First Tire Buy: Sticker Shock - Suck It Up or Shop More?
 

Taking a look at my tires today, it's getting close to time to R2 them. I knew they weren't the best of shape when I bought her only a couple months ago, but the fronts especially are getting low. I want to buy all 4 at once, not the kinda guy to piecemeal my tires. However, I might have to...

So I went to where I always go when I buy tires, TireRack. After putting in my new car into my garage and searching, I thought I was doing okay - about $850 or so for a new set of tires. Not bad, to ME anyway. Had a UTQG rating of 560, should be good tom last quite a many miles.

Then I went to check out, and TR cautioned that I might have RF tires on now and the ones I had selected weren't RF (I've never had RF tires before, so this was new) - I should back out and re-filter my options to include RF tires. So, I did. And was floored. I know I'm in the big boys club now just from buying such a late-model car and all, but wow.... my price range for 4 new tires is now:

$1,207.96 - $2,069.96

That's.... quite a lot of money for tires. To ME, anyway. This is the kinda money I'd BUDGET for, not just toss out when it's time to R2, like I do my other cars. 1200 bucks for a set?

SO I come to the forums, rather in shock and concern. Should I just suck it up, and plan on spending ~$1200 every (spitballing the 340 UTQG rating) 50-70kmi (IF they even last that long)? I'm guessing that I do need to stick to RF tires. I know you get what you pay for, but man, I just want 4 good long-lasting tires that aren't gonna require me to re-balance my budget.

Yea, I replaced the stock 3Rs with MPS 4S a month ago for approx. $1900. I would burn them up in 3 or 4 track days. If I don't do any track days, they might last one year.

$1,900 every year on tires?


Is this the norm for this car? This is my commute/get-around car, nowhere near a race car. I won't be doing ANY track days, and I average ~20k miles a year. And that's pushing it.

The OEM tires are run flats so Chevy didn’t include a jack or spare with our cars. Many people don’t like the original GY run flats and buy something else when they wear out. You don’t have to replace them with another set of run flats. You just need to get tires that are the correct size. Just understand that you will want to have a plan in case you get a flat. Some people buy a can of tire sealant and a 12V compressor. Some have emergency road service. Some buy a spare and jack to carry in the trunk. Do what works best for you and your circumstances.

This could be the norm for a person that tracks their car. The GY 3Rs are special tires that have better traction and lower tread wear ratings. It might not be the norm for people that daily drive an SS like yours.

That's encouraging, to say the least!


I've been bouncing around articles related to UTQG ratings. Seems that, on average, every 100 on a rating grants about 30k miles. So the $1,200 tires I found with a 340 rating should get around 100k miles.


....I doubt tires will last 100k miles. And I mean that on the most well-maintained/inflated/balanced/rotated tires. I wouldn't bet on 100k, lol.


50k, maybe. That being said, if I COULD get these tires to last, say 3 years... well $1,200 every 3 years is MUCH more manageable that $1,200 a YEAR. After install and balance and all, $44/mo is do-able, and MUCH easier on my mind than $133/mo.


I'd like to know people's experiences/history with tires on their 6s, mainly from those who ONLY commute/general travel.

My buddy, who is a big ass cheapskate, puts Lexani tires on his Ferraris.
They're like $75 a tire in size large enough for an FF. Tires are rated for 186mph and he regularly bring it into the 130s-140s on rallies. He doesn't mind doing burnouts with them either obviously.

I also drove that car through what we thought was a tornado. Tornado warnings in that area all day and the rain was hitting the windshield fast enough that the wipers couldn't keep up. Tires were fine though...

Not what I'd put on my car, but if you're cruising around town, they're good enough for a ferrari...

Interesting. Sadly though, I think the RF aspect is the key. I -COULD- go even cheaper in the non-RF category, I don't have to go the $800 set route. Honestly, I do because those have the highest UTQG rating. If I wanted I could go cheaper, though again those are lower-rated tires. I'm looking for longevity well before 'performance'. I'd like to know how often he R2s his tires, and how many miles he averages a year.

I mean sure, I could trek down to a local wal-mart, pull up, and say "just gimme the cheapest tires that fit right", but the main reason I go through TR is to get, hopefully, a longer-lasting, "better" tire than the $70 cheapos at a local garage. However..... geezus, $1200??

However, if I do go RF that's my price range $1200-$2100.

Also, that's BEFORE install/balance/alignment.

50k miles, lol. I’m getting close to replacing my all seasons after 25k miles. Not being able to rotate doesn’t help.

What’s this R2 business?

Are you serious? What kind of driving do you honestly do? Again my ride is commuting and light leisure stuff. Talking MAYBE 20kmi/yr with zero track runs, zero burnouts, zero dragging, zero racing.

Yep I’m just a DD with the car.

Man lots of misinformation you have. UTQG is not a standard between manufacturers. The numbers cannot be compared between different manufacturers. Generally the lower number means stickier tires but less tread life, that’s it. Nothing regarding how many miles per 100 UTQG. Nothing wrong with $800 tires. I’m running the General GMax AS-05. Many prefer non RF because the ride is better. If you have food insurance or AAA or feel like carrying around fix a flat or tire plugs, maybe go with non RF tires. As you can see, they’re generally cheaper.

You mentioned 20k a year... get ready for almost yearly tire changes. Maybe look into getting a set of square wheels in order to rotate.

I was going thru tires every year on my Vettes with only around 5000 miles for the rears just driving to work and back. But i am hard on tires with lots of WOT burst. The fronts would last 3 times longer than the rears. This soft tires that grip better go fast.

Well, this is kinda what I came here for. If I'm gonna be spending 1600 a year on just tires, well, time to start budgeting. This is just so new to me, spending this kinda dough on tires.

A few inquiries though. You mentioned finding square tires for rotation purposes. How can I tell the difference, speaking on Tire Rack specifically. Also, can I not have any tires I buy rotated, or is this a C6 specific thing?

And the 300kmi/100UTQG thing was just a random Google result reading, I didn't buy much stock into it. However, I do pay attention to the rating when purchasing, and I typically buy higher rating tires for longevity reasons, and that has paid off pretty consistently.

I'm leaning towards the non RF tires because of this - that $800 set has a rating of 560. If I can get more than a year out of those, then I'll deal with my good insurance if I have a tire issue.

I'm also gonna re-search the tires forum section for more tire recommendations. I can't be the only commuter who's trying to Penny pinch.