So my tires were getting *really* low on tread. Unfortunately, i caught a screw in my drivers side rear tire and by the time i got to the shoulder the rim had almost completely cut through the sidewall. So... time for new tires!

I got some decent tires at the firestone store and holy poop what a difference. The engine sounds different, the car boosts faster, less road noise, better ride, etc. I can understand all of the effects that are tire related but the engine sound & boost speed are kinda freakin' me out.

I can chock boost speed in 1st & 2nd up to tire spin-> less load on the engine-> lower, slower boost. But i can't believe that i was getting tirespin in 3rd, 4th, or 5th. And what's up with the engine noise?

 

Your engine will not boost faster, make more power, or make less noise because you changed tires. The only performance difference will be traction. Its likely that your old tires were getting better traction than your new ones. The reason for this is that bald tires act more like slicks, and put more rubber on the road. They also have no tread flex. New tires often need to be "scrubbed in" a bit before they start to offer good traction.

 

I couldn't hook up in first after boost and if i punched it i could spin them through second- with the new tires i can't. MD roads aren't exactly..."manicured"

Boost being load based i think the crap tread left on the tire wasn't following the road >> therefore less load on the drivetrain >> therefore slower boost.

That's just my unprofessional opinion. It could all be psychosomatic.

 

What tires did you buy?

 

Fuzion ZRi's - better reviews than i thought but i'm buying a wheel/tire package soon so i didn't want to get spendy.