Nunja Business

'07 GT/CS Ragtop Auto with no real performance mods.

A month ago, I was starting to need some new tires and so I called up a client who sells new and high-tread used tires. She said she would keep an eye out for me for a deal. She has hooked me up in the past on my Miata several times and I never had a complaint. They regularly have nearly new takeoffs from guys wanting to go to 20s and larger so I have been fortunate.

She called me that afternoon and said they had a set of Goodyear Eagles with less than 500 miles on them and she would sell them to me for $300 out the door. Retail was easily twice that. I headed over there and got them that day. They looked fantastic and still had remnants of the stickers on them, that's how new they were.

I had Eagles on a Vette a few years back and loved them so I expected the same.

Here's the problem:
Wet or dry, these things are slippery like I have never seen before.
I mean even on a hot, dry day, I will break traction on accelerating with any degree of urgency. If it is wet, it is even worse.

I can't imagine that I have so much torque on a stock car that it would act like that. It really is starting to affect my enjoyment of meeting Camaros at the redlight, since I will spin on takeoff and sometimes even break loose when it shifts.

Here is a picture, as you can see - the tread is perfect.


Is there anything that can be done to make them more "sticky?"

Nuke

What pressure are you running them at and what's your ambient temps been like?

The Eagle RS-A has a pretty poor consumer survey-based rating on Tirerack (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey....jsp?type=HPAS), ranked #15 out of 19 tires in that class although look where the Eagle RS-A2 sits.

You should have done some homework but then, we've all blown some cash on gut-buys...

Nuke

And if you REALLY want to feel bad, look at the price on tirerack for new tires in your size.

Nunja Business

Inflated to 35PSI l think, whatever the door sticker says.
Yeah, I definitely got surprised when I saw what 18-inchers cost. Years of buying 16s really messed me up.

However, spending $300 on what would have been close to $1000 retail is still a good deal, IMHO. Plus, I didn't really have many miles left to wait - it was kind of urgent.
Unfortunately, I just can't drive QUITE as aggressively as I am used to.

I am now waiting for my client to get some nice Michelin or Bridgestones that stick and I will trade out.

StangingAround

Long tread life and performance is usually considered an oxymoron in the tire world. Hopefully they just need to be broken in.

mph07alloy

We had the same tires on patrol cars and they were ok, the state bid was I think $50 each so you can't beat that price. Goodyear was a decent tire back 20 + years ago. My '89 LX 5.0 had the GY Gatorbacks and they were grippy as hell but they sure didn't last long. These days there seem to be a lot better tires for less money, also I never owned a set of GY that lasted more than a year, Goodyear = good for about a year.

Fox Fader

These came as stockers on my 04 Mazda3. I turbod the car at 7k. Found out really quick these RS-As are terrible. They didn't stick worth a crap at 7-8k miles. Before I hit 20k they needed to be replaced from being low on tread. And not from aggressive driving.

Goldenpony

Absolutely the worst tire I ever had were Goodyear Eagle "Gatorbacks". OK on hot dry roads, but that was the ONLY place they were good. Hated them until the day I got rid of 'em.

Siber Express

I got 23K out of mine on my 08 Mazda3 HB, after they got past half way they sucked doing anything but parking.

UPRSharad

Yeah, I don't think the RS-As were marketed as "performance tires". But before I'd go nuts trying to upgrade those tires ASAP, I'd pick up wider WHEELS and THEN get better tires. So you'd get better grip by virtue of wider AND stickier tires. Win-win.