Welcome a new member of the family: Balto!

[meissen]

Pics of the wheels mounted to the vehicle or ban

[MP81]

Had the tires mounted up, and everything balanced on Saturday. Huge thanks to @bri2203 for the help with that.

And to think I thought all this would fit in the Cav...that'd of been tight.
2014-04-12_09-10-19_60.jpg

Back home. Now I have one stack in the basement instead of two (sorry for the graininess, I had to bump the white balance up).
2014-04-12_18-22-29_539.jpg

[MP81]

Yes. I pulled the ABS fuse on Megan's Cavalier because it liked to activate ABS at times when it didn't need it - including rolling to a stop, and nearly stopped...but rarely activated when it actually needed to.

[landstuhltaylor]

My buddy that is getting a set for his C5, is getting 285s all the way around...yeah, that's gonna be some money.

It's a big reason I haven't taken the BMW into street touring. I would have to buy another set of 18x10s all around as well as 285s. Or I could just throw 225s on the Miata for $450 instead...

Also I think the ABS was more of a Cavalier thing. The system would get confused really easily over bumps and basically disable the brakes.

[MP81]

Oh yeah, it should still spin, and that'll keep things alive.

Hell, there are guys running 255s with even more power and they're good - and that is a massive tire.

Speaking of tires!!

[jetice]

About 300 crank. Keep in mind, I have an auto, so it's pretty beefy.

I went with a 225/40R18. My rims are 18x8s, and I'm pretty sure the stock steelie is 15x6...a good solid 2" wider wheel.



Oh yeah. No ABS or Traction control on this. Equal length half shafts also are a plus.

And yep - I had looked at bumping up to 235/40R18, and it went from $189 a tire to $217...and then up from there.

My buddy that is getting a set for his C5, is getting 285s all the way around...yeah, that's gonna be some money.

I'm at 280/350 at the wheels with the glassbox on 235's and use the no-lift shift feature quite a bit with no issues, so you should be A-OK.

[MP81]

I don't think you have anything to worry about finding limits. I know a couple SS/SC guys that run R-compound tires with way more than stock power and have had no suspension breaks, however the trans is like glass unless you upgrade to one of the Saab transmissions. How much power are you making?

edit: Also, how wide are the tires you are going with?

About 300 crank. Keep in mind, I have an auto, so it's pretty beefy.

I went with a 225/40R18. My rims are 18x8s, and I'm pretty sure the stock steelie is 15x6...a good solid 2" wider wheel.

You should get a solid 12,000 miles out of those tires. They couldn't have been that expensive. Now when you start pricing them in 245/40/18 and 275/35/18, you get into the stupid expensive range.

I also never realized this car was supercharged. Reminds me of a guy who used to autocross a 2003 Cavalier with the M62 on it. Other than that it was stock and held ~250whp just fine until the ABS went into retard mode.

Oh yeah. No ABS or Traction control on this. Equal length half shafts also are a plus.

And yep - I had looked at bumping up to 235/40R18, and it went from $189 a tire to $217...and then up from there.

My buddy that is getting a set for his C5, is getting 285s all the way around...yeah, that's gonna be some money.

[landstuhltaylor]

You should get a solid 12,000 miles out of those tires. They couldn't have been that expensive. Now when you start pricing them in 245/40/18 and 275/35/18, you get into the stupid expensive range.

I also never realized this car was supercharged. Reminds me of a guy who used to autocross a 2003 Cavalier with the M62 on it. Other than that it was stock and held ~250whp just fine until the ABS went into retard mode.

[jetice]

I don't think you have anything to worry about finding limits. I know a couple SS/SC guys that run R-compound tires with way more than stock power and have had no suspension breaks, however the trans is like glass unless you upgrade to one of the Saab transmissions. How much power are you making?

edit: Also, how wide are the tires you are going with?

[MP81]

Handling characteristics are what I went for when I got these. Was going to get Pilot Super Sports, but my friend who had a set (and initially had recommended them to me), had started using the ZIIs on their LeMons truck (which they also autocross), and he's getting a set for his C5 FRC, told me to consider the ZII over the PSS. His biggest beef with the PSS was the lack of longitudinal grip (his I5 MK5 Jetta would spin them with ease - while the cheaper Hankook RS3s he had on before wouldn't spin at all) and their sensitivity to heat. As soon as they get warm or hot, they get "frustrating", as he put it. He spent the time between AutoX runs trying to get the tires to cool down.

That said, at ambient, they were great. They were quiet, and they had decent treadwear. Being a Michelin, they also cost a ton.

If something breaks, it breaks. But yes, these will find that something.

I'm not so concerned with the replacement of these, that's something I'm expecting, and something I'm okay with if it gives me the best grip I can buy, short of a slick or a R-compound near-comp tire (aka, something that is not a fan of water at all)...

[bri2203]

No burning these off! 200 treadwear is low enough as it is

Trying to find the weak link?
One of the reasons I decided to put higher treadwear tires on the tuner is because I don't want to repair a transmission. (Even though I have a spare on the shelf). The other reasons included tread life, cost, and handling characteristics.

[MP81]

No burning these off! 200 treadwear is low enough as it is

[hoogiesngrinderz]

Buying tires is hard on the wallet..

But burning them off is good for the soul.


Hard to put a price on that

[OIF1VET]

Buying tires is hard on the wallet..

[MP81]

Yes - And those tires last more than a year