Mostly Touring (Looking Ahead)

jginnane

Currently using the OEM 18s: Yokohama Advan Sport (Max Perf Summer; treadwear 180-A-A). This is a discussion, six months out, of my current thinking about baby's new (next) shoes.

- - - - - -

I'm a little different than many Z owners. I didn't want the OEM spoiler because I didn't expect to be driving fast enough for it to have any effect. I didn't want sport brakes, either, because on my last car I got 60K on the front pads. Seriously. While I drive aggressively, I try to think far enough down the road I don't need my brakes as much. And when it comes to tires, I'll take the performance trade-off of all-seasons versus summer treads. I've gotten caught out in too many rainstorms to enjoy the white-knuckle feel of wet slicks, far from home.

Last fall I was checking tirerack.com, and the best tire then offered on our 18" OEM rims was a UHPAS (All-Season) Goodyear F-1 Eagle. Today, rechecking, I see this tire's no longer listed in TR's website in our stock size, but an old favorite -- Bridgestone RE960AS Pole Position, treadwear 400-AA-A -- has appeared. (Also cheaper than a replacement set of Yoko summer treads.)

We've had Pole Positions on a 3rd-gen Acura TL. They made the car handle amazingly better: quieter, grippier, no mileage penalty, wear like iron except for the firm ride. We have Michelin Pilot+ PS/2s on the present 4th-gen TL. They're supposed to be even better (according to tirerack). Alas, the Michelins aren't offered in Z OEM sizes, at least through them.

So this, the RE960s, is where I may be going with my first set of aftermarket tires, sometime this summer. I suspect we're talking September, the way the Yokos are wearing, but it's good to plan ahead.

The bigger concern is that these tires might be good for a Honda/Acura or a G37 sedan, but not feel right on the Z's smaller frame. Tires get designed and built for an ideal sort of car, and (for example) Michelins always seem overbuilt for heavier cars, like Mercedes. Bridgestones seem aimed at the vast middle-market. Will they be too soft for the Z?

BTW, when we buy, we use tirerack for product knowledge + pricing, then try to find a manufacturer's store to price-match. That way we get the best of the tire company's support system without having to pay a gazillion bucks for "retail" pricing. We've bought direct from tirerack, too, but are leery of what happens if an independent installer gets what he claims are bad tires from TR .. or any other installation complications. Even premium name-brand tires get bad batches. (But having said all that, if I don't find a retailer to price-match, I'll go with TR and save the $40-70 per tire.)

Aftermarket rims. I love the looks of them. And I'm scared to death of getting in a situation where I've got 3 beautiful Volks, say ... and the 4th, needing replacement, is the one made of unobtainium. Rims get damaged over the years, and while you can avoid curb rash (by never parking next to a curb), you can't always avoid the geometry-bending potholes and stuff you endure in normal driving. Especially in the Northeast. So (to me) rims are not a good way to spend money, until or unless I wise up and move to California.

BTW, plus sizing seems taboo at many tire dealers in NJ. A couple years ago someone went +3 against the dealer's recommendation, it was installed poorly, and the resulting accident turned into a huge lawsuit against the tire company, even though they'd warned (in writing) about it. In addition, TPMS means you have to compute the replacements, like revs per mile, very carefully ... it's become rocket science. Changing width 10mm or aspect ratio 5% is about the best you're going to hope for in this sort of sanctioned environment.


Please feel free to add comments and observations. This is a little backwards from what we normally try to do, which is to use a better tire to improve a car's handling. In this case, it's acknowledged up front that all-seasons will de-tune the car somewhat. (And that's OK.)