Before I bought my SSR in Nov. last year, I researched tires at tire rack and they are certainly the best deal around and the price if very affordable. How many miles can we expect from those original tires anyway? I figured 25k-30k?
Now OEM goodyear tires are they the best? tires or can some tire fanatics recommend better set of tires. -- I should rephrase this
what choices do I have on tires for mostly highway driving? I think its mentioned in earlier threads, I had more flats with SSR than all my others cars driven in the past.
As far as I know, there are no run-flat tires available in the SSR sizes. The Goodyears were specifically tuned for the SSR characteristics of ride, handling and weight distribution. For example, they contain some snow traction so you can go in the snow if necessary.
Actually, the rear tire off the Prowler is a Goodyear EMT, and it's the same size as the rear tire on the SSR. BUT it's over TWICE the cost of the RS-A you would replace.
The problem is with the front tire - there is no P255/45R19 run-flat tire available. If you were to replace just the rears with EMT's, you'd be mix and matching tires, and that's usually a huge no-no. Without tire characticstic measurements, there's no way to really predict how your handling might change with mixed front and rear sets - as a vehicle dynamicist, I'd recommend strongly against it.
And freezer is right, the rear tire would be some ultra-hi performance summer-only, park-it-in-inclement-weather tire. A light dusting of snow would immobilize your SSR, were you to acutally install just the rear EMT's, not to mention the unpredictable effects on handling.
Shame about the flat tires, sarajohn. Use that great handling and dodge them potholes! :lol
Hi,
I just bought my SSR 9-30-04. Didn't know much about the technical issues; just really LOVED the style! Anyway, my salesman (who obviously didn't know what he was talking about) told me that my SSR had run-flat tires on it just as the Corvette does. I didn't know any different until I read about flat tires on this site. What is the suggestions out there for what to do? I wondered if I should buy spares to keep in case of flat, but I know I would have to get one for front and another for back as they are different in size. I just feel kind of vulnerable with no spare; any suggestions guys???
1. Use the roadside assistance.
2. See number 1...
If you are in an area where deliveries take longer, you might just want to buy one of each.
I've had two flats in 6 months. One, the front was repairable. The second, a rear, was non-repairable. America's Tire was able to get a replacment the same day. I have to say that if it hadn't happened before ~10am, I'd have had to wait 24 hours.
Sears will beat any tire price (even online) by 10 %. At least I think that deal is still going on. Dealer price to replace mine after the railroad ties - $210 for the front and $265 for rear (ea).
Tire Rack is way cheaper than sears. I would investigate it further before you throw your money away, unless of course you can afford to toss it away. Sears price sounds pretty darned high.
I can understand why Houtex is having his dealer replace his tires since they are doing the damage assessment and repair, and insurance is covering his, but realistically folks, if ya gotta get some rubber, go to tire rack. No one in their right mind would buy the actual tires from a dealership. They are way over inflated in price.
Tire Rack is way cheaper than sears. I would investigate it further before you throw your money away, unless of course you can afford to toss it away. Sears price sounds pretty darned high.
I can understand why Houtex is having his dealer replace his tires since they are doing the damage assessment and repair, and insurance is covering his, but realistically folks, if ya gotta get some rubber, go to tire rack. No one in their right mind would buy the actual tires from a dealership. They are way over inflated in price.
Where do you get the tires mounted once you get them from Tire Rack? I would be nervous trusting anyone without insurance in case of scratching (or worse) the wheels.
I was in Sears a few months ago waiting for my wife's car to get an oil change (it was the only place open on Sunday) - I had checked out our tires - same brand. A guy came in looking for the same product - he had the printouts from TireRack and WalMart.com with him - Sears took the lower price (WalMart) and took 10% off of it. They charged extra for mounting. It was $70-$80 less than Sears original price.
If you email Tirerack.com and tell them the size you want, they will tell you the dealers in your area that do the installs for their products. They will ship directly to them for you so all you will have to do is drive there and have them install them. It's not really rocket science, but just to make sure, I labeled the insides of my center caps with the LR, LF, RR, and RF using a sharpie so they won't mix them up when done. They also should be made aware of the little logo on the center cap that has a image of a valve stem. If you line that up with the actual valve stem they fit perfectly. My tires are still good, but I sure would like a clear idea of just how many miles I can expect to get from them. I am just over 15K right now and they are still good, but are starting to slip a bit. :seeya