Bigger boots give Camaro more kick

John Mahler

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Q: I have a ’98 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28; tire size is P245/50R16. If I were to go to a 17-inch rim, what tire size would I need?

A: The diameter of your Z-28 tire is 25.65 inches. The correct upgrade to a 17-inch tire is size P245/45R17. The diameter of that tire is an almost perfect 25.68 inches. That gives you the same tire width, but lower sidewall. That means sharper quicker steering response.

A second option is a massive P275/40R17 with a diameter of 25.66 inches. That tire gives you an extra 30 mm of width, almost an inch and a half. This will look tough. Just keep in mind that the steering will be much heavier and the ride quality will be harsh.

Q: My 2002 Ford Escape has 86,000 km. All driving is city and highway, no off road. I need new summer tires. Tire size is P235/70R16.

A: My favourites are also the most expensive, alas. In order: Goodyear TripleTred (definitely the top dog in this bunch), Michelin Latitude; both are premium priced. Then for about 25 per cent less, we have the General Grabber HTS (there are many Grabbers, so HTS is important). It performs almost at the standard of the first two.

After these three, I like the Bridgestone Alenza Touring, and the Continental CrossContact Touring. All of these are all-season rated; there are really no summer tires worth looking at in this size. Also, these are all on pavement tires; gravel roads are okay but no serious off-roading.

Q: I want to import tires from China and sell them; however, I have not found any ratings on Chinese tires. But, I did visit a few tire shops in the GTA and found these tires are being sold in Montreal as well. The brands include: Haida, Triangle, and Longmarch. The retailers gave me mixed reviews — 50/50 split. I want to know where I can find industry ratings, so I can make a decision to import these tires or not?

A: My only experience has been with consumer feedback and word from dealers. None has been very positive. I have not heard of the first two; the Longmarch has got pretty bad feedback. There is no large database of feedback that I know of.The problem with Chinese tires is consistency in quality. One batch may be round, another batch not round and/or hard to balance. Some do not have DOT numbers, so technically are illegal to sell to retail consumers. So be very sure that whatever you buy has been tested and approved.

In the U.S., you may remember a giant recall of Chinese tires, many millions of tires. The importer, one of which was a very small local tire dealer, was sued for hundreds of millions of dollars; it is still in the courts. So be careful.

Email tire questions to John Mahler at thetireguy_1@hotmail.com. Please include vehicle’s make, model and year, tire brand and size, as well as your name, address and phone number. Due to volume, personal replies cannot be provided.

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