Wow, do new fron tires make a difference!

[Roland L-Ocala FL]

I just got new Z-rated BFG G-Force KDWS tires on the front of the '94, and I cannot believe the difference they make! I had the old original 17 inch XGTZ Michelins on the front, and I guess the rubber finally got too old to really be any good. The car does not follow the grooves in the road at all anymore, it is like night and day. I do not drive on the track, so it is all highway driving, and the BFG's seem to be a good answer for that kind of driving. They have a tread wear number of 400, so they should stand up well for wear, and run 11/32" of rubber, so they have good tread depth as well. Best of all, they were about $160.00 each mounted, and balanced, and I got an alignment done at the same time. This combination makes a huge difference, the car does not drive the same at all, it is a much better handling car now. Now I want to see how they wear over time.

 

[phiebert]

They'll wear fine, last a long time. The G-force are great street tires and stick well once they are heated up. Because of their higher tread wear though they take a little more to heat up and get grip.

 

[genXgts]

Roland,

OEM sizes all around, or just avail in the front???

If not, what did you go with in the back??

 

[NCVCA]

Be very very careful about different tread front and rear. I can't find any scientific data to prove this, but it seems about 50% of every Viper wreck where loss of control was the cause is a car with mismatched tires.

An absolute no no for the track. Even splitting Hoosiers with different heat cycles is said to be noticeable by experienced drivers.

If you want to run non-oem branded tires at least do it on all four corners replaced at the same time.

Note that the new tires are probably much newer than the ones you replaced and therefore softer. My guess is that if you like these you would REALLY like a new (thus softer) set of Street Pilots.

Happy motoring!

 

[Roland L-Ocala FL]

I have OEM Michelin Pilot Sports on the back, and correct size BFG's on the front. I don't think that the BFG's come in the factory size for the rear, and remember, BFG is owned by Michelin. I remember speaking to a Michelin tire rep a couple of years ago on the phone, and he did not seem to have a problem with mixing the BFG G Force tires with the Michelins from front to rear. Now mixing them one at a time from side to side is a definite no no. Again, no track events for me anymore, as my insurance won't cover it, and all four tires are Z-Rated, and essentially made by the same company. I would never change the tire ratings either.

 

[SoCal Rebell]

When I checked in the G-force tires for OTC they had a treadwear rating of 140.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

What you have set up here is a great oversteer condition. The fronts will grip and turn like mad the rears will be loose. Good luck. Some people had those tires in the one lap. When the track was wet they sucked and so did there times. In the dry they were wonderful.

 

[joe117]

I went from old Pilots to new Kuhmo Exta700 all around and I noticed not just better traction but an improvement in the "not following the grooves" thing. Still, the car follows grooves a little. I've got a 96 Vette with tires almost as big and it doesn't follow grooves at all.
Do you think the alignment did anything for you? Was it far out of alignment when they checked it to start with? What did they set it to?

 

[Roland L-Ocala FL]

They went to the '96 settings, and yes, that may have had some effect too, as the alignment was out, and the tires were wearing badly on the inside edges. The BFG GForce KDSW now has the highest wear rating for Z Rated tires at 400. That is another reason I went for them. I do not plan on driving in the rain unless I get caught in a storm somewhere and will proceed very carefully, and certainly no track time anymore. After changing from the XGTZ to the BFG's, I personally feel much safer driving the car now, it just seems to handle much better for me on the road.