More Tire Questions Goodyear Eagle GT's

MazdaTom · Postby **MazdaTom** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:14

Don't forget that you are probably comparing worn out UHPs to brand new GTs. Apples and oranges. A worn out tire of the same type will be much louder than a new one. An old tire will perform horribly in the rain compared to a new tire- partly because of the lack of tread depth but also because as a tire gets older, the rubber gets harder and harder. A hard tire is not good for any kind of grip- dry, wet or snow. And a new tire still has some residual mold release from the factory on it. Until that gets scrubbed off, the tires won't be as grippy as they will be a few hundred miles from now. Back when I was autoxing, I would get a new set of tires mounted, inflate them to like 20 psi and go for a drive where I was always swerving and then come home, put the car up on stands and remove the tires and lay them flat for 12 to 24 hours or so. That's how I would get a set of rubber scrubbed in before an event.

tsx_guy · Postby **tsx_guy** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:14

20 psi seems really low, did you increase the psi a bit when your put them back on?

MazdaTom · Postby **MazdaTom** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:14

yeah, 20 psi was to let the rubber really flex and heat up. This helps the heat cycle the tire. If you do that and then let it cool, it will actually make the tire last longer and wear better. Tire Rack, and other tire places, offer heat cycling services- they do it all on a machine before they ship it to you. This is only benefiical for autox or race tires though. Doing this on a pure street tire is a little bit over the top.

Stealth01 · Postby **Stealth01** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:14

No, I remember the UHPs when they were new, and I'm comparing to that. They didn't grip worth CRAP during the last two months, when they had next to NO tread on them. They were great for straigh-line acceleration, but the back end started to slide a LOT during cornering, so I am comparing to what they were like earlier on. But they were loud from the get-go, and only gave me...errr....14K miles of life. Since the UHPs only lasted me a little over a year, I still remember what they were like new.

I thought about the break-in on the GTs, too, so that's why I put that I only have 50 miles or so on them. You may be right -- they may grip better on dry roads once I have worn off that mold release compound, so I'll update that in a month or so.

I can't wait for some snow...these are supposed to be pretty damn good in the snow, at least for A/S tires. So I should get to have some fun on them. Unfortunately, looks like El Nino is going to make this a warm, dry winter.

dommo_g · Postby **dommo_g** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:14

I can get these tires in, and probably for a better price if anyone still needs them.

Stealth01 · Postby **Stealth01** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:14

Another chance to play around a little on these tires on wet roads today, as my neighborhood got a quick thunderstorm.

This time, it was pretty wet, with a little standing water. No deep puddles, just that right-after-the-rain kind of wet. Again the tires were VERY good. I took one turn that was very wet much quicker than I could have with the Exclaims. Very impressed with their wet-surface grip.

bellalyssa · Postby **bellalyssa** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 9:14

Does anyone know how well they perform in the winter? I'm getting a set put on on Friday and the shop wasn't quite sure how they performed in snowy wetness.

tsx_guy · Postby **tsx_guy** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 9:14

bellalyssa wrote:Does anyone know how well they perform in the winter? I'm getting a set put on on Friday and the shop wasn't quite sure how they performed in snowy wetness.

they are supposed to be all seasons, I imagine they will be okay for the first winter, not as good as a dedicated snow tire.

I run a/s all year long, I find I am only in trouble about 5 days a year.

dommo_g · Postby **dommo_g** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 9:14

bellalyssa wrote:Does anyone know how well they perform in the winter? I'm getting a set put on on Friday and the shop wasn't quite sure how they performed in snowy wetness.

Where are you getting your tires and how much are you paying?

bellalyssa · Postby **bellalyssa** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 9:14

I'm getting them from Tire Rack. They're being installed at SCR Performance. I'm paying about $850 because I'm also getting some suspension work done and a laser alignment.

dommo_g · Postby **dommo_g** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 9:14

I wish people would think to consider their Mazda dealership when looking for tires. Mazda has a wholesale program with Tire Rack, and I can meet or beat most of the prices you pay by buying directly from Tire Rack.

kingtut · Postby **kingtut** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 9:14

Unfortunately, dealerships got the nickname "stealerships" for a reason. But its nice to see Dommo (and other members associated with dealerships) offer help/advice to fellow members.

Knowing this, I'd consider pricing a dealership for tires in the future.

AIM WO4 · Postby **AIM WO4** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 9:14

This is incredulous!

Never heard of this before. I'm so used to Saab trying to rip me off, that I never even considered a dealership.

dommo_g wrote:I wish people would think to consider their Mazda dealership when looking for tires. Mazda has a wholesale program with Tire Rack, and I can meet or beat most of the prices you pay by buying directly from Tire Rack.

MazdaTom · Postby **MazdaTom** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 9:14

kingtut wrote:Unfortunately, dealerships got the nickname "stealerships" for a reason.

Yep. It's true. I know too many people that as soon as their car is out of warranty, it never goes back to the dealership. The "stealership" nickname isn't completely unfounded- the dealerships have brought it onto themselves over many years of charging high prices for just about everything.

You know, I bet if a local dealership made a commercial for the local market addressing the "stealership" nickname and asking for people to give them a second chance- assuming of course that their prices aren't totally out of whack and they don't try to upsale people things they really don't need, they might get some business back. In this economy people seem to be holding onto their cars more (aside from this "my tax money for your not-so-clunker" program that is more of a waste than a benefit- but that's beside the point) and are looking to repair their cars. Repair shops were not really hurt by the economic downturn at all because everyone was fixing their cars instead of trading them for new.

bellalyssa · Postby **bellalyssa** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 9:14

I would probably go to a dealership if I had a good relationship with them. I've known the guys at this shop for awhile and we hang out outside of the shop. They give me discounts and treat me right so I'll stick with them until they screw something up on my car.

More Tire Questions Goodyear Eagle GT's

Who is online