wheel rubbing

[Zedyone_kenobi]

here are some pics of my tires.. sorry for the really bad pics.. but I did not have time to pull the car out last night, I was making my wife a surprise dinner. I know you would rather see side shots. I can work on that this weekend.

[FastWoman]

Thanks, Zedyone! Yeah, those look good! I'll probably go the same route, then. You actually did shoot the angle I was more interested in seeing. I was curious how the slant of the sidewall would look, with a narrower tire mounted on a wider rim. I do slightly prefer the wider look, but only slightly. I certainly want to stop the rubbing!

I see both the Grids and the Pole Positions (where do they get these names?!) look pretty good in the reviews. The reviews seem slighty better for the Pole Positions, but the Grids look sharper (to me). Decisions, decisions...

Wow, your garage does look very nice! I think I see the corner of your Datsun logo in the lower left of the last photo. How did that work out? It also seems to be a very BIG garage, with two cars parked end to end. Much prettier than ours!

Hey, kudos for the surprise dinner! I know she enjoyed it.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Your compliments are very appreciated... but my garage is filthy now. Lots of dust and dirt from the construction going on in my neighborhood. It needs to be swept and mopped soon. That lower left thing is an extension cord to my shopvac. I want a wall mount so I can tuck it away. I used UCoatIt on the floor, and would recommend it to anybody.

If you need extra pics let me know. In your decision for pole positions vs Grips, what is your priority? If you lean toward performance, get the pole positions.. no questions. If you lean toward comfort more, get the Grips. That is my best advice.

[FastWoman]

Actually, looking at the tire ratings at tirerack.com, the Pole Positions rate very slightly higher than the Grids on comfort and noise, as well as all aspects of handling. However, calling a local tire store, I have found out that the Pole Positions have no tread wear warranty and would supposedly not grip as well on wet roads. Dunno... These tires really seem so similar, and both sound really great. I'll probably go with the Grids.

BTW, if anyone is reading this thread with the same issues to address, I'm getting my tires at my local Tread Quarters shop. They're an installer recommended by tirerack.com. Because of a sale they're running, they're actually coming in slightly CHEAPER than tirerack.com if I buy my tires there. (I didn't think that was possible.)

Moreover, and here's the main point, they have a 30 day ride and comfort guarantee. If I don't like the tires for any reason, they'll swap them out for another model. I asked about the specific situation of tires rubbing the fender, and they said they'd cover that too. Sounds like a winner. :classic:

Thanks, Zedyone, for the photos and the useful information!

Edited October 29, 2009 by FastWoman

[Arne]

Moreover, and here's the main point, they have a 30 day ride and comfort guarantee. If I don't like the tires for any reason, they'll swap them out for another model. I asked about the specific situation of tires rubbing the fender, and they said they'd cover that too. Sounds like a winner. :classic:

That's why I don't buy tires mail-order. Sure, after 25 years selling tires, I feel that I still know enough to be able to make the right decisions when selecting tires. But if I should screw up, buying from a local dealer generally gives some alternatives. Local installer isn't going to give much sympathy if you buy your tires somewhere else and then complain that they rub...

[FastWoman]

Yeah, when they explained what I'd be paying to have them dismount tires, ship them back to tirerack, ship in replacements, pay to re-mount, I could see the $$$ adding up fast.

That said, if you're just buying more of what you already had, tirerack is the way to go. When we had to buy new tires for the Expedition, nobody local could come anywhere near their price. We saved a lot of money. But if theyre's any unknown, you're right that it's good to go local.

[70 Cam Guy]

I actually got my Grids from my Honda dealer, they offered free rotations and matched Costco prices. My best advice is to keep them rotated. I missed a rotation at my oil change and the rears feathered like crazy. My Civic has -2 degrees rear camber from the factory, enough that they released revised control arms. They are especially noisy now because of the tire wear and is why I say rotate them . When they were first mounted, they were dead quiet. I am not blaming the tires for this because I wanted to stay with the aggressive alignment. They are fantastic in the rain too. I have about 20K miles on them now.

btw, the tires look good on the Z

Edited October 31, 2009 by 70 Cam Guy

[FastWoman]

I got the grids today. They feel very much like my BFGoodrich T/As did. However, I've not driven them on dry pavement yet. The fit is much better -- no rubbing. The tires are noticeably smaller, but not objectionably so. Having the narrower tire (195) on the wider rim (7") looks perfectly fine.

Glad to be back home. It's been a rough day, between the tire shop possibly tweaking my front end OUT of alignment, an elderly woman trying to attack me with her car as I was leaving the tire shop and she was leaving church, and an exploding tartar sauce bottle at lunch.

[FastWoman]

After driving around on my slightly skinnier (OEM width) tires, I was delighted to discover that the steering is easier -- for obvious reasons. Wow, what a difference a couple of cm can make!

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I agree, as I felt what your talking about. The narrow tires allow you to feel more. Hope they give you years of fun. Let me know more of how you like/dislike them. I am about to pull my manifold and carbs off, as I just started my Ztherapy carb switch over. Looking forward to the difference they will make.