Race tires on the street. How bad could it be?

"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
05/16/2016 at 09:53 • Filed to: None

I want to run these vintage Goodyear race tires on the Corvette when/if it ever happens. But the tires have NOT FOR HIGHWAY USE plastered all over them. Is that because they just didn’t want to bother DOT certifying a low-production tire like this or because driving them on the street will actually cause death. Anyone with experience? I just love the look of these old tires. Direct link to actual tire !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Note: They’re new tires made in a vintage design, not actual 40 year old tires.

DISCUSSION (15)

DrJohannVegas > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2016 at 10:01

Certification.

bob and john > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2016 at 10:02

cert is part of it...

but keep in mind, they are also RACE TIRE ment to work at RACE temps. puttering around the Don Vally parking lot isnt going to get the heat needed into these things and little to no grip might be a slight issue.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2016 at 10:03

Looks like they probably didn’t bother on Cert. They have a surprising amount of tread on them.

crowmolly > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2016 at 10:06

But the tires have NOT FOR HIGHWAY USE plastered all over them. Is that because they just didn’t want to bother DOT certifying a low-production tire like this or because driving them on the street will actually cause death.

Not with these specifically, no.

However I think the answer is a mix of both. They didn’t bother with certification and they wouldn’t have passed. Probably can’t stand up to road hazards kind of like slicks.

You can probably be OK on a sunny day only fun car.

jariten1781 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2016 at 10:07

A big issue with running non-DOT tires on the street is that insurance won’t cover shit if you go to make a claim.

Bluecold > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2016 at 10:08

Regardless of the reasons for the lack of certification, if you have a crash with those tires, you’ll probably find that your insurance won’t pay a dime.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > jariten1781
05/16/2016 at 10:36

Oh crap. Didn’t think of that.