New Tires

[Denny Nelson]

Just turned 40 [40,000 miles] on original Goodyears with the 'runflat' or EMT feature. I have been researching like mad [even before I bought this car--my first Corvette--what a rush] and I want to consider Firestone SZ50 EPs. Anybody out there have experience with tire replacement and advice on selection? I need to stay with EMTs. Am I stuck with Goodyears? Denny Nelson

 

[lt4 gs]

Welcome to the boards.....

That's a really good ?? You could switch to Michelin's ........but more than likely you'll have to stick with the good years........I don't have a clue how you got 40k out of those tires? I got 14k out of my rears........

 

[Ctfoodguy2000]

I still have original run-craps. On most forums, the answer to what tires to get is as numerous as members! The top rated run flats are - Michelin, Yokohomo, Firestone. As stated, I have zero personal experience however from my research I am leaning to Micheline's when I repalce the Goodyears. Any choice will be better

 

[lt4 gs]

I might also add at this point> the michelin's are quieter and softer on the hwy..........last longer as well...........If you are gonna make the change........ I'd investigate installing 275.40's all the way around so you can rotate every 9 or 10k...............



http://michelinman.com/mastapp/serv...&wheelsizename=any&specificusename=any&flag=1
here is the line up

 

[twiget]

Welcome aboard Denny.

There is a plethoria of tires out there for out cars. Your not stuck with the Goodyear EMT's if you dont like them. Check out ww.tirerack.com. They have a great research section with reviews of just about any performance tire you could ever want.

I replaced the tires on my GS at the begining of last summer. I did some research and went with the Micheline Pilot Sport. They are not runflat's, but they make the car perform much better. It's quieter, and smoother, than the Goodyear GSC's I had before.

Jason

 

[Fugitive]

Bought the G-Force TA's two months ago. Those babies really grab! Plus they look like they are more durable.
Time will tell! Later Scott

 

[Vettelt193]

Why are you forced to stick with the run-flats? Those things are not that great, and cost a fortune...

 

[lt4 gs]

well one reason is..............i don't have a spare

 

[Skant]

I'd be wary of buying any Firestone tires, myself. After watching the whole Firestone/Ford Explorer debacle, I feel little confidence in Firestone's ability to produce a premium tire... and certainly no faith in a company that won't stand behind its products. IMHO, it was the combination of bad tire design _and_ bad vehicle design that caused the rollovers. Neither company would fess up.

My friend who builds Corvettes and owns about 16 exotic cars recommends the Pirelli tires.

- Skant

 

[Vettelt193]

AAA and a cell phone.

My Dad's '98 has no spare, we switched it to regular goodyear F1's. We figure the chances of getting a flat are already low, plus we have AAA.... and I assume you could always get the Z06 tire stuff?

 

[lt4 gs]

AAA and a cell phone.....can do and do......flats here in Mi are like all the time....and the Z06 stuff seems to play havoc w/ my sensors.......but then that would be a different tread .......I mean thread.........

 

[mad47]

Like Twiget, I also run Michelin Pilot Sports on my 96 CE LT4 and think they are great. But I have run Michelin's on every car I have owned for the last 20 years, so I am not unbiased.

 

[Vettelt193]

Just trying to open up the possibilities... After we swapped the EMT's out for regular F1's, the car drove much better... I also know the regular F1's last a long time... I had a set on my '93, and I could have had 50k miles easy out of them (but i sold it before then)

 

[jerrys96lt4]

Denny I also run Michelin pilot there great worth every penny. Low noise, great grip BTW Great choice in LT4 roadsters.

 

[Muddy]

I have just put Nitto NT555 extreme ZR on my vette. Not only do they look good but they are a very reasonably priced tire. I have not drive that much on them but I am impressed so far.

Muddy

 

[Springer's LT4]

I'm not sure as far as Firestone making a run flat version of the SZ50EP... but if it is availible, I would certainly put them high on the list. The SZ50EP is a fantastic tire that grips awesome wet or dry, last a long, long time and are very quiet... they are the only tire that I'll run on my vettes. My only complaint about them is they don't have them in a 315!

 

[Eric 70]

FIRESTONES

I am running the FIRESTONE FIREHAWKS on my '96. I am VERY pleased with them and will also put a set on my wife's '00 Mustang GT. They are quiet tires and have a very nice ride to them. I am also getting much better mileage on them compared to the Good Years on my wife's Mustang!

 

[Collector1996]

Been there, done that, doing it again

I also got 40k out of my original GS-C runflats. I then did research forever and got a different answer from everyone. I settled on the Firestone Firehawk (non runflat) based on tirerack research and independent write ups that said this tire out performs in every single category (by a large margin even).

The ride is so much more comfortable than the run flats (Ef the spare) and I personally thought they handled much better as well.

Problem is that I only got about 25k miles out of them and now I'm in replacement mode again.

The only negative about the Firestone Firehawks is that they really don't look as wide as the Goodyears did even though they are technically the same size. I heard this is possible.

My solution...buyng 17x11 Grand Sport rear wheels and having them painted Collector Edition silver, then getting 315/35 tires. Then moving my current rears 17x9.5 to the front. Basically I'm trying to replicate the full Grand Sport set up. Think I may go Firestone again as width look should no longer be a problem.

 

[Rob]

Dimpy,

Welcome to the Corvette Action Center. Were you not able to find the '94/'95 ZR-1 rear wheels? They are the same as the GS wheels except for the black color.

By the way, very impressive web site.

Members, if you get a chance, check out his web site. Not only has he undertaken an incredible adventure of a lifetime, he definitely embodies what Corvette ownership is all about. DRIVE IT!

 

[Collector1996]

ZR-1 vs. Grand Sport Wheels

Thanks for the comments on the website. It really was more fun than it looked.

Ok, maybe I need clarification. What is the difference between the ZR-1 wheels 17x11 and the Grand Sport 17x11? Is it just color. I'm spending an extra $110 per wheel to have them painted to look exactly like the Collector Edition silver.

Clearly if I can buy these in silver already I'll save some cash.

I'm ordering them directly from GM. I'm sure I can get ZR-1 wheels from them as well.