[Artos]

Being that this is my first serious performance scooter, I've never considered what some minor off road / gravel or caliche roads would have on these high dollar rubbers.

To give some personal history:

My main job has me in a company truck with the oil patch covering around 350-400 miles daily & a lot of it on location off Hwy. My other life long & main passion is hunting so I'm all too familiar how cruising around on a 7000 acre ranch 'eats' up the tires made for the very application. This is really what got my curiosity going with soft slicks on the rubble.

Anyway, I also have a labor of love / side biz gig as an FFL & do internet consignment sales & met this new customer who would really like to see my ZL1 & lives outside of Laredo & has a small stretch of caliche to get to his pad, which is the only reason of me reaching out to the brain trust. I wouldn't have thought about doing such otherwise. Being totally ignorant on tire compounds in general, just how soft are the ZL1 tires compared to a typical SUV tire & what are your personal comfort levels regarding getting off the black top??

Sorry for babbling on, but honestly have no clue if this is even an issue worth fretting for such limited distance at very slow speed. When I think about the torture they go through at the track or auto-x it seems like a silly question.

Thanks...

[BDivine76]

The Goodyears are quite soft...especially after you heat them up. I don't think you would necessarily puncture one, but that's not what would bother me. Assuming you are driving some distance to get there and heating the tires up they are going to pick up tons of gravel and throw it right at your paint.

Next time you drive the car try poking the tire with your fingernail when they are warm...they are softer than typical passenger cars tires. They also wear our much faster

[Mark114]

Maybe have him meet you on the main highway where you can give him a demonstration?

[mlee]

Hey Paul,
I probably wouldn't worry as much about the tires as I would the side of your car in front and behind the rear tires. Maybe some painters tape to help with rock chips. The 1LE GY version has the real soft tires.

[Artos]

Thanks Mike...I don't think I would be going fast enough to fling them for the couple hundred yards. If I go, was gonna crawl along and probably try to clean off the wheels before getting up to speed.

My thinking was more along having the rubble bite into & tear into the hot rubber...not so much as to puncture, but premature wear?? I figured someone here has to hit an off road gravel drive time to time.

[17CamaroZL1]

I've been down a gravel drive a couple of times and mine are fine. Just poke like you said, so you don't sling rocks. I try to drive slow enough to not even stir any dust