Replace front tires too?(for traction only)

[BlknBlu]

I would never mix tires on a Viper, now a 72 Duster with a 6 cylinder, who cares. These Snakes get into enough trouble no sense it helping it along.

Bruce

 

[dave6666]

I have said this in the past and been nailed by my opinion. Less traction in the front causes understeer which is the most predictable and correctable handling flaw. That is why cars have designed in understeer to begin with.

As far as providing poor handling characteristic in an emergency maneuver you are correct. A Viper with mismatched tires will have lessened handling capability and predictability than a Viper with new tires on it. But then how about that same mismatched tire Viper compared to a Ford Pinto with 10 year old tires on it. Which would you rather be in when in an emergency situation? The Viper with mismatched tires, no doubt. So are all cars with worse handling characteristics a hazard for the street. No. Just drive within the cars (and your own) capability and you will be fine. No one should be at 90% or anywhere close on the street anyway.

Well put.

I guess the part the irks me the most about the gloom and doom that is told about tires is, that someone will clearly state that their use of the car is not to push the limits but more like Sunday afternoon with the wife kinda stuff. The OP basically made that statement in his first post. And then what follows is advice that factors in nth degree performance driving characteristics and/or a ready preparedness state you must be in for virtually any and all road hazards that in reality are just as likely as death in a plane crash or earthquake.

If you state you're not performance driving the car, then you don't need performance driving advice. Heck, you think the OP would be caught dead in the rain in his pride and joy?

If you're a safe responsible driver, then you probably are at a very low percentage risk of being involved in an unexpected event. You can manage that. And the one that gets you? Well, it's your turn to have a crappy day and that's just your bad luck that is out of your control. Ship happens.

When I wear my back tires out I will only replace them and continue to drive sensibly with the 2 year old fronts. Intelligence works.

 

[Leslie]

My concerns would be

Age of tires

They are not a tire known to be safe

Your old front PS's will 'overdrive' to compensate for the new PS2's in the back, then your Viper will start 'darting', even at lower speeds

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Changing all four corners is always nice but not always necessary. I typically change the left and right at the same time because if one side is bad then other side can't be far behind. But I've also changed all four because the hassle of going back for two more isn't worth it. I do most of my own work.

But changing the fronts everytime you need new rears depends on how the rears were driven. Dragracers and street showoffs will go through rears in 5 or 10 thousand miles. In those cases it is not necessary to change the fronts every time.

As for the track rats vs common sense crowd, both should know their tire setup before going 100%. But I think most people can't even get 80% out of their car anyway so if they're gonna overdrive then they're just gonna overdrive no matter what.

I know what Dave is saying and I agree with him. Know the limits of your equipment and don't exceed them. Ultimately it is your foot on the gas pedal, not the Michelin Tire Man's.

 

[GTS1997]

Alright, Thanks very much for everyone's input. I'll go with all 4 PS2s .........eventually. I wont be doing any spirited driving in the mean time. I've put maybe 400 miles on it the 2 months Ive had it.

Leslie might be helping me with getting 2 barely used, 18 inch, PS2, front tires, for a very cheap price. If so, that will greatly help, and it will reduce my wait time.

Again thank you all.

 

[ViperGal]

How long to you want to keep your Viper?

If you cant afford new tires for the Viper, sell it.

You must be registered for see images attach

You read my mind. Actually had a conversation with someone multiple times about that very topic ... anyway their Viper is about to be back ready to be on the road soon....

The tires are a good investment in terms of life protection, Viper protection, and for your insurance rates.

 

[dave6666]

The tires are a good investment in terms of life protection, Viper protection, and for your insurance rates.

Huh? Newer tires, lower insurance premiums?

Hook me up!

 

[ViperGTS]

If you have put the car close to the limits of traction you know the difference a new set of tires makes!

It's all about experience. Trust the old guys or leave it.

=> New tires OR sell the car.

You want to drive a high performance car and don't have the money for new rubber every 3-4 years (depending on your driving)? Huh!

That's like dating a super hot girl and you don't have the money to go out eating in a restaurant with her - order some lukewarm pizza!