Tire recommendations for GTP?

I am a 'little' upset right now so bear with me.

I have a 2000 GTP. The Goodyear Eagle RSAs that came on it gave up around 20,000. I pushed them for another 17,000 but would only drive the car in dry, clear weather. They still 'looked' pretty good treadwise, but the had most definitely lost their sticking ability.

I researched tires for about a month last April and settled on the Dunlop Sport A2. These were 'supposed' to be so much better than the Goodyears. 18,000 miles later and they are shot! These are supposed to be 50,000 mile tires! I am not sure at this point what the deal is. I wondered if something was wrong with the car. I took it to the shop today and they said it was slightly out of alignment but not enough to explain this kind of wear. They basically accused me of not doing rotations. Trust me, I can provide the bills showing ALL the rotations.

So here I am, in need of four new tires...third set in less than 60,000 miles. Can GTP people tell me what you would recommend? The wear pattern is such that on the outside they look absolutely fine, on the inside of all four tires it is real choppy looking. The shocks were replaced around the same time the tires were. Tie-rod ends look good.

Car problems or tire problems? And what tires do you recommend? I want overall good performance tires with some decent mileage.

The car is expected to keep me happy and in return I pamper it. On the other hand, I am not out racing and otherwise abusing this car.

Thanks.

do you have the stock wheels on the car..
how about the balance weights on the wheels..
the type of were your describing is connected to alignment but as bad as this is you should have "felt" it in yur steering wheel.. or you could be out of balance.

These were the ones with the highest tread wear at Tire Rack, I work across the street from one of the main offices in south bend and I know a few people there, if you want them let me know, I'll see what I can do about getting you a deal

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=Traction+T%2FA+H&vehicleSearch=true&partnum=26HR6TTA&fromCompare1=yes

I have the cross lace mags that were optional rims for this car. They were speed balanced when the tires where originally put on and only checked once since then. I didn't have them checked today...what is the point at this point?

And no, I didn't notice a thing wrong with the steering. Nice and straight with no pull. The only thing I did notice was vibration in the steering wheel just recently. I did notice that the tires were getting grossly loud. According to the original reviews on them, they were supposed to be quieter than the Goodyears. Of course with the weird way these have worn, it would explain both problems. Shop guy today made the comment that it must have felt and sounded like I was driving a tractor. Yeah kinda, at least soundwise.

On the BF Goodrich tires...those are actually the ones I was looking at today. But wanted some other opinions on them concerning the GTP in particular if possible. I am 'gun shy' on the issue of tires at this point! lol Would it be better to get those from a local shop where I could return if there were problems? A deal at this point thou would be awesome. I wrote Dunlop an email. I think I will give them a few days to respond. Who knows, maybe I will get lucky and they will honor the warranty and help me out here.

Thanks.

Yeah, I'm thinking I could prbably get those for around fourty or fifty a tire, but I would have to check, but there probably wouldnt be any kind of warranty since you would have to have them put on yourself, let me know if you want me to check into those further justinr@misupply.com

only 3 sets in 60K? Hell i went through 4 on my gt within 3 years...of course a potwhoel took out a set. aggressive corners you know..i dont care i drive i put new tires on i will have to say i hate the goodyears on my new car. i will have them off within the next couple thousand miles i hope becauyse they suck ***

The best choices for our cars using the stock size is either the Goodyear Eagle GT-HR or the Yokohama AVID V or H4S. Both are brand new models, and are directional, quiet, and at least H speed rated, and are rated almost top in the world currently. The Eagle has a 50K warranty, and the Yoko a 60K; very unique for a performance tire. I can tell you from experience that the Yoko actually rides better than the old Eagle RSA. They also both wear like iron, and perfectly even, granted of course they're rotated when they should be and there's no alignment problems. The BFG's in this size aren't really as agressive and performance oriented as either of these tires, but it depends on what you're looking for. The traction TA's look like they'd get loud after some miles, and seem sort of flimsy when picking one up and looking at it. I feel BFG's quality has slipped a little in the last few models that have come out. The RSA's were great when they came out, but it getting a bit dated and are kind of pricey. Too pricey to justify the relatively old technology that's used in them.

I got the Yokohama AVS decibal tires (stock size). They are Z rated, and are much quieter than the stock RSAs. They grip a heck of a lot better too. Surprisingly, I have driven 50,000 miles on them, and will probably replace them with another set soon. I think I can squeeze another 5 thousand miles out of them. The interesting part, is that I drive pretty spiritidly. Maybe it's because I rotate them religously.

FWIW, the yokos are much better all around tires than the RSA in every way. I used to hydroplane pretty easily with the RSAs, but not with the AVS decibals. The tires no longer squeel so easily on corners too. And the snow grip is decent. My wife got stuck this past winter on our hill with her Michelin Energy tires, but my yokos climbed the hill just fine.



bryan

are you rotating every 3K miles? just a thought, also, if you are, how are you doing it, chaging tires from front to back without crossing them from left to right, when you cross rotate, you change the direction the tire rotates and that messes them up, given them that choppy look, again just a thought

I've got Goodyear GT-HR's, they're inexpensive, and I have nothing bad to say about them. I like them.

I was actually going to ask about rotation. I have always been told to rotate at around 5000 miles, 6000 at least. So I put it on an every other oil change. This makes it easier for me to remember. If I can divide the mileage by 3, oil change. If I can divide by 6, oil change and tires. On both the RSA and the Dunlops, I was told they have to be cross-rotated. So that is what was done. Yesterday was the first time I heard the every 3000 thing. You learn something every day. And I am still learning about the performance side compared to JUST an ‘ordinary’ vehicle. Cars were my 'first love'. But life happens and I have taken several years off...so a lot of catching up to do.

I am not what I consider 'hard' on my car. But I am not a 'granny' either. When I want performance I want it NOW. I certainly don't drive as aggressively as I used to. I usually have kids and/or dogs in the car. But sometimes I just have to go for a DRIVE if you know what I mean...thus the GTP! lol Sometimes the Wyld just HAS to come out.

I felt it was the perfect car for when I needed a family car AND when I just needed some fun. And hey, the GTP excels in the 'getting out into traffic' area. ESPECIALLY over say...a Subaru...even when the family is along! And it looks great doing it. I do know a decent amount about the mechanical side of things. I understand how important maintenance is, and what is going on with the pieces and parts when you are pushing. My brakes have about 40% wear left on them at 55,000 if that gives you any indication of my driving style. Some would say conservative at least compared to them, but the recent (and only ticket EVER cause I am good only distracted that night!) would say differently. Let's just say I am lucky they chose to write the ticket for 1 mph under the point they seize your license and car on the side of the road in this state. Which is another reason I am a little upset with the tire thing. It is just not an expense I need right now. Even just a few more months with these tires would have been nice.

Some day I won't need the family part of it and am really looking at cars like the GTO whenever that may happen. I love my GTP, but it is a LOT of car when you are by yourself. I just want…more. ;> I got positively light-headed when I heard the GTO started up at the local dealership!! It reminded me a lot of my '71 Malibu with the sound only a V8 can give. It was probably a good thing they didn’t have one to test drive on the lot at that time as that would have just been to much like torture since there is no hope of my getting it right now!! lol I will always need something with at least a little back seat for my canine co-pilot when we are out for a leisurely drive.

I will definitely check into the Yokohamas. Thanks everyone for the input and patience! I do appreciate it.

Ok what I'd like to know is how do those "performance" tires do in the snow and in the rain? Right now I'm running a Goodyear touring tire that is H rated and they grip pretty good. I think the model is Futura I might be wrong I'll have to look at em when I get home.

Austin, how long have you had the GT-HRs? I was disturbed by what happened to the RSAs that came on the car and now the Dunlops which I just heard Dunlop was bought out by Goodyear. I don't know when this happened. I know that the Dunlops had excellent reviews when I decided to buy them. But now they are getting horrid reviews. One person even mentioned that this was their second set and the quality had nose-dived after Goodyear took over.

As I said before, just a bit 'gun-shy' now and since tires are so very important, want to minimize making another bad choice.

Thanks.

Currently I have Kumho tires on mine. I am not terribly pleased with them, but I can not afford to purchase new at the moment. IS 235 the widest tire that can be put on the vehicle?

How big are the stock polished aluminum wheels that came on the 98's???

My 98's stock Hi-Polished Aluminum wheels are 16x6.5.

I heard 225 is about the widest you can go with those, as most people mount 215 on 6.5 rims. My yokohoma AVS db tires were $99 each at America's Tire Company. I had them shipped to the store, so it was like 100 and some change each. Like I said earlier much better than RSA-s in every way. (including price...)

goodyear rsa tire are garbage...came on the car when i got it new and they looked good .

they lasted about 10 miles past the 40k mark, which is the end of warranty on those useless tires.bicycle tires probaley last longer. **** tires.

Rememeber "performance" tires won't last nearly as long as a "touring" tire.

how true and you have made a valid point HercMan.

as much as you can cause summer is comin to a close..

I've had them about 4-6 months. I bought a set of Dunlops (don't remember which model) they were junk. Sidewalls were too flimsy. I could feel the car rock from side to side, felt like I was running on four flats. The next day I took them back to Discount Tire and they told me about these new Goodyear's that weren't even on their web site yet. They were cheaper than the crappy Dunlops that I just bought, so I figured the car came with Goodyear Eagles, why not put Eagles back on it. I've been very happy with them.

Yeah, the GT-HR's have been generating great feedback so far.

Dunlop has been owned by Goodyear since about '99 or 2000. Dunlop is sort of Goodyear's "cheaper" division now, but Dunlop's quality and models have remained the same as when before Goodyear took them on.

BFG Touring T/A VR4 are the best tires I've ever used bar none. Unfortunately they're discontinued but you can still find some at Sam's for $84 each. They make a new tire that is the replacement for the Touring T/A but I forgot the name. It's supposed to be a better tire but I couldn't say first hand.

No, A 245/50/16 will fit stock rims just fine.
Also adds 1" width...not shabby

joejet do you have any pics with those tires on. I was wondering what the wheel gap would look like.

Its gonna look really meety on there with those tires size/combo for the factory rim. plus some shops may not do it becuase its oversized.

I had the stock Eagle LS 225's on my 2001, those werent getting much grip at 35k, and in the rain they were just laughable. Deciding to switch to Yokohama AS430's of the same size I found that they are the best tires ive owned to date. Even in the rain I dont notice much of a difference until high speeds and even then they reach for grip quickly with a slight correct.

Id go with Yokohama's as I read a couple others saying as well if you havent already made your purchase, im nearly positive you wont be disappointed.

I looked on the tire-rack, and I think pretty much only the RS-As list a 6.5" rim as being acceptable for 245/50-16. The other tires list between either a 7" or 7.5" rim as the minimum rim width. I think if you try to put a tire on that's too wide for a rim, you'll end up with a smaller contact patch, becuase the tire won't seat correctly on the rim, or because it will bulge.

And yes, some shops will refuse to mount tires if they feel it's unsafe. I've seen that happen before.