New C5 Owner! Tire question

[rubberman15]

I am now the owner of a white 1999 Corvette and proud to be so. I just got home tonight from the 200 mile drive to pick it up and it is a great car.

The car is in great shape and very clean but... One problem is that the front tires need replacing and the rear tires are new. I have read a lot of posts on tires and would like to go with the Michelin Pilot Zero Pressure but only on the front if that is wise.

My question to all is will it be okay to keep the GY OEM on the rear and put new Michelin on the front? or should I just buy 2 new GY OEM for the front and change them all at the same time?

I will be driving the car everyday and I do not anticipate pushing it to the limits.

Your opinions are welcome.

David

 

[bluecoupe]

Buy a matching set of Michelins and sell the Runflats online. Don't mix them. They have very different characters. The runflat GYs are very stiff and the Miches are softer. I wouldn't do it.

 

[c5vetter]

personally, I would mount Firestone Firehawks on that 1999 - when I owned mine and replace the OEMs, this was what I mounted and they were the best damned tire around! aggresssive tread, good dry/wet handling and I drove my 1999 almost year round

 

[Remo]

David,

There's very few manufacturers that offer "run flats" and as you know everyone has different opinion on which is the best. But there is one common theme as you can tell by now - don't mix and match brands.

Remo:cool

 

[DRTH VTR]

David
I had a '97 similar to yours. I had the same problem (front tires worn out due to negative camber, back tires OK). I chose to replace the fronts with the stock tire. My plan had been to replace them all when that set wore out. That way, I kept the same tires all around.

The big complaint that I had about the Goodyear EMT's was the noise. I believe some other tires are more quiet and may handle better, but I have not seen side by side comparisons.

The other issue is whether or not to use the run flats. I always did, as it is a long long way between tire stores out in the West.

My suggestion (and it is just my opinion) is to use runflats, but use the same tire at all 4 corners.

 

[sothpaw]

I am now the owner of a white 1999 Corvette and proud to be so. I just got home tonight from the 200 mile drive to pick it up and it is a great car.

My question to all is will it be okay to keep the GY OEM on the rear and put new Michelin on the front? or should I just buy 2 new GY OEM for the front and change them all at the same time?


David

I think the great sin is to wear 2 different tires (or one much more worn) on the left and right side of the vehicle. I think you are fine to do whatever on the front. If you are going to drive a lot in the rain, make sure the tire you pick performs well in rain though. If you are not going to push the car, dry traction at the front should not be a big deal for you.

 

[DRTH VTR]

I have a pair of BFG drag radials mounted on some stock Z06 rims. When I have them on the rear and the factory tires on the front, I have the sense that the car wants to oversteer. The back just feels loose, even with 32# in the tires. Whether that is just a characteristic of the tire or due to the presence of two brands of tires on the car is unclear. I would not want to push that car very hard on the twisties when I am set up to drag race.

 

[Remo]

I think the great sin is to wear 2 different tires (or one much more worn) on the left and right side of the vehicle. I think you are fine to do whatever on the front. If you are going to drive a lot in the rain, make sure the tire you pick performs well in rain though. If you are not going to push the car, dry traction at the front should not be a big deal for you.

Hgh????????

Remo:cool

 

[PeterG]

Several months ago with 35,000 on my '99 coupe I researched this same question. I asked several so-called tire salesman in various tire stores and did research on the Internet. My front Goodyear GMTs where near worn but the rears were good for another few thousand miles. I considered replacing the fronts with GY EMTs and holding off on the rears until they needed to be replaced. I also considered several Asian brands.

Today I know I made a good decision. I bought 4 Michelin Pilot Sport run-flats (ZP.) For reasons identified by others here at CAC, it is not advisable to replace only front or only rear with different treads or manufacturers.

The Michelins provide a more solid feel when cornering and lane changing even at lower speeds, more control at highway speeds, and are less noisy. The Michelins take bumps and potholes at all speeds --- very slow to highway speeds --- by rolling over them instead of, as the GYs do, hitting them hard with jarring feed back.

Also the Michelins are much better in snow and all wet conditions. I now feel that I have more control on wet pavements.

I bought the Michelins from the Tirerack.com and used one of their recommended installers. The TireRack.com was good to deal with. But, as a bonus, their recommended installer was so efficient and knowledgeable that he has now replaced my Chevrolet dealer for all C5 service.

 

[AZMike]

Several months ago with 35,000 on my '99 coupe I researched this same question. I asked several so-called tire salesman in various tire stores and did research on the Internet. My front Goodyear GMTs where near worn but the rears were good for another few thousand miles. I considered replacing the fronts with GY EMTs and holding off on the rears until they needed to be replaced. I also considered several Asian brands.

Today I know I made a good decision. I bought 4 Michelin Pilot Sport run-flats (ZP.) For reasons identified by others here at CAC, it is not advisable to replace only front or only rear with different treads or manufacturers.

The Michelins provide a more solid feel when cornering and lane changing even at lower speeds, more control at highway speeds, and are less noisy. The Michelins take bumps and potholes at all speeds --- very slow to highway speeds --- by rolling over them instead of, as the GYs do, hitting them hard with jarring feed back.

Also the Michelins are much better in snow and all wet conditions. I now feel that I have more control on wet pavements.

I bought the Michelins from the Tirerack.com and used one of their recommended installers. The TireRack.com was good to deal with. But, as a bonus, their recommended installer was so efficient and knowledgeable that he has now replaced my Chevrolet dealer for all C5 service.

Yes - I love my PilotSports. Did you have fun burning the remaining tread off the rears before putting the new ones on?

As for the original poster, go with the PilotSports on all 4 corners and either sell the existing rears, or have some fun with 'em the week before going to the tire shop. Maybe you could post some pics or a video if you choose option 2