ps2s on rear / runflats up front?

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Gotta agree with Viperdrummer 100%. His answer alone should be enough to convince anyone not to mix tires.......same manufacturer or not. I think he gave us all the definitive answer and I know we personally never recommend folks use different tires within the same brand or others.

 

[GR8_ASP]

If I listened to lawyers I would never leave my house for all the ills that could affect me. Oops, I forgot thet the house is the location with the highest number of accidents causing injury. I would expect a lawyer would tell us that driving a Viper, any Viper, is an unacceptable risk.

Thanks goodness I do not live by the guidance of lawyers, nor the pundits that think I cannot do this, that or the other thing. So far this is a free country. To give and take advice alike as you see fit. No governmental mandate yet. So you have received a plethera of advice. Take it and do what you want.

 

[GTS-R 001]

While this is somewhat different...it's still the same.


On my ACR I had PS1 on the front and Kumho V700's on the rear. For drag racing...this was great! Even for mild street driving it was also fine. But when I would push the car into a corner....it just felt all goofy.

So as a temp thing...your fine. If your big thing is drag racing and mild street driving you have no reason to chance. If you want to push into a corner..then change them out.

Agreed!

Do what is best for you

 

[Tabs1]

Agreed, its your Viper, do whatever you think is best for you. No need to listen to the recomendations of tire manufacturer engineers or Viper engineers, thats just silly.

 

[viperdrummer]

So if the temperature is under 38F, the run flats will "stick" and the PS2s will slide, and then above 38F, the run flats will slide and the PS2s will stick. OK... I see a little temperature effect, but in the absence of litigation and the sunlight of common sense (hey, everyone makes fun of lawyers, right?) then I still think RF in front and PS2s in back is at the minimum an OK situtation.

We all take risks. I have had 5 Vipers and about 120,000 miles of seat time, and done some dumb stuff along the way. No one has to "listen" to me or lawyers generally. (there are few lawyers I listen to) But, I have spent a lot of time preparing and defending tire experts in litigation and have put them on the stand at trial --I am talking world authorities (unlike me) on tire technology. . Based on this , I am saying it is a risk which anyone on this board is free to undertake. I find it unconcionable that a dealer would mix tires ( and don't get me wrong--I defend manufacturers and dealers--I don't bring lawsuits)

Tom, you are authority on oil and I have enjoyed your posts on oil and I learned a lot. On this issue , we disagree.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Tom, you are authority on oil and I have enjoyed your posts on oil and I learned a lot. On this issue , we disagree.

Not yet, as we haven't had any discovery from your side. You may have learned something from those tire engineers that we don't know. For the most part the people here are relying on experiences, rumors, and sometimes rules - without having facts. I am just trying to pry those facts out of you.

 

[gb66gth]

Ya got insurance? If the answer is Yes, then don't worry about it and use the tires until they wear out. But keep the car insured bacse you might just need it, if you do any "spirited" driving.

 

[JonB]

Take from a guy who spent the first 10 years of his legal practice defending tire companies in lawsuits nationwide--DON'T DO IT......I could tell you dozens of horror stories of serious injury, deaths attributable to mixing tires. ...............

.......There are a bunch. You may be able to find some on Google or in legal periodicals. I am constrained by ethics/privilege issues to go into anything involving clients.......Just take it on faith there are some very sad stories out there involving young families. I know --I was in the courtroom. Also , call Michelin and ask--you can even get hold of an engineer. I did and he told me don't dare drive the PS2s (on my 09 CTS-V) in under 38 degree weather.

I added the BOLD. Nuff Said?

Fellow Owners: The mismatch only matters a lot in an unexpected emergency, or AT THE LIMITS OF HANDLING. Sure, you can manage it on track and strip because you KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.... your attention is 110%. In an emergency, your hands write checks your tires can't cash.

ps..... this thread is 10 mos old !

pps: GR8ASP- when you did your PS1 + PS1-ZP mismatch, at least your mismatch was the same treadstyle! Only the carcass was mismatched. A PS-2 is so VERY different from a PS1-ZP, in 4 of 5 key categories, that the handling (and ride) is noticably quite different even to a numb-butt-novice.

 

[GR8_ASP]

I agree Jon but everyone here said the same story. I tried (as in I cannot afford to buy 4 tires everytime I waste one). And it has been great. And I try to do emergency manuevers every chance I get.

I find it funny that itis okay to mix drag radial rears with anything as most do not buy anything close to a matching front, which have a HUGE difference and what must be horrible handling at the limits and people say nothing. But match two different varieties of the same tire type and it is a huge no-no. Without a single direct evaluation of that specific combination I might add.

As far as the stated and then quoted comment about a tire engineer indicating that driving below 38 degrees with PS2's is unsafe I have more serious thoughts. First both the engineer, if he/she is one, and the person who communicated the concern are idiots. Since it is a production tire as original equipment the statement is preposterous. Does Cadillac refuse to sell/deliver said cars when the temperature is 38 degrees and under? Do they have a huge warning label telling oweners not to drive under those conditions? How about other cars and companies using the same tire? So 39 degrees is safe and you should go all out but if the temp drops 1 degree you should park it. Right, and that came from an engineer. Right. At best the owners manual may state that the tires are summer performance tires and care should be taken in inclimate weather. That is what my Crossfire said with 3 season tires. But 38 degrees and park give me a break. I would like to see the performance data that shows a steep performance drop at precisely that temperature.

 

[JonB]

........I find it funny that it is okay to mix drag radial rears with anything as most do not buy anything close to a matching front, which have a HUGE difference and what must be horrible handling at the limits and people say nothing..

R...... ANYONE who calls me to ask about drag radials rear gets the usual scolding about the dangers they are creating with cornering. They can be driven carefully to and from the strip...assuming you remember to reinflate them after the drag runs!

A few posts up, DISTURBED admits that he has Kumhos rear, and it 'handles goofy' in corners. A Canada guy above posts about the 'nice and loose, but terrible balance' he likes at the track.... DRAG RADIALS ARE WORSE! The shoulders are meant to flex, and are NOT meant for safe cornering. There have been several posts that have cited the 'squirrelly' feeling if you corner or even PUNCH it in a downshift on drag radials. Entrance-Exit ramps can be treacherous as those sidewalls give...


Ironic coincidence: When I bought a NICE, used Crossfire SRT-6 a couple years back, it had mismatched tires! PS2 front, and Pirelli rears. (May have been the reverse) The car was twitchy. Despite having a wholesale ability to get matching tires cheaper, I drove STRAIGHT to a large discount shop and bought matching PS2s at their retail! The pirellis were "like new" ......and they sold em on consignment.

 

[SweetRed04]

Is this the reason Viper rear ZPs are sold out nationally so everyone needs to buy 4 new tires?

The ratio of rear wear out ot front is 2.5:1, but at least I wear them out quickly enough that none of the tires are over 3 years old, so by this discourse, they shouldn't be overly mismatched from a hardness standpoint.