Tires make such a big difference

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Somehow got a 3.5" screw in a tire yesterday on the BMW. This past spring I had left the winter Michelin A/S 3s wheels on the car. Given the size of the hole it left and not sure a plug would fix it, put the summer wheels on the car with Yokohama A052s.

What a difference. Car felt like it lost 200 lb, jumps when the light turns green, can feel every bit of the road, good and bad, better braking and grip is spectacular. I had completely forgotten how these tires changed the character of the car.

[oldE]

Absolutely. Tires can be one of the easiest upgrades (or downgrades) you can buy. When I bought the "old man's car ", it had a set of Generals on it. Same as the C280 I had sold. They had a summer left on them,but they were noisy in the corners when making time. Last year new Continentals went on and had the exact effect I had been seeking. Corner speeds increased by 10% without the sound of protesting rubber. Turn in felt better too.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Absolutely. When I was buying and selling cars I frequently bought newer Porsches with old tires but with good remaining tread. Simply replacing the tires with quality new ones made a dramatic difference. As enthusiasts we live to argue about stuff like engine oil weight, but tires are a maintenance item that can 100% feel like an upgrade.

[Tobra]

When I bought my Integra, it had Michelin all season performance tires ,loud and practically without grip, especially in the wet. Replacement tires of the same size and model had a different tread pattern. Tire guy informed me they used special OEM spec tires, same model, different tread pattern and compound. Yoko AVS intermediate summer performance tires utterly transformed that car. Improvement in braking performance was astounding. It just stopped with alacrity, no screaming tires, no pounding of the ABS, just stick your gum to the windshield. If I had any idea, would have replaced the tires before I drove it off the lot with 4 miles on the odometer

[917_Langheck]

What is the date code on that tire? Lots of basal cracking along the outer tread blocks.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I noticed that, other rear 255 has it too, 225 fronts are fine. 30th week of 2019, so late July.

Fronts have a lot more tread so I may just get two new rears for this winter and then new fronts the year after. Summer tires have 1 season left of tread so might be good timing to get one of the wheel sets refinished. Car just hit 266K miles so it has a lot of life left.

[matthewb0051]

My FIL was complaining to me about having to replace a tire or two a couple of years ago. He said that it shouldn't be happening since they are "60,000 mile" tires. I simply asked him if he wanted to be driving on tires that had 60,000 miles on them. He got the point.

[ted]

25 years ago my wife rode with me in my old 911 for a street car session at Laguna Seca.
The first thing she said when she got out was "I will never question you again when you want to by new tires".
That has worked out well.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

I noticed that, other rear 255 has it too, 225 fronts are fine. 30th week of 2019, so late July.

Fronts have a lot more tread so I may just get two new rears for this winter and then new fronts the year after. Summer tires have 1 season left of tread so might be good timing to get one of the wheel sets refinished. Car just hit 266K miles so it has a lot of life left.

Not saying I’m 100% right but I replace anything older than 5 years old.

[ted]

I was at the Goodyear store and got 4 tires.
I asked the sales guy what the carcass dates were on the tires.
They were only a few months old.
The GY sales guy goes on to tell me tires don't start to age until you put air into them.

[David]

Shaun, I think you’re preaching to the choir

[Shaun @ Tru6]

^^^ agreed but I have seen many threads on Technical where folks are asking for comfy tires for their new to them 911.

Was just going through old photos of when I got my M491 and found these, so I'm junking all 4 winter tires now.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I had Potenza RE11s on my SC, they were actually quite comfortable, especially for a UHP summer tire. Loved how the car drove with those tires.

The obvious downside to us all telling Shaun to get new tires is that they are freaking expensive! I feel like they doubled in 2020 and haven’t come back down.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I did check today and yes, they are very expensive. I'm used to $300+/tire for the Cayenne, just checked it's now $400 to $500+ each, but that is Max Performance Summer. Very glad I have new A008s for the 911 that will last a few years.

[id10t]

Gald my boy works for a tire shop, a bit of a discount on the tires and no labor on install etc. Saves a bit even when shoeing a boring commuter car

[David Inc.]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I had Potenza RE11s on my SC, they were actually quite comfortable, especially for a UHP summer tire. Loved how the car drove with those tires.

The obvious downside to us all telling Shaun to get new tires is that they are freaking expensive! I feel like they doubled in 2020 and haven’t come back down.

I'm happy with my Ventus RS-4s which have somehow stayed the same price since the late 2010s. Now that I think about it... how the hell are they still the same price?

Edit: Haha nevermind. They're >50% more expensive now than they were in '17, rose-colored glasses.

[Tobra]

RE 71 was just shy of a grand for a set for 911 last summer

[A930Rocket]

The Michelin tires on my 86 911 are five years old, but they are in fantastic condition, with like new tread, because the car was garaged. That said, I’ll be getting new shoes for it soon due to age.

[Otter74]

So I guess my 25-year-old Blizzaks that I had gotten for my Sentra SE-R should be retired, huh?

Just kidding.

Tires seem expensive, but looking at my old car magazines from the '80s reminds me that, in relative terms, they're not. I am putting a new set of wheels on my Fiat Spider and putting new tires on those wheels - the tires currently on the original wheels have at most a few thousand miles, but are 17 years old. They look good, but no way would I trust that on the rally I'm trying to get it ready for. OE tires on that car were Pirelli P6s in 185/60-14. A look at the tire ads in C&D from the 80s shows me retail price from the mail-order sites back then was over $100 each. I can still get, say, a General Altimax in the same size for about $100. It's not a performance tire but surely performs better than the P6 did, and $100 is a lot less 40 years later.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Interesting. I’m getting ready to put new tires on my truck and they are $300+ each.