VDC kicking in with new rear tires
 

I put on a set of new rear tires (same size as OEM) and did not replace the front tires. Now my car feels like I'm driving on balloons in the rear. I understand the 500 mile drive-in period, but I got myself almost killed today cruising at normal speeds on twisty back roads when the VDC started to kick in. The car feels like I'm driving on ice. Did some research and found out that this apparently is/was an issue with G35 and 350Zs as well. Anyone else had similar experiences? The car now is basically not safe to drive IMO.

damn be safe man! Sorry i cant help you im a newb at tire stuff!

I also had this Problem when new tires were installed on my G35c. Back end was wild. After the break in period the tires "reacted" normally and this "problem" was not an issue. :tup: Give it time it will go away once they break it and make sure the air pressure is correct.

That is wild....I didn't know new tires did this to our cars.... Yikes! Drive safely out there.

What tires?

sounds like new tires call for standing burnouts... :-D

Agreed:tup:

Did you buy the same brand/model tire as you have on the front?

And yes, obviously you need to clean them with a good burnout... :)

New tires are essentially green and do not develop maximum grip until they have been through several heat cycles. Having new, green tires on the rear can create an oversteer condition. Be aware that mixing different brands/models/sizes of tires can create significant changes in the behavior of your car that may not resolve themselves with heat cycling. Also note that identical tires can preform differently depending on the tread depth. The tires with the shallower tread typically deliver quicker response and greater traction. On a low to medium performance vehicle these differences may not be especially significant but on a car with the quick responses of the 370Z it has the potential to be significant.

^^that, spot on, well said.

New tires need to be seated properly. Avoid sudden acceleration and braking until they settle. This means no burnouts! Avoid gravel and rough roads and you should be fine after a few miles. The tire manufacturing process sometime leave lubricants on the tires and needs to be worn off. The tires are essentially made up of different compounds that don't have maximum grip until properly broken in.

I have a feeling he bought crappy tires

You may indeed have the wrong tires for your needs, refresh my memory, what exactly did you get and how do you intend to use (summer, winter, track etc.) them?

I got the Hankook v12 EVOs. Did research on them before I bought them and the reviews were generally very good. This morning I have been driving for a few hours (since 5am - this issue became an obsession last night) and the car seems to settle in. Drove with the VDC off for a while and cruised at legal speeds on interstate and back roads. The oversteer issue that Guard Dad was referring to is certainly the case. I have a feeling that the added tread and maybe softer sidewalls add to the looseness of the back-end. I'll keep driving for a week or so and if things don't improve we'll have to get a set of front tires I guess.

This is what Road & Track thought about the EVOs - they mention that they are somewhat soft and I tend to agree. Obviously the price does not reflect the 275/19 size.

“Deceptively quick” is a good summation of the Hankook Ventus V12 Evos because they often didn’t feel as strong as they actually were, particularly in the dry. Their fourth-place autocross time wasn’t spectacular, but they did outlap the benchmark Michelin PS2s. Geswein said the Hankooks felt “somewhat soft” and “imprecise,” although they were forgiving, yielding consistent laps with no surprises. Despite that feeling of softness, the V12 Evos somehow managed a second-place skidpad run of 0.93 g and were above average in braking. Hankook just launched a new extreme-performance Ventus R-S3 model, which wasn’t available in time for this test but likely has sharper dry responses.

In the wet, however, the V12s were as sporty and connected as they come, with grip second only to the PS2s’ and the best braking. The Hankooks were extremely consistent, likely because they were so well-behaved, which made them easy to drive quickly. Subjectively, they felt the best around the track, even though their time trailed slightly behind the Dunlops’.

With above-average wet and dry performances, and tying for quietest on the street loop, the V12 Evo is an impressive and well-rounded summer tire. And, at $106, it’s a bargain, too.

Despite what a few others here will say...they are cheap tires and reflect that in there handling, road manners and yes they do have a very soft sidewall which will cause your car to lean left to right and vice versa when cornering more than it was designed to do.

Its a bit like the winter tires i have on mine now, the car never leaned side to side or felt like it was going to loose traction when i had the stock summer Potenzas on it but with the deeper tread pattern and softer sidewalls well....its made me long for the day i can put the re-11's i have bought for it on.

Look, if you buy a sports car put good quality tires on it. Quit trying to save a couple dollars on an essential part of the car which provides safety and performance for so little. I am so sick of hearing people ask and say they want to use regular octane gas to try and save 2 fudging dollars per fill up or 200-300 on a set of tires. If you wanted to do that you should have bought a Mustang or a Camaro not a sports car!

Why so angry? Did you have these on ride? Or are you just speculating?

In my experience, expensive tires do not necessarily equal better grip or handling (read previously posted review). Like I said, I did my research and based on value (cost vs performance), these are one of the best. The initial looseness is apparently "normal" and I'll report back after I put 1k miles on it (approx. 1 month).

I would buy two of the same tires for your fronts though...

So you should have bought the re-11's or quite a few other tires that are in another class of performance and are inexpensive.

Probably so, but the front still have about 1/2 tread life in them and I just can't get myself to spend another $400+ on tires that do not need to be replaced yet.

I searched Tire Rack for tires for the 370z, but did not see any Re-11s.

It's a great tire for the price, but I find them to be extremely overrated as a performance tire. I bought a set based on what they said, turns out to be one of my biggest mistake

285/35/19 245/40/19

just drive normally for a while (50-100miles) or do a quick burn out. you got release oil from the mold that you need to wear off. this is normal.

Okay, update at 500 miles. Tires seem to behave a little better than the first few hundred miles. VDC however, still kicks in when there are some slight bumps while cornering (not extreme cornering!). I think it might have to do with the fact that the front and back circumferences are not exactly the same and as a result, the front tires spin slightly faster than the rears, causing the VDC to kick in. I can feel the front inner/outer brakes being applied when cornering, and it scares the living daylight out of me. So I wanted to try to take these same twisties with the VDC off. I said one last goodbye to my wife and kids and took off. I can tell you that I made it back alive. When taking these twisties at the same speeds, the car's back-end never broke out. I guess I will have to re-learn driving the car with these new tires. I'm thinking though that I might invest in similar front tires, since I do not like driving with the VDC off.

I was also thinking about these tires, but i'm not to sure. The Toyo Proxes T1R tires 255/30ZR/20 F and 305/25ZR/20 R i have on now stick like glue, anyone have experince with these ? Good Bad Ugly ??

Same here, I as well was thinking of purchasing in the 255/305 size, but the reviews are mixed. The real plus of these tires is the $$$ factor. . . I was and have been a Bridgestone/Mich PS2 buyer.

I agree that V12 evos feel softer & can be 'deceptively quick?' I switched from a nearly brand new set of Falken Fk452's to the Hankooks when I bought the new rims for my RSX; I immediately noticed increased lean when taking moderate corners as (compared to the FK452's which felt definitely more solid overall), which I guess is explained by the softness of the sidewalls on the V12s; though my car leans more with the V12's, it does get a lot of grip & is hard to break loose in the dry, but I personally prefer the more stable feeling I had with my Fk452's which had stiffer sidewalls & actually gave me more confidence as I didn't feel like a lifted 4x4 when cornering; just my personal opinion/ review.

My next set of tires will either take me back to the FK452's or the RE-11s

Well, I decided to get a new set of Hankook front tires as well, which will be installed on Friday afternoon. I just don't feel comfortable driving with the VDC off on the twisty back-roads and mountain roads here. I'll report back over the weekend. I can tell you though that I prefer tires with a stiffer sidewall for less lean. I can care less about ride noise or comfort. So next set of new tires, we'll try something new, unless I am to quick to judge and these Hankooks change after a thousand miles or so.

I have these, and only a few hundred miles on them. Put them on my gts' I can't wait until I need tires again. Def disappointed in them. Can't just throw away 8-900 dollars but they are softer and less stable IMO. Not horrible but def a drop off in driving feel with them

Just my 0.02

One option that I partook in was to get the XL version of the Hankooks. The 255/40/19 size is an XL tire with stiffer side walls and increased load rating. This should help with that flex sensation while cornering.