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Saturn Please Consider This

4K views 24 replies 15 participants last post by  Fformula88 
#1 ·
Sky Suggestion-Please Consider

I am currently interested in the new Sky. I have a major concern with the 245/45-18 tires. They have too large a foot print for all weather driving and they are very costly to replace. Please consider providing a 17" tire option. This could be a negavie or zero cost option. In my opinion the 225/55-17 size would be a good option. 235/55-17 could also be an option and provide a little more ground clearance. Lutz had made comments regarding the Sky being a little less hard edged compared to the Solstice. This option would fullfil this.

Thanks,

Mike
 
#2 ·
Mike, the Solstice with the 245/45-18 Goodyear RS-A tires do okay in the snow. One of the engineers stated the tires handle the Michagan winter with no problem and had very good traction in a 3" storm one day. Now on the other hand the S2000 that was trying to drive with them had to abandon their car as it had no traction at all.
 
#3 ·
trailrider said:
Sky Suggestion-Please Consider

I am currently interested in the new Sky. I have a major concern with the 245/45-18 tires. They have too large a foot print for all weather driving and they are very costly to replace. Please consider providing a 17" tire option. This could be a negavie or zero cost option. In my opinion the 225/55-17 size would be a good option.

Thanks,

Mike
I would think your suggestion would be perfect for this car. I really think the 245s are much too wide and while all of the recent magazine reviews on the Solstice say that the car has tenacious grip, they all seem to have a problem with power oversteer. I would like to be able to get some throttle oversteer on the car and I think 225-55/17s woud be a good match.

I'm going to be getting light weight wheels so I'll be thinking long and hard about doing exactly what you suggest.
 
#4 ·
Delnari said:
Mike, the Solstice with the 245/45-18 Goodyear RS-A tires do okay in the snow. One of the engineers stated the tires handle the Michagan winter with no problem and had very good traction in a 3" storm one day. Now on the other hand the S2000 that was trying to drive with them had to abandon their car as it had no traction at all.
I bet you can't spin the tires while making a turn. If that's the case, don't wrorry about traction in snow, worry about clearence, staying on the ground will be your problem not sliding!
 
#8 ·
spinning was too easy for me

I don't know how much difference it makes having the engine in the back, but I had a 4cyl Fiero that could spin the wheels really easy going around corners. I almost got T-boned by a truck from fish tailing all the way around one time when I gave it too much gas coming out of a turn.
 
#9 ·
Tire option is tiring to listen to

Hey I'm in Florida and I don't think snow will be an issue. But for you sad-sacks up north, okay, let them have the option. I won't want you guys wrapping your cars around any telephone poles. :lol: Better yet, get a winter rust-bucket and drive that in the winter. That's what I did in Ohio.
 
#10 ·
I live in Canada. Our winters are full of snow and ice and our summers are hot and humid. For those beautiful warm summer months, I want to have coolqp 18" rims. For those dreary cold winter days I'm perfectly happy with ugly black steel rims. I don't understand why you can't just buy plain winter rims (16" or so) and put your winter tires on those for the winter driving. I'd much rather keep the stock 18" rims and have a second set of winter ones than drive around on 17" all year long. But that's just my opinion.
 
#11 ·
andrewplanet said:
I live in Canada. Our winters are full of snow and ice and our summers are hot and humid. For those beautiful warm summer months, I want to have coolqp 18" rims. For those dreary cold winter days I'm perfectly happy with ugly black steel rims. I don't understand why you can't just buy plain winter rims (16" or so) and put your winter tires on those for the winter driving. I'd much rather keep the stock 18" rims and have a second set of winter ones than drive around on 17" all year long. But that's just my opinion.
I agree. Get the 18's standard, and get yourself a set of takeoff rims with snow tires. If the stock goodyears are ok in the snow, a set of dedicated snow tires will be awesome in the snow! I have used snows in the past, and they are just so much better in bad weather.

If appearance is important, you could get a set of 17 inch aluminum rims too. Just get painted ones that will hold their finish ok through the salt. It also makes switching easier in the fall and spring too.
 
#12 ·
first of all the Eagle Rsa's are some of the crappiest tires period. They are expensive as all hell and the rubber sucks bad. The excessive size they are putting on this car won't do anything but slow it down.

I say put some light weight 17's on there with a better quality tire. you could easy save 8lbs per tire by going polished on some Motegi's with a low pro z tire. cost would just about the same.

I'm planning on going with some 225 50 r 17's only bad thing is the speedo will be off
side wall radius Diameter circumference revs/mile Diff speedo
225/50-17 4.4in 12.9in 25.9in 81.2in 780 0.0%
245/45-18 4.3in 13.3in 26.7in 83.8in 756 3.2%

235/55-17 5.1in 13.6in 27.2in 85.4in 742 0.0%
245/45-18 4.3in 13.3in 26.7in 83.8in 756 -1.8%
Like trailrider suggested.
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
scroll down to the second entry section.


I'm sure the 18" rims as wide "prolly 8 in" and chrome as they are would weigh about 25-27 lbs. A 17" thats 7 inches wide is only 20 lbs some rims 16-18 painted 22lbs. Rsa's being the heavy compound they are could be lightened. There are so many companies that make 45 series tires so I say keep em 45's. I'd like to see the car with 225 45 17's, Bbs's or motegi 5 points with some "p-rails". JMHO
 
#13 ·
My gripe against wide tires is that they are so grippy and steel belted
radials are so directional, uneven pavement (or grooved pavement) makes
for a rather randomized sequence of steering events, at best. Very disconcerting. Might be a good idea to go with narrower tires in the front and leave the rears alone. That works for the Vette. Anybody know if 225's
work on the standard wheels?
 
#14 ·
The TireRack review for RS-A's is only medicore. I live in San Diego and we almost never get rain, and absolutely never get ice or snow, so I'd love something with more grip.

I think it's fair to say that most convertible buyers will be in warm areas and will want tires that emphasize grip/appearance over weather traction. Perhaps they could offer all-weather tires as a regional option to those who live further north...
 
#15 · (Edited)
First, the tirerack reviews are for "RS-A" IN GENERAL. They are not comments that are size-specific. When one comments on an RS-A, they may be talking about a P205/55R16 size, which is a world of difference between the P245/45R18 in terms of performance, and the comments are grouped together as an aggregate assessment.

Second, you'll notice three different P245/45R18 Goodyears available - one run-flat, and two standard tires. Of the two standard tires, one of them is the Solstice/Sky tire, the other is the tire for another OEM application. I've been told that even though these tires LOOK identical, they are as different as the difference between a Continental and a Goodyear. The tire is supposedly "tuned" specifically for the car it is used on, and what works for one OEM (like Honda, or BMW or Nissan) may not work for GM.

Third, someone has weighed the wheels for the Solstice - Chromed = 24.6 lbs, painted/polished are 23.6 lbs. The Sky are expected to be same to 0.7 lbs lighter each, b/c of the difference in design.

My advice, try them before you throw them out. JMHO.

Loyal, one of the GM engineers told me that the Goodyear Eagle GS-D3 is a great wet and dry handling tire in the same size as the Solstice P245/45ZR18. If you don't have to worry 'bout snow, that would make a great option for you.
 
#16 ·
Fourth, to offer the alternative if you really are worried about tire width, as I researched and posted over at solsticeforum http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=36417&postcount=7
an alternative, narrower wheel/tire is the 225/60-R16 which is same rolling circumference as the stock tires so that no recalibration would be necessary. You will give up dry pavement grip, you will gain wet weather traction, you may feel a little less stiffness in suspension due to more sidewall (2"), you also without going overboard may see a weight reduction of about 5# per wheel.
 
#17 ·
Why does GM show their pre production cars with the "sporty" F1s and then sell the Sol/Sky with the "family car" RSAs? :confused: IMHO ... it is because they know that the F1s look awesome on the Sol/Sky, but they failed to use them to help make the base car <20K(errr, safer).

It snows about 1/2 an inch every 5-7 years in AL/GA :cool: , so I would rather have the F1s JMHO :cheers: Don't get me wrong ... I will take what comes on mine and use them, but this thread was "consider this" and Sky can still make easy changes (like an tire upgrade). The tires are close to the same price, so I think it would be a possibility.
 
#19 · (Edited)
achieftain said:
Maybe if we all hold our breath long enough and turn blue they might offer an optional tire upgrade with the redline or at least a different tire with the package. Everything the manufacturers do is a compromise between all out performance and cost .
Why don't they show their cars at the display sites, or on the web site with the RSAs? :confused:

I would have NO issue with the tires, if they would not dangle the "cool" ones ... and then switch them with the family ones at production. :rolleyes: They could say they were not sure (at time of presentation) with the Sol, but with the Sky they already know they are going to use the RSAs.

This is a very minor issue, but I think it is a valid point.
 
#20 ·
Lost Sol said:
Why don't they show their cars at the display sites, or on the web site with the RSAs? :confused:

I would have NO issue with the tires, if they would not dangle the "cool" ones ... and then switch them with the family ones at production. :rolleyes: They could say they were not sure (at time of presentation) with the Sol, but with the Sky they already know they are going to use the RSAs.

This is a very minor issue, but I think it is a valid point.
There are apparently only 4 Sky's touring the country or that are admitted to exist. Could be a case of the supplier not having the tires ready so they used what was available back in 2004 when these show cars were built. No excuses, just ideas.
 
#21 ·
Lost Sol said:
Why don't they show their cars at the display sites, or on the web site with the RSAs? :confused:

I would have NO issue with the tires, if they would not dangle the "cool" ones ... and then switch them with the family ones at production. :rolleyes: They could say they were not sure (at time of presentation) with the Sol, but with the Sky they already know they are going to use the RSAs.

This is a very minor issue, but I think it is a valid point.
I have always wondered why they didn't offer a summer only tire as a stand alone option like they do on the G6 GTP sedan.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Fformula88 said:
I have always wondered why they didn't offer a summer only tire as a stand alone option like they do on the G6 GTP sedan.
:cheers: I could understand if there was a big price difference, but the F1s were actually cheeper ($5 each) ... in the latest tirerack.com sale. :cheers:
 
#23 ·
Lost Sol said:
:cheers: I could understand if there was a big price difference, but the F1s were actually cheeper ($5 each) ... in the latest tirerack.com sale. :cheers:
That is a consumer price too. The difference is probably less for a manufacturer like GM who is buying in bulk.

On the G6, they charge a $150 premium for summer only tires in place of the stock all seasons on 18 inch rims. With a lot of Sol owners adding $3000, $4000 worth of options, I bet they could have found a few to hand over an another $150.
 
#24 ·
Fformula88 said:
That is a consumer price too. The difference is probably less for a manufacturer like GM who is buying in bulk.

On the G6, they charge a $150 premium for summer only tires in place of the stock all seasons on 18 inch rims. With a lot of Sol owners adding $3000, $4000 worth of options, I bet they could have found a few to hand over an another $150.
:cheers: I would pay a little extra, because I will be driving in the Southeast and will not need the RSAs. :cheers:
 
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