With a 2000-plus-mile road trip approaching in less than two weeks it was time to address the GT's tire status. It was clear the rears needed replaced. They seem to average about 7,000 miles, and the odo was at 13,400 on the second set. However, the fronts were original, and hadn't quite reached the wear bars.
As with any
tire work the first order of business is to get the car elevated, but the GT's underbody pans make that tricky. Jack the car up from the wrong points and you'll crunch the pans (I've seen and heard many stories of underbody damage from GT's being incorrectly lifted). The experts at Stokes Tire Pros in Santa Monica took a close look under the car, confirmed their lift couldn't reach all four points at once, and decided to life each axle separately.
After a close inspection of the front tires Stokes estimated they were good for approximately 1,500-2000 miles. But it's 1,000 miles each way to Denver, not to mention driving around once I get there. Better safe than sorry, so the fronts were replaced along with the rears. Their tire experts confirmed slightly high tire pressure, causing a bit of additional wear to the center of the tread.
Yup, it's true. I have a bad habit of going 1-3 pounds over factory psi settings because I prefer the increased feedback and steering response, even with a slight hit to ride quality. Doing this didn't take any appreciable life from the tires, yet seeing the wear has convinced me to go with factory psi specs for the GT from now on. I'm loosing a bit of the car's grip by having the center protrude and the sides curve away from the pavement.
One interesting aspect of the front tire replacement related to a note taped to the inside of the wheels. Because this was the first time the tires were off the front wheels after leaving the factory the wheel certification tag was still in there. Apparently my front wheels were "CERTIFIED MAY 4 2005." This jibes with what I know about the car's production timing, as I toured the factory in the last week of June 2005
and saw it on the assembly line.
Total out the door price for four Goodyear Eagle F1s (two 235/45ZR-18s and two 315/40ZR-19s), plus mounting and balancing? A cool $1,338.93. Not bad for a set of tires certified to 205 mph. Maybe you have to go that fast to really feel like you get your money's worth.
Karl Brauer, Edmunds.com Editor in Chief
dougtheeng says:
05:44 AM, 07/ 4/08
Stunning looking car.
ahightower says:
12:15 PM, 07/ 4/08
Agreed. That is definitely the best color for it, too. Nice to know it's not a trailer queen. I wonder how much that +3 psi affects tread wear on a normal passenger car or light truck/SUV tire? I do it to mine in order to pick up a couple mpg. Do you suppose it's costing more in tire wear over the long haul than it's saving in gas? (Probably a net gain, but I'd like to run the numbers.)
equ says:
05:04 AM, 07/ 5/08
I don't think the +3 psi costs more in tire wear than it saves in gas. Also safer in the wet.
clarkma5 says:
11:20 AM, 07/ 5/08
Wow $1338.93 for a set of Ford GT tires. I paid $900 for a set of Michelins for my Volkswagen, and I shopped around for months to get that price too! Really not bad at all for those sized gumballs.
stingray454 says:
01:05 PM, 07/ 8/08
Only 7k miles on the rear tires?? Ouch! You guys need to cut down on the burnouts! They get expensive with these tires!
I got 19k out of my first set of these tires. My '02 Z06 has the same tires, only different sizes (265 17's in the front, 295 18's in the rear). That's 19k including one full track day at Willow Springs, 2 full autocross days, and about 1,000 miles of crazy canyon driving. I don't do burnouts though (other than the wheelspin that happens when I gun it with the T/C off). I'm about due for another set of tires at 40k, so I got 21k out of this set (no track day on this set, and only 1 autocross day).
Does the Ford GT have some negative camber dialed in from the factory? My Z06 does, and the way I drive it worked out perfectly - all 4 tires were worn almost comletely evenly. Your tires look like they're wearing much faster on the outer edges, which leads me to believe the car could use more negative camber.