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Non Run Flats Your Experience???

TheSearcher

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2005
Messages
146
Location
Arkansas
Corvette
2004 Torch Red Coupe
I'm about to need new tires. I haven't had a flat in a vehicle in ten years, and the last one was when I ran over a huge piece of cut up scrap metal.

I'm thinking about going to non run flats to cut down the road noise. i spent almost $2,000 having Kool Mats put in the front and rear and they helped, but now I am older too and background noise of any kind tends to obliterate music and speech.

Whats your experience with non run flats? Quiet is much more important to me than price.
 
I had Good Year GS D3's on the 98 coupe I used to have and never had a problem in 18 months before I sold the car. I drove to Bowling Green and back and everything was fine. I did have a small compressor. plug kit, needle nosed pliers and a cell phone with me at all times.
 
I am probably in the minority but I don't see what all the fuss is about the run flats. I have the goodyears on my '04 roadster and I don't notice any road noise and they ride fine and handle well.
 
Too Fast must ride with the top down all of the time so that the wind noise overwhelms the road noise.

I have a friend with a new Camaro SS (with run flats) and he says that when you fold down the rear seat (making it like a Corvette coupe inside) the road noise is awful.

He says that recently bought a new set of stock wheels and tires for his SS for $800 on eBay; seems lots of folks are buying they to race and then replacing the stock units immediately.
 
I've been running the same set of Kumho ASX all season (Non Run Flat) on my 03 Z-51 for the last 50,000 miles!!:thumbI've not had to have a tire repaired since I changed out the Goodyear Run Craps!!I had to have 3 repairs to the Goodyears in the first 14,000 miles!:eyerole The Kumhos are still Smooth and Quiet, I'm going to replace the set with the same tire before the snow fly's,the rears are getting kinda thin!!:thumb
 
I am probably in the minority but I don't see what all the fuss is about the run flats. I have the goodyears on my '04 roadster and I don't notice any road noise and they ride fine and handle well.


i also have an 04 CE convertible and i disagree. i don't believe that runflats handle anywhere nearly as good as many of the premium tires that are available for our cars. they are hard riding and on the upper scale as far as noise. you don't realize it until you put something else on your car. in addition, i don't believe that the goodyear runflats are even half as good as the firestone counterparts. depending on your needs, you might want to consider either the firestones (if you stay with run flat technology) or if you need them one of the all season michelin products. just my opinion, and i'm certain that there are many that are varying.
 
When my first set of run flats wore out I went with Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS, $700 for a full set from tirerack.com a couple of years ago. They are MUCH quieter, stickier, and better riding... I won't go back.
 
I've been running the same set of Kumho ASX all season (Non Run Flat) on my 03 Z-51 for the last 50,000 miles!!:thumbI've not had to have a tire repaired since I changed out the Goodyear Run Craps!!I had to have 3 repairs to the Goodyears in the first 14,000 miles!:eyerole The Kumhos are still Smooth and Quiet, I'm going to replace the set with the same tire before the snow fly's,the rears are getting kinda thin!!:thumb

I've got close to 50K on my Kumho ASX's also. Best tire I've ever purchased. Smooth ride and low noise, but of course after 5 yrs and 50K miles they are alittle noisier than when new. I'm starting to shop prices for the same tire, and have found very little price difference to what I paid in Jan.'05 at Sears. I'll be getting another set of ASX's for sure!:thumb
 
I opted for non runflats about 10K miles ago on my '98. As you might expect, the handling and ride both improved (Michelin All season Ultras). The sidewall is more flexible and the tire is lighter (resulting in lower unsprung weight) which both contribute to improved handling...The difference is very noticible.

As far as gettina a flat, I keep a tire kit from Tire Rack in the trunk (patch and inflator). Also, I have not had a flat on any of my Corvettes since I can remember. Flats with modern radials seem to be rare.

Bottom line is that I recommend getting rid of run flats in view of the improved performance and very small risk.
 
Just wait till they're older.

Guys I know I am bucking mainstream opinion here, but the rears are the originals with 14K on them, the useful life is what maybe 20 or 25K and by some standards I am out of use due to age...both ways top up top down no problem. And frankly, I don't race the car, don't slalom it, all I do is go fast straight ahead. The Goodyears will stay on until they have to come off, and I just bought a brand new pair for the front.
 
I am probably older than jrose but I did race a corvette in the mid 60's (SCCA) and I still try to keep my hand in on cloverleafs and such. I can verify that the non runflats have a considerable advantage over runflats in corners. There is no real advantage in straight line driving except maybe ride. I currently drive a Z51 C5.
 
Thus far, I have almost decided upon choosing Michelin Pilot A/S in a 255/45/17 front and a 285/40/18 rear. My Cray Scorpion wheels are 1/2" wider than stock.

Michelins won every category of tire in Consumer Reports' November 2009 tests.

Frankly, I work for a Company that owns a business with a large fleet of vehicles, and also owns two GM dealerships. Our experience with Goodyears is poor (very prone to flats and road damage). And one must have a short memory not to recall the problems Firestone had a few years ago.

I have been running Michelins on at least one family vehicle continuously since 1990 and have had zero problems.
 
Good Choice! The Michelins is what I am running in the non-flats and I am very happy with them.
 
When I bought my '98 TRC in Feb. '09 the dealer had put on a new set of Black wall "Nitto Extreme ZR NT555" tires and they give a quiet smooth ride and road noise isn't very loud. I don't have anything to compare to but I too am not a fan of road noise so I think it would bother me if it were excessive.

I just check one tire web site www.Performanceplustire.com and their price is $189 each for the rears and $109 each for the fronts. The tires have a Treadwear # of 300, Traction rating of "A" and Temp. rating of "A".
At those prices a new set every few years is reasonable.

I also carry a plug kit, mini 12v air compressor, long nose pliers and a cell phone.

Along the same line of thought.....flats....I recently saw an episode of
"Truck U" on the Speed channel and the guys showed a can of "Fix-a-flat" which they say and the manufacturer states that it will not harm pressure sensors. They sprayed it into a clear glass container to show its characteristics and it wasn't the gloppy stuff I thought it would be but rather a thin liquid.
What do you all think about it?

Keep 'em rollin' :W
Bill
 
non-runflat tires

I was toying with the idea of purchasing a new set of non runflat tires and then I had a sudden explosive flat on my left front tire at around 60. I ran over a piece of metal that I didn't see and it punched a hole in the side of the tire. I don't know if you have ever had a flat at speed in a front tire, but it can be deadly. The sensors reported the flat and the car drove fine with no apparant loss of handling. I slowed to 50 and drove another 20 miles and had to replace the tire. I decided I can handle a little noise and loss of handling, since I don't race. And my BillyBoat Bullet mufflers are much louder than the tires.

If you do chose regular high performance tires and carry a kit, keep in mind that the can of air/sealant that you can use to reinflate a flat will destroy your air pressure sensors and they are very expensive to replace.
 
Michelin tires are on the Corvette racing cars and on the Corvette in my garage. I bought Pilot Sports and love them.
Bruce
 
i also have an 04 CE convertible and i disagree. i don't believe that runflats handle anywhere nearly as good as many of the premium tires that are available for our cars. they are hard riding and on the upper scale as far as noise. you don't realize it until you put something else on your car. in addition, i don't believe that the goodyear runflats are even half as good as the firestone counterparts. depending on your needs, you might want to consider either the firestones (if you stay with run flat technology) or if you need them one of the all season michelin products. just my opinion, and i'm certain that there are many that are varying.

:thumb

I put GSD3's on my 04 vert a year ago and love them. Much less noise and better handling.

IMG_0005-1.jpg
 
I am probably older than jrose but I did race a corvette in the mid 60's (SCCA) and I still try to keep my hand in on cloverleafs and such. I can verify that the non runflats have a considerable advantage over runflats in corners. There is no real advantage in straight line driving except maybe ride. I currently drive a Z51 C5.


Dont know about you being older than jrose I know him and he is OOOOOOLLLLLDDDDDD, he was around for the invention of dirt:L

Also I run the Potenza non run-flats and like them much more
 
I am running Michelins too (Pilot SP PS2 - 275/40R17 and 295/35R18).

They handle great.

On my second set after 30K.

My driving style is a bit aggressive, so I am pleased with the wear.
 

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