I can't get no (traction)

[figgsy4ever]

I need some help deciding which tires will give me the best tractionpossible for the stock rims. since installing the nismo exhaust I have had a hard time with the car wantingto fishtail everytime I accelerate to quickly. I have been lucky with the lawdogs so far but I don't want to push my luck too far. The interesting thing is that I have found is all the tire reviews I read talk about how great the tires being reviewed are, but if you ask the guys whowork at the local tire shops installing tires all day they have a very different opinion. (usually negative such as Goodyear=good for a year) Yes I'm running the stock tires now and I would like to keep the stock rimsuntil I'm ready to upgrade to a 370 thanks fellas

[JETPILOT]

I don't think I have met a person working at a tire store that made it passed the 10th grade. If you drop out of high school working at a tire shop is a very popular career choice. Most of those guys roll on General EXP tires on their 88 mustang GT's.

Is a Dunkin Donut counter person a donut expert? They just put the donuts you point at in the box. Get the picture.

There are better sources than tire shops for input on tires. Actually my wife could potentially be a source of better more reliable info!

[ldstang50]

I'm curious, what exhaust did you put on that caused such as huge power gain that the rear can't keep in check??

[evildky]

are you looking for straight line traction> or lateral traction? drag radials have great straight line traction but the sidewalls roll over on the turns, R compounds have excellent corners grip but suck in a straight line, and the stickier the tires are in any direction the quicker they will wear, so whats most importatn to you, tire life? ro grip? you can't get both

also is your car a base model? an open diff will be tough to overcome no matter what tires you run

[xjmxstac]

I highly doubt that the loss of traction is due solely to your new exhaust. It adds 5-7hp at best. The only way you could get the rear loose, with a stock configuration, is if you dump the clutch and stomp on the gas with the traction control off (if applies). I'm assuming that road conditions are good and your tires are not old.

Apply selective hearing when dealing with tire shop boys. All they want to do is sell you tires. They will say anything and everything to get you to buy the product. Most of them don't have a clue about tire compound attributes.

[DR350Z]

I second the opinion that the tire is to blame for lack of traction in this case. The stock exhaust is not limiting the potential of the Z engine to the point where changing to a Nismo will provide such a drastic change.

Regardless, I never trust the people working at local tire stores and tend to read online reviews from actual consumers at places like tirerack.com. Then I find the cheapest place to find the tire I've decided upon and get to ordering.

Cheers!

[K03sport]

It also depends on your budget.

Will a Kumho tire do the same thing as a Pirelli or Michelin? Yes. As long as the tire meets all of your expectiations, or most of them anyway, then there is nothing wrong with that tire.

However, as with most things, you can have 2 out of 3 attributes, but never all 3. Grip(Wet/Dry), low noise, and longevity. Which out of those three is not as important as the other two. Even the wet/dry grip can be a one or the other.

Back to the budget. What are you happy paying for? You can buy two Kumhos for the price of one Pirelli (exageration example). Do you equate price with performance and want nothing but the best, i.e. most expensive.

We can't really tell you what tires to get. We can suggest some to you, but it is up to you to make up your own mind.

Also, don't listen to the tire guys. Most of the time, the advice is driven by the markup in the tire and they will try to sell you what makes the most money for them. I'm not saying this is the case 100% of the time, but some tires have a "discount" built into to them.

It also depends on if you want High performance A/S, Ultra HP, Max performance (summer) or Extreme performance (dry summer).

Oh, and lay off the GO pedal. That will keep the back end from being twitchy.

[bmike818]

Beware of cheap tires:

1. Cheap tires will sometimes crack 2. Loud3. Not very good wet traction

I would suggest what some members are saying, reading tire reviews is the best thing you can do. I never listen to tire guys, it seems they always try to sell the no name tires. They all say thesame thing. "Pirelli makes these tires, they just have a different name.

stick with brand names.....Kumho is not a bad brand

I would go with the Bf Goodrich G force sport, the thread lasts and it grips....at least that is what my expereince with them was.

......I have a Nismo I/E, I don't have traction problems, and my rear tires are almost gone.

[rmezz13]

Falken FK452's... Not expensive, not cheap, sticky, great in the rain, have lasted me almost 2 years. I only put about 10k on them tho ands its time for now rears soon.

[figgsy4ever]

I highly doubt that the loss of traction is due solely to your new exhaust. It adds 5-7hp at best. The only way you could get the rear loose, with a stock configuration, is if you dump the clutch and stomp on the gas with the traction control off (if applies). I'

traction loss is from 0-to 4000 rpm with TCS off its a monster I'm not dumping the clutch, idk if it's just dry asphaltor my lead foot

when i test drove the new 370 with sport pkg 2 weeks agotraction is much greater with the 19" 275/35 meats out backno spinning wheels or chirping tires lol

I like the reviews I've read on the yokohama s drive tiresor the bridgestone RE01R summer tires

the stock bridgestone RE050A tires have lots of tread left but not worth a pinch of powdered owl poop in the traction dept. sigh....

anyhow thanks for the insight and have fun out there

[xjmxstac]

traction loss is from 0-to 4000 rpm

There's no way in hell that you could loose traction 0 rpm. Once you got the car rolling, you'd have to try really hard to get the rear loose unless you have a monster engine under the hood.

with TCS off its a monster I'm not dumping the clutch,

Then turn it on.

idk if it's just dry asphaltor my lead foot

Asphalt is preferred dry and will perform at its best when its dry. My guess is that your tires are old, dry and brittle. Either that or really bad driving habits.

[figgsy4ever]

There's no way in hell that you could loose traction 0 rpm. Once you got the car rolling, you'd have to try really hard to get the rear loose unless you have a monster engine under the hood. Then turn it on. Asphalt is preferred dry and will perform at its best when its dry. My guess is that your tires are old, dry and brittle. Either that or really bad driving habits.

your comments seem quite hostile and provoking members is not what these forums are about are they?

[xjmxstac]

Sorry if i sounded like that, no offense. But it's hard for me to imagine how your rear wheels can come loose from a clean start.

My other comment was about your tcs. Why do you turn it off if you know your rear looses traction?

My third comment plainly states that asphalt is in its best condition when its dry. Moisture is the enemy, along with sand and other debris.

If optimal conditions exist. There is no reason for the rear to loose traction unless you habitually stomp on the gas after every stop.

My apologies if the previous post was too blunt.
Modified by xjmxstac at 9:31 PM 5/14/2009

[BusyBadger]

your comments seem quite hostile and provoking members is not what these forums are about are they?

I don't get that at all. Sometimes brevity can be taken for hostility though. I'm still working on a "tone of voice" for internet forums, when I get it to work I'll be rich!

Seriously though, after a while you'll get to know everyone's "tone of voice" on here and you'll be able to read their posts and understand how its intended.

Like everyone else here I'm going to say tires are everything, if you doubt them at all its best to get some new ones. Despite Jet's admonishing the General EXP tires (I've never seen a General EXP tire, the Exclaim is a UHP) I run General Exclaims in the summer as they are inexpensive, have good traction in dry and wet and have a great treadlife too. I drive around 25K miles a year so I need something I'm not constantly having to replace. They are branded with the M&S symbol too, but I wouldn't try running them in the snow - they suck in it.

[_b.jaye_]

I run General Exclaims in the summer as they are inexpensive, have good traction in dry and wet and have a great treadlife too. I drive around 25K miles a year so I need something I'm not constantly having to replace. They are branded with the M&S symbol too, but I wouldn't try running them in the snow - they suck in it.

2nd that, BB. ive had mine for some 6K+ miles so far, & they've performed great for what they are. launched reasonably hard off them a couple times & they'll break loose if you try, sure, but unless your actually trying to smoke them, they'll bite right back down without coming out of the gas much. handle great in wet or dry for me so far & ive have them in some pretty heavy rains. snow accumulation was a sad, sad joke, but they handled all other winter conditions pretty well. keep in mind, my '03 is bone stock other than wheels, & im too broke to track it, so this is all typical to mildly agressive road milage im comin from.

ill sure as hell buy another set when the time comes