News: Wow, the difference a set of tires make in a car handling and comfort.

[killain]

Wow, the difference a set of tires make in a cars handling and comfort.

I finally decided to bite the bulllet and GET RID OF those GY RUNFLATS. I had my friends at www.Countycorvettes.com I ordered the tires from James Turner, a great guy who handles parts and modifications and knows every imaginable high performance/ interior /exterior improvement/ enjoyment or any possible retrofit of any kind known that a Corvette enthusiast could want. If it's out there, James Turner can find it.

But I can't believe the difference in the whole driving experience when running on the Michelin Pilot Sports PS/2 ZP The 30 minute trip going was really great. The only thing theat stricks me as off, is the Michelins look smaller, despite being the same size as the GY? But I don't know why I didn't do this sooner !

 

[Toms007]

Told ya!

 

[VETTEX2]

it's like night and day without the stock runflats
they belong in a tire shredder

 

[Hib Halverson]

No question, the Pilot Sport ZP is a suitable alternative. In fact, if you don't want to replace your run flats with Goodyear, the Michelin is the best choice because it's the only other of the aftermarket run flats which can be repaired after a low/no pressure incidentd.

Everyone slags on Goodyear for its run flat design and the reason they do is because they don't understand tire engineering. For all its drawbacks with respect to noise and harshness, the Goodyear Eagle F1 EMT was a cutting edge tire design when it was introduced in 1997. GY was way ahead of the industry at that point in time.

The reason the 2nd gen Goodyear RFT rides more harshly then some others is that it was engineered to a stringent specfication set by GM whereas the aftermarket refplacementd RFTs, Firestone, Michelin, etc, don't have to meet that spec.

GM required C5 run flats to be able to go 200 miles where as all the aftermarket tires meet a much less stringent, 50-mile "industry standard". That less stringent requirement makes a huge difference in how a tire company can design and manufacture a run flat tire.

So...how does that difference affect C5ers in a practical sense? When you install a Michelin Pilot Sport ZP or other of the aftermarket RFTs, most people notice a significant improvement in noise and ride which is due to 1) the less rigid tire casing used by aftermarket RFTs and 2) the comparison between a worn-out tire and a new tire.

As for the tire's real world run flat performance, the majority of drivers will never know the difference but those who drive their car's long distances might learn the hard way about the performance if aftermarket run flats in actual low/no pressure driving situations. In a real world run flat incident, the Goodyear will perform better.

It's a shame that Goodyear hasn't superseded the 2nd gen RFTs with the 3rd gen run flat design in the C5 sizes.

 

[shawnfate]

I got my car used so i never got to try the run flats, from reading posts all over the internet I guess its a good thing. :L

 

[Pac-man]

Great facts Hib. There is always a story behind the story. The problem is people rarely inquire. So thank you. With that said it does not change the fact that the stock runflats are as hard as rocks and noisey and everyone hates them. If you want to cruise around on Sunday at 55mph they may be fine. But if you want to really drive these cars and have fun they are terrible. And as far as worrying about a flat in so called real world situation, why don't we all put steal cages around our cars in case of an accident? hnoes

 

[Hib Halverson]

I would agree that they are noisy but I think "hard as rocks" and "everybody hates them" distorts the facts a bit. Reality is that some people have no problem with Goodyear EMT tires others dislike them.

I also disagree that with your statement that with stock Goodyears on the car, you can't drive and have fun. That's preposterous. It is true that the car's handing limits can be extended somewhat by going to a non-RFT or one of the aftermarket RFTs which is, also, capable of high limits (ie: the Michelin), but to imply the car doesn't handle well with the stock tires is a distortion of fact.

Not sure I agree with the implication of your comment about "safety cages" either. I don't think the advent of run-flat tires on Corvettes is in the same vein as that.

 

[Pac-man]

I knew you would get you fired up. Anyone that likes run-flats never drove on non-runflats.

 

[VETTEX2]

I wore mine out as fast as I could
you can push the stockers and many never will get close to the limits on them
I don't miss them , I don't hate them , but as soon as I got rid of them a whole new performance envelope opened
They were probably better than slicks made 10 years earlier than they were first manufactured but that was a very long time ago
Today , they just are not up to snuff for "spirited" drivers

 

[TooFast]

Great facts Hib. There is always a story behind the story. The problem is people rarely inquire. So thank you. With that said it does not change the fact that the stock runflats are as hard as rocks and noisey and everyone hates them. If you want to cruise around on Sunday at 55mph they may be fine. But if you want to really drive these cars and have fun they are terrible. And as far as worrying about a flat in so called real world situation, why don't we all put steal cages around our cars in case of an accident? hnoes

Sorry, here is a guy that LIKES them, they are not too noisy, they handle fine, the ride is great, the corvette is Sports car, not a luxury sedan. I don't criticize anyone for choosing what kinds of tires they decide to put on their ride...I choose to use GY runflats, always will, until they don't make them anymore.

 

[Bill Boyle]

Kumho Run Flats

I purchased my C5 two years ago and I'm running the Kumho RFs that were on it at the time of purchase. I run them at 30 psi. They seem to handle okay. The complaint I have is tire noise.

The faster the tires spin the more deafening it gets. Other C5 Vette owners tell me that it's the RFs. I'm not sure if it is or a lack of sound deadening material. Is there really a difference between RF and regular tires?

The other thing is what to expect when you catch a nail with the RFs. How do they behave? Does the tire deflate to a certain point only? Are they repaired in the same manner as tubeless tires?

In contrast, those without RFs, if they catch a nail and go flat, you're in a heap of trouble as they say. The inflatable tire stuff, does that really work?

 

[myspot]

flat tire fix in a can

[QThe fix a flat in a can does work fairly well unless of course you have a cut in the sidewall. Just don't be around the guy that fixes your tire after using the fix a flat. He won't be very happy .UOTE=Bill Boyle;1068344]I purchased my C5 two years ago and I'm running the Kumho RFs that were on it at the time of purchase. I run them at 30 psi. They seem to handle okay. The complaint I have is tire noise.

The faster the tires spin the more deafening it gets. Other C5 Vette owners tell me that it's the RFs. I'm not sure if it is or a lack of sound deadening material. Is there really a difference between RF and regular tires?

The other thing is what to expect when you catch a nail with the RFs. How do they behave? Does the tire deflate to a certain point only? Are they repaired in the same manner as tubeless tires?

In contrast, those without RFs, if they catch a nail and go flat, you're in a heap of trouble as they say. The inflatable tire stuff, does that really work?[/QUOTE]

 

[Remo]

BF Goodrich g-Force KDW-2's

Radical design....stick like glue and channel
water like crazy. GY Runflats are just plain
scarey in the rain.:cool

 

[TooFast]

Radical design....stick like glue and channel
water like crazy. GY Runflats are just plain
scarey in the rain.:cool

Solution, just don't drive in the rain!