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C6 Tires

Bwmurph

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2003
Messages
395
Location
Conway, SC
Corvette
'59 Blk/Red, '12 Crystal Red GS
I had my '12 GS out at a car show today and a woman who also owned a '12 GS (same color!) came up to me and said "Do you know you have a screw sticking out of your right side front tire ?" Uuhh, NO I did not !! Tire monitor tells me it's not losing any pressure, but I took it home anyway Get home, pull the screw out and nothing happens, so I'm relieved - for now (it was a small screw)

These tires are Goodyear Eagle F! P27535ZR18, which I believe are run flats. IF I have to replace this tire I would probably change both front tires and would like to go with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ ZP tires which, I believe are NOT run flats. My question is can I run non-run flats on the front and retain the Goodyear run flats on the back ?

Thanks, any help would be appreciated,

Bernie O
 
It's not a good idea to mix and match tires - it could change the handling characteristics and surprise you.

Btw, the Micheline Pilot Sport A/S 3+ ZP is a run-flat tire. The "ZP" stands for Zero Pressure.
 
Tuna,
Thanks for your reply. Guess I'm not too old to learn something new - did not realize the "ZP" meant it was a run-flat. So, what does the "ZR" mean on my current Goodyear Eagles ? Is that just another manufacturers designation for run-flats?
I'm not really unhappy with the Goodyears, but I've heard you get a better and quieter ride with non-runflats. It's highly unlikely that this car will never see the track while I own it, so I'm not really worried about that. But I have no frame of reference, I'm just going off of conversations with other Corvette owners and what I've read in magazines, particularly Corvette Magazine's "Tech Nerd".
Any comments, suggestions, etc. are appreciated.
Bernie O
 
The "ZR" in the tire size is related to speed rating. It means that the tire is rated at 149+. It's been around a long time. Since creation of speed ratings, the "ZR" rating has been over come by more special ratings which include "W", "Y" and "(Y)". Check out TIreRack's discussion of speed ratings here:


Whether your tire is a run-flat or not is indicated by the letters in the 'name' of the tire. Michelin uses the "ZP" on the end of the tire name to indicate that it is a run flat. GoodYear uses "EMT" for that.

So, a Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ ZP in size 275/35/ZR18 (95Y) is a run-flat with a speed rating in excess of 149 MPH that has been tested to the (Y) limit, which is in excess of 186 MPH.

I hope this helps.
 
Tuna,
Thanks again for the explanation. At some point I knew what all that nomenclature on a tire a meant, but so much of it has changed over the years I guess I need a refresher course !
As of today the tire that had the screw in it seems fine, but I'd be leery of taking it on a long trip. The front tires were both manufactured 0112, while the left rear was 5011 and the right rear is 2116 (obviously an issue with that one at some point). Guess I'll be spending some $$$ on tires soon, although none are showing excessive wear (approx 18K miles on the car), but 10 year old tires scare me a little. Your opinion on that ?
Thanks again,
Bernie O
 
10 years old tires are not to be trusted on road trips, even if they look good. Tires do get old and age out.
I recommend the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 ZP.
 
Yeah, mainly just local drives, but occasionally will take it on a long one (went to Green Bay in August, 2400 mi r/t). Won't be doing any long ones until I get new rubber, but will have to wait until after the holidays for that !
 

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