changed their rules regarding the UTQG rating on these tires.  Therefore the folks at The Tire Rack lowered the price on these UTQG 180 rated tires.  Needless to say, I decided to order a set of four and could not be happier.  They are very soft!

Yokohama Neova AD08 directional tires

The reviews on this tire are interesting…

  • They don’t do well in wet weather
  • They don’t do well in the cold
  • They are noisy
  • They don’t last very long
  • However, they are very sticky and grip tenaciously (yes!)

The old tires were Kumho’s and they served me very well.  I ran two sets and this last set finally reached the point where they were rather “hard”.  During all these years, the rears have been 215-55/16’s while the fronts have been 205-55/16’s.  This time around, I decided to get a square setup and run 205-55/16’s all around.  Why?  Because these are very soft tires and I wanted to have the ability to rotate them to ensure even wear.  We’ll see how that goes…

bowtie6’s Panasport wheels now with Yokohama tires

I started buying tires from The Tire Rack many years ago and back then, I could find a store that would mount and balance the tires for a decent price.  Then, prices started going up with a certain amount of negative feedback coming from the stores.  This time, I did a little shopping regarding the install and found the best price at Costco.  So this morning I took the wheels and old tires along with the new Yokohama’s.  Total cost to mount, balance and dispose of the old tires:  $68.00.  Not bad at all.

The folks at the tire department called late this afternoon and told me the tires were ready.  I’ll mount them tomorrow and see what they feel like.  The plan is to go easy on them for a few miles and by doing so wear off any mold release compounds.  Once they get scuffed up I’ll see what bowtie6 will be like with a set of really soft tires.

Should be fun!!  🙂

I have previously talked about tires and wheels here:  Triumph TR4/TR6 Wheel & Tire Sizing

A Tire’s Worst Enemy

2 Replies

A tire’s worst enemy – not potholes or curbs, I’m talking about punctures.

I drove the S2000 to work on Friday and after I left the office things didn’t seem “right”.  Sure enough, the right rear tire had a decking screw in it.  Damn.  This pisses me off.  There is a lot of construction starting back up in my neck of the woods and some of those in the “building” industry (bless their heart) are not exactly judicious in keeping their building materials properly stowed.  As a result, motorists end up with roofing nails, sheet metal screws, decking screws, you name it, in their tires.

However the point of today’s post is not the nail itself, it is what happened next.  You see, it took me 4 different attempts to find the proper tire store do handle the repair.  Fortunately, the puncture happened close to my house so I was able to make it without having to run the dreaded donut.  Saturday morning, I took the wheel off and loaded it in wifiey’s HHR and started what became a quest to see who would repair the tire.  You’ll get a kick out of this…

Tire Store #1

First stop was at a GoodYear franchise store.  The fellow across the counter was very polite and helpful.  We walked outside and he took a look at the tire in the back hatch of the HHR.  “Yeah we can fix this!”, he said.  I then asked if the tire would be taken apart, patched and then balanced.  He said yes.  I asked, “The wheel is unblemished, can I have your assurance there will be no damage to it?”.  That is where things did an immediate 180.   He gave me a certain look and backed off, saying he wasn’t sure and offered no further information.  I said “Thank you” and headed to Tire Store #2.

Tire Store #2

This was a Firestone franchise store.  I walked in and a woman promptly steps up and asks what is the nature of my visit.  I ask my question and she replies, “Yes we can fix it, what’s your name?”.  So I ask her to slow down and answer my concern about ensuring no damage to the wheel.  She replies with an authoritarian attitude that “… our advanced equipment uses hard plastic on all surfaces and this will prevent any damage your wheel”.  I’m still not convinced and ask to speak to one of their techs.  A very nice fellow steps out of the building and we go check out the tire.  He then tells me “Our pads on the machine are a bit worn down and I cannot assure this wheel won’t be scratched”.  Wow, imagine that!!  Honesty!!  I thanked him for his honesty and shake his hand.  I headed to Tire Store #3.

Tire Store #3

Store 3 was Discount Tire located a ways away from the previous two stores.  This is a really interesting place because of the way they do business.  I tend to avoid them, but options were running thin…  The fellow behind the counter was polite and after pleasantries we step outside to look at the tire.  The first thing he does is put his feeler gauge on the tire.  Folks at Discount Tire are taught to sell and I felt it coming:  “we can’t fix the thing because it is too worn down”.  But no, the tire has plenty tread left so he did not say anything.  Then we discussed the issue about preventing damage to the wheel.  This fellow took offense at my question and got a bit defensive.  He did not like my questioning regarding their equipment and I felt the best thing to do would be to back off, and drive away.

Tire Store #4

Immediately across the street from Discount Tire was another Firestone franchise store, this one much nicer looking than the one I had visited earlier in the morning.  The fellow there was very nice, and after going through the script I’ve described before assured me there would be no damage.  He even said they had two distinct machines at their disposal with all the bells and whistles specifically designed to prevent damage.  A couple of hours later…

The Repair
IMG_3321

Repaired puncture will set you back a cool $23

And here you have it.  The repair consists of a “plug” put in from the inside of the tire with this appendage sticking out.  The tire was taken apart from the rim, removed and patched.  Then, assembled back together and balanced.  All this at a cost of about $23 bucks and change.

I’ve driven long enough to remember a time when this type of repair was not the “end of the world” they make it up to be these days.  Once upon a time, a tech would have taken the nail out and plugged it with one of those t-handle tools used to shove a sticky turd of rubber into the hole left by the nail while still smoking a cigarette and barely dropping an ash on the floor.  That repair would have cost what a Happy Meal is worth, but no.  Instead, a repair today is roughly a quarter of what the entire tire costs to begin with.

I suppose this is the price of progress.  I’ve had dozens of tires repaired through the years with the “turd” and never had one issue with that type of plug.  Then again, this new patch method is – in theory – safer and better sealing.  I get that.  The part I don’t get is that with all the modern technology that exists today it took me an entire morning to get a tire puncture repaired.

New Tires for Camaro Z28

3 Replies

IMG_2908My aging daily driver – a 1995 Z28 Camaro – got treated to a set of new tires this week.  During a span of 20 years and over 96,000 miles, this is the fourth set of tires I’ve bought.  Factory tires were GoodYear GSC’s;  an advanced high performance tire for the time, they were fair, with good dry adhesion but not so great in the wet.  I replaced the factory fitted tires with 2 more sets of GSC’s which I purchased from the company that converted Z28 Camaros to SS’s back in the day.  These were brand new “take offs” sold at a significant discount and I ordered two sets at different times.  When the last set of the GSC’s wore out, I bought BFG Comps and what a difference!  The BFG’s were much nicer in the dry and wet as well.

Continue reading →