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Old 04-03-2014, 02:34 AM   #33
Indydriver


 
Drives: '14 2SS/RS Vert 6M/KTU/NPP/DTA/ARH
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 2,826
WHEELS & TIRES

OK, the car still isn't here but, I'm out of control on this deal so, lets get this matter settled once and for all.

I've been a big proponent of the summer/winter deal and I've done that for the last five years on my DD. My tire guy did the twice per year swaps for free for three years. They changed management and now they charge me $40 per. That $80 per year on two vehicles eats at my craw, so I was determined to get a second set of wheels for this car. My original plan as outlined in Post 1 was to wait until Fall, find some wheels I like and go full blown winters. I've changed my mind and here's why...

The OE tires are very good Pirelli PZero summers, right? 220 wear rating. I do not want to burn these up on the highway and I damn sure don't want to get caught out in the snow on them. So, I've decided to take a little different route and to buy now. I've decided to put UHP A/S on the new wheels. The tires I've chosen have a wear rating of 480. Now, you're not supposed to compare wear ratings between manufacturers but let's just say for sake of argument that these tires will not only last twice as long, but they will spare my precious Pirelli summers from getting ground to dust on the highway--a terrible waste. Second thing is I just set up a trip to Savannah in early November. To get there, one has to drive through the very scenic Smokies between Knoxville and Asheville--which would be treacherous in the snow, and it can certainly snow there in November. Driving on UHP A/Ss should allow me to get by in light snow. And, since I live in the city where the streets are plowed and salted to death, I may even be able to get through the winter. We shall see. So, what did I order?

Like you, I've looked at a thousand wheels. I've used Tire Rack's very cool feature where you can look at wheels on your car. I have traditionally thought of five spoke wheels as the standard for aftermarket alloys but I've never had 20" wheels before. Looking at them on many Camaros here, I've decided that the look is too open for my likes on this big of a wheel. Secondly, after looking at polished, chrome, and black on my Summit White convertible, I've come to the kind of astonishing conclusion (for me anyway) that this car needs white wheels. Well, that certainly narrows the field! So, I went with the Motegi MR126 in white (which you see often advertised in the banner at the bottom of your screen). I love the "Y" design, the color, and the price isn't bad at around $300 per.

Next issue, which tire? Well, again, if you're going to stick with OE sizes, we are quite limited. There are three: Contis (nearly $1000); General GMax (<$700) and Firestone Firehawks (low $600s). I guess all things being equal I'd go with the Conti's but, a 50% premium? C'mon guys! After reading all the tests, reviews, surveys and talking to Rudy at TR, I've settled on the General GMax as the best price/performance compromise for my needs. YMMV. Now here's the great part...

The OE wheels and tires weigh a total of 260.6 pounds. The Motegi/GMax combo weighs 206 lbs. That's a reduction of a total of 54.6 pounds! That's 13.6 lbs per corner! If you don't have the religion of reducing unsprung weight, you need to study this issue and take it into account every time you mod below the suspension. This will be very noticeable in steering response and suspension compliance. As you can tell, I'm very happy and excited how this all turned out. Don't worry, lots of pics coming, as soon as I have something to take pics of. Ciao.
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Last edited by Indydriver; 04-03-2014 at 07:17 AM.
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