Tires...Call Me Shoeless Joe

[Atari_Prime]

Ok, so where to begin.

In short, it seems I am shoeless or tireless to be more accurate.

So, I needed some new tires for my 98' GTS. So I look at TireRack, Michelin Pilot PS2s are on backorder. I don't think anything of it. I then contact JonB at ViperPartsRack to get my tires ordered because he always has great deals on parts. Well here's where everything falls apart. I was only able to talk to him for a minute but it would seem that Michelin has stopped making the PS2 in the size I need for my car and they are on permanent backorder. So I kind of sit there going ummm...and at this moment have no idea what I'm supposed to do.

If Michelin Pilot PS2s are unavailable for my car, what am I supposed to order and from where?

Signed,

Confused and Shoeless

[City]

Talk another minute with Jon and he'll give you the best option(s). It IS Monday. ;)

[Atari_Prime]

I had no idea Monday was the busy parts day but it appears so.

[river rat]

If you are running the stock 18's there are not many choices, like 3

[MCG]

If you are running the stock 18's there are not many choices, like 3

Wouldn't a '98 GTS still be running 17s?

[GTS Warp]

True dat my stock '97 GTS PS2s are 17s

[Bill Pemberton]

Sent you a note, but this is a long term concern , so consider getting a set of used 18 rims, or scope out some Gen IV rims ( less than the new Gen Vs ) and then a world of tires opens up -- especially the set of Pirellis you can still get for being a VOA member ( $1250 for a set of P Zeroes)

[GTS Warp]

Good info Bill I'm gonna do the same next time around!

[sparkrn]

I'm in the same state with tires, I put new ps2s on last year and then got a real big hole in a rear. I really want a PS 2 since the other 3 are new. Research has shown that BF Goodrich, Pirelli, and nitto are the only choices. If anyone knows the whereabouts of New PS 2's please tell us!

[Vprbite]

I thought (could be wrong) that the PS2 had been discontinued and its successor was was PSS, Pilot Super Sport. Not sure if it's available for 17s though.

People are correct that gen III or IV take offs can be had pretty cheaply (1200 to 1500 ish) or contact NineBall as he was running a killer special on forgestars that are really good looking and will give you TONS of tire options in the 19/18 combo. FWIW, I don't like the Nitto Invo except for straight lines and know others that agree with me, but I am by no means the main authority on such matters. My PSS have done great for me but will probably try pirellis here soon.

Best of Luck. Sorry about the PS2s but you won't be disappointed by the PSS of that's all you can get right now.

Edit: The Gen III 10 spoke is the red headed stepchild of wheels which makes it cheaper but I think it looks AWESOME on Gen IIs. I have them on my 06 as I really do like them. They are heavier than other viper wheels but if you aren't tracking it doesn't make much difference. You can probably find a set of those easiest and cheapest.

[Canadian venom]

Pss > ps2

[uvbnbit]

same here, but with 18's. I wanted to go back to Michelin, preferably the PSS. So I bought a set of 2010 ACR wheels, 18/19's to do so.
Need a set of black 18's?....WITH 70% rubber.....just sayin :t0135:

[Nine Ball]

As mentioned, the PS2 is an old outdated tire. Michelin developed the Pilot Super Sport to replace the PS2. We are also starting to see wide 18" go away from the market, as newer cars that run our tire widths have gone to 19 or 20 rears. I'd recommend going 18/19 or 19/19 sized wheels, for the best selection of tires. We carry Forgestar wheels at under $1600/set, which will allow you to run Gen 5 tires.

http://driveviper.com/forums/threads/12031-Forgestar-F14-Wheels-IN-STOCK-NOW!

Thanks,
Tony

[PatrickB]

Another vote for Pilot Super Sports - I purchased a set (19/19) from JonB a while back and LOVE them.

[Coloviper]

Just stupid, there are 12,000 used Vipers on all 17s or all 18s. Of any car, you would think at least provide a small run every year. Being the only tire option for factory rims for those cars, something needs to be done. It should have been a condition of the new Pirelli contract for the new car, that they develop the support for the older sizes first before they pissed off Michelin. It is a disgrace for Michelin to walk away. Wish it was a regulation that the tire company must provide the tire size as long as the company is in business. I mean, it has zero competition in that size. If not sell that tire machine to Coker and let them continue on with it.

[EricMcClellan]

I run Falken 615's on mine, 315 all around. Nice tire, sticky and good mileage.

[Atari_Prime]

Regarding putting different wheels on, that's not really for me. I'm a purist at heart. I don't want to drive my Viper with any other wheel on it. The 96'-98' GTS wheel is my favorite Viper wheel and one of the reasons I bought the car I did. I guess this will create some hardships going forward but that's ok.

Thank you everyone for the comments and suggestions.

[AZTVR]

If Michelin has decided to stop supporting the legacy Viper products that they were OEM for, then we should stop supporting Michelin including their BFGoodrich and Uniroyal tires on all of our vehicles. That is unfortunate, as I like their product and was a loyal customer.

[Nine Ball]

Some of you are being a bit unreasonable, thinking a tire company should support niche vehicles that have been on the road over 13+ years now. Vipers got 19" rears starting in 2003. The entire vehicle brand was also cancelled at one point, since then. The tires used back then are also obsolete model tires. Maybe someday, the cars will become old enough that some company produces reproduction tires for them, just like they do with the classic 1960's cars that are restored to OEM standards today?

[EricMcClellan]

Some of you are being a bit unreasonable, thinking a tire company should support niche vehicles that have been on the road over 13+ years now. Vipers got 19" rears starting in 2003. The entire vehicle brand was also cancelled at one point, since then. The tires used back then are also obsolete model tires. Maybe someday, the cars will become old enough that some company produces reproduction tires for them, just like they do with the classic 1960's cars that are restored to OEM standards today?

Not to mention, from a business stand point... who would they rather cater to.... a low production Viper crowd? Or the hundreds of thousands of Corvette owners?

[Atari_Prime]

A summary of what seems to be out there for 96' to 98' GTS Coupes:

Fronts - 275/40ZR17
(About 30 different options for the fronts)

These are my preferred options.
Toyo Proxes R1R
Toyo Proxes 4 Plus
Toyo Proxes R888

Rears - 335/35ZR17
Pirelli P Zero System
Hoosier A7

The rears are the main problem. These two seem to be the only ones on the market that I can find. Drag radials aren't going to work so its Pirelli or nothing.

Does anyone have a contact at one of these companies to see if they would be willing to make a batch of matching sets in the sizes needed?

I would love to have a matching set of Toyo R1Rs or R888s if they existed.

[EricMcClellan]

A summary of what seems to be out there for 96' to 98' GTS Coupes:

Fronts - 275/40ZR17
(About 30 different options for the fronts)

These are my preferred options.
Toyo Proxes R1R
Toyo Proxes 4 Plus
Toyo Proxes R888

Rears - 335/35ZR17
Pirelli P Zero System
Hoosier A7

The rears are the main problem. These two seem to be the only ones on the market that I can find. Drag radials aren't going to work so its Pirelli or nothing.

Does anyone have a contact at one of these companies to see if they would be willing to make a batch of matching sets in the sizes needed?

I would love to have a matching set of Toyo R1Rs or R888s if they existed.

*ahem*

I mentioned Falken 615's. Last longer than R888's.

[Bill Pemberton]

One, you should never mismatch tires, brands especially, or even different styles in the same brand. Purist or not you would be better off getting a set of rims from Nine Ball, or used set of Gen IVs, etc. and then a ton of tire choices come up --- you obviously can keep your stock 17s and if something comes up in the future you can get some tires.

[Bill Pemberton]

Nitto has a 275/17 and a 315/17 rear in the NT555 G2 -- you are just going to have a severe issue finding a 335 , so that is one option. Your best bet is to get another set of rims, and go with a myriad of choices then. You did get my PM that Tire Rack has PS2s, and you can custom order the rears, correct? You could be waiting a very long time, so not a good option.

[Atari_Prime]

Ok...so...entertaining the idea of wheels for a moment:

OZ, Fikse, or BBS wheels. Five spoke wheels preferred. Any recommendations?

I have no idea about insets, limits of sizes, etc. Thoughts are welcome.

[Atari_Prime]

Nitto has a 275/17 and a 315/17 rear in the NT555 G2 -- you are just going to have a severe issue finding a 335 , so that is one option. Your best bet is to get another set of rims, and go with a myriad of choices then. You did get my PM that Tire Rack has PS2s, and you can custom order the rears, correct? You could be waiting a very long time, so not a good option.

Hi Bill. Thank you very much for your help. I did get your email and have reached out to see what he can do. I'm waiting to hear back from him now. The fronts are available now. I haven't heard anything about being able to custom order the rears. If that's an option, I'm happy to order them today. How long is a very long time exactly? My rear tires are driveable for a while. I need to change my fronts now, but would like to be able to have a matching set after I do.

I also spoke to Toyo briefly. They are aware of the shortage and have let their product development team know of the hole in the market.

[Bill Pemberton]

Save yourself some time, just call Nine Ball or maybe Jon B at PartsRack for used. Geez 1600 for a set with Nine Ball to me means no wasted time and a great deal, but up to you. As mentioned VOA got a deal with Pirelli , for awhile , that a full set of P Zeroes is only 1250 shipped to your door. Bet you could buy, have them shipped to Nine Ball, he could mount and ship you the completed product , no sweat. Jon B does have used 18s also, but the choices are out there-- good luck.

[99RT10]

Ok...so...entertaining the idea of wheels for a moment:

OZ, Fikse, or BBS wheels. Five spoke wheels preferred. Any recommendations?

I have no idea about insets, limits of sizes, etc. Thoughts are welcome.

I have a set of 6 spokes (18" front, 19" rears) excellent shape.

I have a set of Razor wheels with tires, fronts good, rears need replaced, cheap though.

Powder coated black H-spoke wheels (18" F\19" R). Never mounted.

PM me

http://driveviper.com/classifieds/wheels-2f-tires/p1479-light-weight-6-spoke-wheels.html

http://driveviper.com/classifieds/wheels-2f-tires/p1478-razor-wheels-and-michelin-tires.html

[Vprbite]

Regarding putting different wheels on, that's not really for me. I'm a purist at heart. I don't want to drive my Viper with any other wheel on it. The 96'-98' GTS wheel is my favorite Viper wheel and one of the reasons I bought the car I did. I guess this will create some hardships going forward but that's ok.

Thank you everyone for the comments and suggestions.

If you are a purist, stick with Viper wheels and save yours for collector/resale purposes. As I said, Gen IIs look awesome with newer Viper wheels on them. I saw a Gen II at my tech's place last week with 10 spokes on it and it made me miss mine so much. And your tire choices open up incredibly, plus you get a great deal on porellis right now.

[C5Longhorn]

What do folks do about the speedometer error when switching to taller tires?

Thanks,

Rick

[Vprbite]

What do folks do about the speedometer error when switching to taller tires?

Thanks,

Rick

Contact Jon B about a speedometer recalibration kit. But that may be specifically for gears, not for tires. Or both. I know for sure it's for people who do gears in their Gen II. Not certain about wheel and tires. Remember though, it's not the wheel size necessarily, it's the overall diameter of the tire. So, more wheel may mean less sidewall such that the differences are almost immeasurable.

Look up the actual specs of the different tires and see what the published diameter is as they can vary a bit by manufacturer and model. My guess is it will be small enough that the speed difference is less than 1 or 2 MPH. Conversely, on a truck that tends to come with small tires from the factory, putting big off road tires on there can throw it off a lot. For example, my last tires put my speedometer off by 7% in my truck and my current ones by 10%.

Also don't forget, speedometers are allowed to be off by about 5mph or so from the factory and still be cleared by the government.

[drewsss]

I'm in the same state with tires, I put new ps2s on last year and then got a real big hole in a rear. I really want a PS 2 since the other 3 are new. Research has shown that BF Goodrich, Pirelli, and nitto are the only choices. If anyone knows the whereabouts of New PS 2's please tell us!

If you are referring to BF Goodrich KDW2's, I believe that they have been discontinued as well.

[C5Longhorn]

If you are referring to BF Goodrich KDW2's, I believe that they have been discontinued as well.

I think he is talking about the G-Force Rival S.

[Bill Pemberton]

The calibration kit is available through SnakeOyl Products for the GenII.It was their design and they should still carry.

[Atari_Prime]

I think he is talking about the G-Force Rival S.

Looking at BF Goodrich's website, the G-Force Rival S doesn't come in a 335mm 17in model. The closest they have is a 315/35ZR17.

[Bill Pemberton]

As listed before do not mismatch tires. Frankly you are going to wear yourself out and if you go with a 315 in the rear you will be fine, but just use matching tires. Long term , as many have suggested , you should get rims and buy a reasonably priced set of tires and you will be in good shape. Store your 17s till something comes up in the future that truly makes sense.

[Atari_Prime]

After much searching, I found a set of new PS2s for the rear for dirt cheap somehow. The fronts are much easier to find. Waiting to see if the PS2s are actually what I paid for. If not, I think I've decided I'm getting some Forgestar F14s. It's a popular wheel but I'm not looking to be unique. I just want a pretty wheel if I can't use the factory one anymore, and that F14 is quite the dandy.

[Coloviper]

Might look into the front Pirellis. Here are the rears:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-TWO-Pirelli-P-ZERO-Rosso-335-30ZR18-335-30R18-TIRES-LP640-Murcielago-Viper-/172168849018?hash=item281610267a:g:I7AAAOSwKmlXEUe Q&vxp=mtr

[Canadian venom]

After much searching, I found a set of new PS2s for the rear for dirt cheap somehow. The fronts are much easier to find. Waiting to see if the PS2s are actually what I paid for. If not, I think I've decided I'm getting some Forgestar F14s. It's a popular wheel but I'm not looking to be unique. I just want a pretty wheel if I can't use the factory one anymore, and that F14 is quite the dandy.

Check the date of those tires....if they're cheap there is a reason....

[elw98]

A Michelin insider told me LAST week...there are (300) -335-35-18 ps2's located in N.C. slated for EXPORT ONLY! Late date code!

Ernie

[AZTVR]

A Michelin insider told me LAST week...there are (300) -335-35-18 ps2's located in N.C. slated for EXPORT ONLY! Late date code!

Bet that the Lamborghini Murcielago owners have morer "pull" than the Gen 2 Viper owners even if the number of Murcielagos out there is much smaller.

[ZeroCool]

Sent you a note, but this is a long term concern , so consider getting a set of used 18 rims, or scope out some Gen IV rims ( less than the new Gen Vs ) and then a world of tires opens up -- especially the set of Pirellis you can still get for being a VOA member ( $1250 for a set of P Zeroes)

where is this deal on tires listed?
thx

[Atari_Prime]

A Michelin insider told me LAST week...there are (300) -335-35-18 ps2's located in N.C. slated for EXPORT ONLY! Late date code!

Ernie

Unfortunately those would not work for me. I don't think the 18in wheel showed up until the 1999 model.

I am waiting to see what the date codes turn out to be on these tires. They are new but were so cheap that it could turn out to be that the tires are old, the wrong tire, or if I'm lucky it was just someone trying to get rid of supply of what is now a discontinued tire.

[damstr]

Ok...so...entertaining the idea of wheels for a moment:

OZ, Fikse, or BBS wheels. Five spoke wheels preferred. Any recommendations?

I have no idea about insets, limits of sizes, etc. Thoughts are welcome.
Gen IV Six Spokes are my recommendation :) I believe Parts Rack has them too.

http://i.imgur.com/zy6vNfY.jpg

[Bill Pemberton]

Damstr -- great example as that setup looks smoking on your Gen II. Now let's just get you to join VOA so you can hang around with the rest of Viperholics in your area!! Gotta be more than an enthusiast as kickasp as that Red Beast looks!

[AZTVR]

where is this deal on tires listed?
thx

The deal is outlined on this page: http://www.driveviper.com/pirelli/
but the expiration date listed is wrong, now.

The expiration date has been extended to some time in June, 2016 according to this page (near the bottom): http://driveviper.com/