I no longer use tire dressing on my car...

I work for good year. That's called a serated sidewalk, and that's pretty much standard on most tires regardless of brand. Please, please please do not choose a tire on a car like a Vette based on sidewalk appearance, performance is the only thing that should be considered on a car like that (although that's kinda my opinion).



dont you mean sideWALL?
 
Hi Mark. We haven't talked in a while, so here goes...Hope you don't mind. :)

According to tire manufacturers....Serrated (ribbed) sidewalled tires are supposed to evoke the emotions/look of: sleekness and performance. Yeah, right! Like you, to me they evoke the emotional rollercoaster of to "dress or not to dress"---to shine or not to shine, so to speak. It has been my experience though, that, often, due to the gleam from clean chrome wheels, such as you always have, reflecting off these serrations on the sidewalls, that even undressed, these tires will emit a little shine.

IMO...If you don't dress these tires on your Corvette:
-The blooming (browning) that's caused by the tire manufactures' inclusion of antiozonants during the manufacturing process, will be less noticable on serrated sidewalled tires and should be easily washed away during your cleaning cycle; and, by the time these tires have reached the end of their life cycle, these antiozonants (being somewhat less as a presence because of the aspect ratio of low-profile tires) should be depleted anyway.
-You may have more brake dust creeping into those ribbed areas...but again, removal should be a breeze due to your cleaning cycles.

While the width (contact patch) is a factor in tramlining/rough-riding with these low-profile tires, the strength(#of plys)/size of the sidewall/shoulder block also comes into play. As you know, run-flats have a harder/stronger sidewall/shoulder block vs. the non run-flats. [How much stronger, though?]. Some tires with these wide contact patch areas tramline more than others...they'll all tramline more as the tread wears.

As far as the noisiness...In my case, due to the exhaust system, I would'nt hear the "tire-noisiness" on mine even if the tires were "big ol' knobby off-road ones". But that's just me. :D
{If someone is close enough to hear my tire noise, then it's either my fault, or the speedometer needs recalibrated}

I know that tire safety, and not the costs associated with having ones mind-at ease, is uppermost in your mind.....Since Michelin PS2's, (and other tire manufacturers), come in either run-flat or non run-flat...Which ones are you leaning towards? My preferrence leans towards tires with the (Y) speed rating...and I don't want to carry around a "fix-a-flat" kit. :)

Note: I know, that you already know, all the above...I just enjoy having a good, concise, gab-session at times; that, and using a little bandwidth. LOL

Nice talking with you again!

Bob
Bob,

You are a freakin' genius!! :props: :dblthumb2:

If I didn't clean my tires every week, it might be a problem, but since I do, I'll be just fine. Not sure which PS2's I'm gonna go with. :)
 
Bob,

You are a freakin' genius!! :props: :dblthumb2:

If I didn't clean my tires every week, it might be a problem, but since I do, I'll be just fine. Not sure which PS2's I'm gonna go with. :)

Thanks for your reply and kind words.

[Genius, I doubt it :(....Freakin', more than likely :D]

{You impress me as having all the attributes that a true Professional should have as it comes to car care. I'm sure those attributes spill over into your everday life as well!!!}

When my vehicles don't come equipped with Michelins, then when replacements are due, I'm with you on selecting the correct Michelins for said replacement....IMHO...either of the PS2's would be an excellent selection! :)

Note: Most replacement tires, regardless of manufacturer, for our Corvettes have a UTQG of around 220. I insist on the same aspect ratio (unless I want to "go up" a size); along with the same speed and load ratings, as feasible as possible, though.

:)

Bob
 
My tires have narrow ribbing on the whole face, and the way light reflects off them, even the mattest of matte tire dressing still looks shiny. When I buy my next set tires, I'm going to look for some with no ribbing. :dblthumb2:

I hate the ribbing on tires! I see it more and more and your right no matter what you do they still look either shiny, or they look dull. I've found that 303 Aerospace works pretty well. I spray it on and let it sit for about 20 minutes and then go over it and wipe off all excess. I spend extra time on the ribbing areas since they tend to hold onto the product and cause some sling.
 
I saw the subject of the thread and thought of motorcycle tires. Tire dressing is discouraged on motorcyle tires because manufacturers design their tires with a special wax or chemical on the sidewalls. Using a tire dressing would affect the effectiveness of this wax and the longevity of the tire. I assume this isn't the case with car tires since dressing tires is so common.

What your talking about is a mold relese agent. This is simply to help get the tire out of the mold when they are manufactured. It is very slippery and needs to be scrubbed off from breaking in the new tires through normal riding. Tire dressing is not recomended because it can run down onto the contact patch in rain or simply be gotten onto the tread surface of the tire from sloppy aplication. This is not a concern on car tires because the contact patches are much larger, you have four of them and the stresses on a car tire are totally different from a motorcycle.
 
Not all new tires have the serations, like mentioned previously with the Nitto invo's, I run Nitto NT555's on my Cobra for a similar reason, and they perform well too. They are a touch noisy, but what super low profile wide tire isn't?
 
Surf City Garage tire dressing should work well, but has a poor durability...
 
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