Chevy SSR Forum banner

Continental tires

4K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  moscooter 
#1 ·
Hi Everyone, I finally pulled the trigger and put a set of Continental DWS 06 on . Took them for a quick romp up to 85mph feel good so far , re torqued them and adjusted the air pressure. What air pressure do you guys normally run ? With the original Goodyear’s I was running 35psi . Thanks for any advice . Also is it possible that the tires don’t need any weights ? The rears had no weights on them at all and when I asked they said , they didn’t need any to balance them ! Is that even a possibility ? Thanks again . Dave
 

Attachments

See less See more
4
#5 ·
tires

I put the same tires on last year, but went with the wider sizes both front and rear. Road force balanced them. I run 35 psi. 22,000 so far, and no real sign of where. Love them. Heavy rains are no problems.
I also put them on my 2011 CTS-V sport wagon. 12,000 miles and zero issues. Love these tires.
But, all tires usually last me a long time due to highway driving 90% of the time.
Hel, I got 99,500 miles on my original Goodyears on my 2008 Trailblazer SS. Changed them due to a heavy snow that night. Really wanted to hit the 100k mark for giggles since everybody else bitched about poor mileage on them.
 
#13 ·
Yikes - seems like you would get a really harsh ride. I'd be afraid that going around a tight curve on a less than perfect road surface, the back end would bounce off the road.

I run mine at 30 lbs, and have not seen excessive wear on the outer ribs. I would expect to see excessive wear in the middle section with that kind of pressure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: People Eater
#10 ·
:frown2:
Fuzzy..........The "MAX" pressure rating on the sidewall of the tire is NOT anywhere close to what you should have them set.........

THE MAXIMUM
Somewhere on the sidewall of your tire, just below the big, bold letters of the manufacturer, for example, you might have noticed the words ‘Max. Press. 35 PSI.’ That number tells you the maximum cold pressure needed for your tire to carry its maximum load.

We mention ‘cold’ pressure because that means you’re filling up your tires at the ideal time—when they’re cold. First thing in the morning or after sitting for a few hours in the shade is best.

Usually, your tire’s maximum tire pressure is somewhere between 30 and 32 PSI.

What happens if you inflate your tires to the max PSI?
The handling characteristics change
Since tires inflated to the max can’t give as much on the sidewall, you might see superior cornering, but it could be at the risk of your braking threshold. One quick corner and your back end could slide out.
The life of your tire decreases. When your tires are inflated too much, the rubber rounds out at the top of the tire when you’re driving, and the center will quickly wear out. You’ll also reduce your traction and you could even cause a blowout. Check out our post on avoiding blowouts.
So, what’s the right tire pressure for your vehicle?

THE OPTIMUM
You’ll find the manufacturer’s optimum or recommended tire pressure for your car on a sticker in the door jam, or in your owner’s manual. Some models even place the stickers on the trunk lid, in the console or on the fuel door.

Recommended pressure is usually between 30 and 35 PSI. That number indicates the minimum amount of air pressure needed to support your vehicle’s maximum load-carrying capacity. Any less, and you’ll see poor fuel economy and handling as well as premature wear from too much flexing and tire overloading.

When your tires are inflated to the recommended PSI, you enjoy their optimum life and performance
 
#12 ·
As for the question if tires can be installed and found to need no weight at all? Yes it does happen. I worked in a tire shop after I had gotten out of school and yes it does happen, not real often but it does happen. I saw it more on better brands of tires like Michelins back then. And had even seen it on some of the big off road 4 wheel drive tires. One key thing is on the side of a new tire is a small dot of paint that is supposed to be lined up with the valve stem on the wheel. The valve stem is drilled in the heavy spot of the wheel and the painted dot on the side of the tire is the light side of the tire. You match them up and it gives the best chance for balancing. Also if you have a tire with a lot of weight on the wheel you can have the installer break it down and rotate the tire 180 degrees and see if it balances out better then.
 
#17 ·
I run 2.1 on the rears because in my experience higher pressure has resulted in more wear in the middle. 315's also but not Continentals.
I run 2.4 on the fronts, which is about what you are running.
Dave
I hope you realize by posting tire pressure in Bars, half the readers won't know what the hell you're talking about, and the ones that do won't be bothered to convert to psi like every manual, sticker, and tire is labeled. :nono
 
#18 ·
bars

Bruce, you are probably correct.

My TPM actually reads in bars. Pascals is the most common measure (not in tires) as it is metric Newtons per square meter. Bar is 100.000 Pa. PSI in the US is about 14.5 psi converts to 1 bar. So 2.1 is about 30.5 psi and 2.4 is about 35 psi. Right now it is about 20 degrees F out.

I know it makes no difference in the tires, but PSI is variable. the imperial P is not universal and the I is not common.

So, yes I suspected that. And I guess I am being rather snobbish but it is what I learned growing up on the farm. I think partially because my father was in the Army Air Corp in WWII and he insisted we had a broad education.

I know it is measuring with a micrometer, mark with chalk and cut with a chainsaw, so it really doesn't mater.

IMO

Dave
 
#19 ·
Have Continental tires on my SSR for several years. The Goodyear & Firestone tires were terrible. Wore out quickly & no grip on wet pavement. No problems in all weather with the Continental tires. One thing I will mention. If you take your SSR for service with not stock tires or other parts like a K&N air cleaner. Chevrolet will not work on SSR. I know like many posts I have made. Some one will argue that the Dealer service departments will not work on modified vehicles. My Dad has a 1984 Caprice. The local service department will not work on his car. WHY?
 
#20 ·
My Dad has a 1984 Caprice. The local service department will not work on his car. WHY?
Once the car is out of warranty the dealership is not required to work on your car just because it is a Chevy. Dealerships are like any other business. They provide a service to make a profit. If their profit margin is higher working on newer cars that are not modified than older modified ones which do you think they would choose. If you were running a business and had plenty of cars you could readily diagnosis and and repair or a car your technicians will spend extra time trying to diagnosis and possibly extra time finding parts , what would you do. You also need to consider if the owner of that one car spends any money with you other than with the unique car with unique problems.

Regarding your dads 84 caprice, most technicians today have no clue how to repair a carburetor much less know what a mixture control solenoid is. If they do think they can do carb work, they have no clue what or how to use a dwell meter to adjust the beast.

Sorry to hijack thread. Just some observations. By the way I own and known how to use all the special tools require to properly setup a computer controlled quadrajet carburetor.
 
#21 ·
You are closer than the last person who told me that has tools & know how to fix a Quadrajet carb. I have a 90 Buick estate wagon. 2 rebuilds & one new carb. I finally got my Buick running. Did the repair the old fashion way. Replaced carb & distributor. Runs better & much better mileage. I know what you are saying about mechanics. I think it is a new way to sell cars & trucks. Besides making parts hard to find. Nobody wants to work on them. Dad's Caprice is not meeting EPA emissions? All the parts, Air pump, Catalytic converter & many more have failed & replacement is cost more than originally paid for Chevy. But ? Were does a person find a Body shop who repaints entire car or my SSR? I have run into a wall to get paint on all my vehicles? I have tried & only place willing to look at my vehicles is in Detroit? Also heard of one in Florida. Confused by HATE of SSR's. AND OWNERS!
 
#22 ·
:|

Not sure about the painting problems on your other rides, but I can kinda understand some push back to dealing on painting an SSR. To do the job properly, one just does not mask off a few places and get out the spray gun.

Many parts must be unbolted and removed to get everything painted properly and thoroughly.

The 2005 SSR that I bought had been repainted and I got the invoice for the paint job and it was over $5000 to do the job.............One color only..........not a two tone deal.:nerd:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top