Driving 7 hours home on a 2003 Corvette with just 4.2k miles? Old tires safe?
04-17-2015, 07:28 PM
#41
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I can't believe a dealership will sell car with old tires, just because they have tread, do to age they dried out, and wouldn't go fast.
04-17-2015, 08:20 PM
#42
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http://articles.latimes.com/2014/mar...crash-20140326
That said: OP, you have to replace them anyway. I'd personally try to get the dealership to offer to mount new ones up for free after I ship them my preference. Check out all of the Z06 tire threads on here to help you narrow down your choice; you're not restricted solely to the factory sizes.
Do not get the OE Goodyears F1 Supercars; they are absurdly expensive and have been superseded by much more affordable options. I wouldn't personally spend $1600 on a set of PS2s, either... you can get a second set of 18s and run the superior Pilot Super Sports (about $1200 a set) for that money. You could also throw 245/45s up front and keep the factory 17s, with the rears would still wearing 295/35s.
If you're not looking for maximum performance, many guys are happy with the Hankook Ventus V12 in 255/40F|285/35R on the factory wheels, as it's a solid and inexpensive street tire in all summer conditions without being a complete letdown when the road gets twisty... if you are into max performance, the Hankook R-S3 in those sizes is your Huckleberry and costs less than a grand a set
As I said before, there are a plethora of other options covered in the tire threads
if it were me and I wanted to run stock wheels, I'd go with one of the PSS options or the R-S3, and I'd ship them to the dealer for installation as a condition for purchase
Last edited by rjwz28; 04-20-2015 at 01:40 PM.
04-17-2015, 09:11 PM
#43
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OP
if it helps you in your tire search, OEM Z06 sizes were 265/40/17 front and 295/35/18 rears. but these days not many folks are making the fronts, so you can find more options in size 275/40/17.
Good Luck and as others have said I would replace them before your drive home.
if it helps you in your tire search, OEM Z06 sizes were 265/40/17 front and 295/35/18 rears. but these days not many folks are making the fronts, so you can find more options in size 275/40/17.
Good Luck and as others have said I would replace them before your drive home.
04-17-2015, 09:20 PM
#44
The age "limit" of tires varies greatly. If this car was kept inside and free from sun and major temp/humidity swings they can last a long time. That said, keep it safe and do the right thing. Drive home on them at reasonable speeds. Then, when you are home safe, spin them down to the cords. Smile from ear to ear, then replace them with new tires. Simple!!!!
04-17-2015, 09:45 PM
#45
Melting Slicks
My Dad has some reservations about driving home seven hours from dealer to my house on a 2003 Corvette Z06 with 4,200 original miles. Tires are OE Goodyears; local Chevy dealer is supposed to perform an inspection on whole car today to help give me a better run down on where everything is.
What do you all think, dealer says he has put about 1k miles on car over the last six weeks since his taking possession of it; not sure if he has ever got the tires warmed up to highway speeds or not. They have plenty of tread and still look new!
What do you all think, dealer says he has put about 1k miles on car over the last six weeks since his taking possession of it; not sure if he has ever got the tires warmed up to highway speeds or not. They have plenty of tread and still look new!
I would not feel safe on 12-13 year old tires, regardless of the mileage.
04-17-2015, 10:19 PM
#46
Safety Car
Drive it home
My 98 has original tires and its hitting the road tomorrow
Also, my friend has a 1969 Boss 429 worth more than any C5 ever will, and he has M&H Racemasters on the rear from the 1970's.
You will be fine on your trip.
My 98 has original tires and its hitting the road tomorrow
Also, my friend has a 1969 Boss 429 worth more than any C5 ever will, and he has M&H Racemasters on the rear from the 1970's.
You will be fine on your trip.
04-17-2015, 10:28 PM
#47
Pro
Drive it home and as others have stated, don't drive it like U stole it, may consider getting a roadside plan like AAA or allstate just in case U have an issue. I have been driving for 50 yrs on all kinds of tires and never had a blowout, not to say it want happen but I would drive it as is.
04-17-2015, 11:00 PM
#49
Le Mans Master
Even if the tread looks ok, that rubber is hard and old. You should get new tires before driving it home. Even if you're not worried about a flat, the handling will be compromised with 12 year old tires. Replacing them before driving it home makes the most sense if you plan to do it anyways You'd be crazy not to.
04-18-2015, 12:20 AM
#50
Racer
04-18-2015, 01:25 AM
#51
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St. Jude '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-‘19-'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
2003 Corvette Z06 with 4,200 original miles
Chances are those tires have 02 DOT codes. That being said, no matter what the mileage may be they are 13 years old. As a tire ages the steel belts and windings in the carcase start to pull away from the rubber. This is an internal failure that is why tires over 6-8 years old should not be run on the road especially under a Z with a new owner!
Unless your planning on turning this into a garage queen, or a future top flight....
Buy some tires!
Chances are those tires have 02 DOT codes. That being said, no matter what the mileage may be they are 13 years old. As a tire ages the steel belts and windings in the carcase start to pull away from the rubber. This is an internal failure that is why tires over 6-8 years old should not be run on the road especially under a Z with a new owner!
Unless your planning on turning this into a garage queen, or a future top flight....
Buy some tires!
04-18-2015, 03:27 AM
#52
Racer
Quote:
If they are indeed the original tires (waiting to confirm this via the Chevy dealer inspection,) they will need to be replaced either way, so I'm just deciding how to negotiate the price of new tires and all the fluids into this deal. (I'm hoping they will come back and say they found paperwork showing the car is not on it's original tires!)
Do not trust them, look for yourself. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tire Identification Numbers be a combination of the letters DOT, followed by ten, eleven or twelve letters and/or numbers that identify the manufacturing location, tire size and manufacturer's code, along with the week and year the tire was manufactured.
Since 2000, the week and year the tire was produced has been provided by the last four digits of the Tire Identification Number with the 2 digits being used to identify the week immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.
Example of a tire manufactured since 2000 with the current Tire Identification Number format:
In the example pic below:
DOT U2LL LMLR 5107
51 = Manufactured during the 51st week of the year
07 = Manufactured during 2007
or 2nd pic
0912
09 = 9th week
12 = year 2012
FYI:
I had a blow out on a front tire years ago going down the interstate in a Ford Explorer with those defective factory Firestone tires that looked good with alot of tread showing and were only 3 years old. It did not end well.
If they are indeed the original tires (waiting to confirm this via the Chevy dealer inspection,) they will need to be replaced either way, so I'm just deciding how to negotiate the price of new tires and all the fluids into this deal. (I'm hoping they will come back and say they found paperwork showing the car is not on it's original tires!)
Do not trust them, look for yourself. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tire Identification Numbers be a combination of the letters DOT, followed by ten, eleven or twelve letters and/or numbers that identify the manufacturing location, tire size and manufacturer's code, along with the week and year the tire was manufactured.
Since 2000, the week and year the tire was produced has been provided by the last four digits of the Tire Identification Number with the 2 digits being used to identify the week immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.
Example of a tire manufactured since 2000 with the current Tire Identification Number format:
In the example pic below:
DOT U2LL LMLR 5107
51 = Manufactured during the 51st week of the year
07 = Manufactured during 2007
or 2nd pic
0912
09 = 9th week
12 = year 2012
FYI:
I had a blow out on a front tire years ago going down the interstate in a Ford Explorer with those defective factory Firestone tires that looked good with alot of tread showing and were only 3 years old. It did not end well.
04-18-2015, 10:00 AM
#53
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My 98 with 16000 miles still had its original OEM Goodyear run flats when I drove it home last year, 240 miles. I plan to get new tires for it, but not because I'm concerned with safety. The mechanic examined them, no cracking or dry rot, said they were fine. The ride is a bit harsh and I'm sure they have lost grip, but I'm not worried about them disintegrating on me.
04-18-2015, 10:21 AM
#54
Big Vette: The below quotation is from another thread that I started regarding tire age. You might want to call Goodyear Customer Service to verify the information I received before you make a decision about tire replacement. As others have stated, C-5 Z06 Corvettes did not have run flat tires or tire pressure sensors. Instead the cars were furnished with a portable tire repair kit. I've never had to use mine so I cannot comment on its effectiveness.
The Goodyear Formula One Supercar tires on my 2001 Z06 were replaced four years ago. Like others on the forum, I've had trouble finding the date code on these tires. As a consequence, I contacted Goodyear Customer Service and discussed the matter with a representative. In connection with this discussion, I was told that the ten year age limitation, stated by most other sources, was not a factor in Goodyear's tire replacement recommendations. Instead, the company bases its replacement guidelines on factors such as tread wear, sidewall condition, and other factors related to usage and mileage. In the interest of accuracy, I repeated what I heard, and was given the same answer. Considering most large corporation's obsession with product liability, I was surprised by this statement. Because the information concerns both safety and the high cost of tire replacement on our Corvettes, I thought I share it, even though it runs the risk of starting a major argument on the Forum.
04-18-2015, 11:36 AM
#55
Drifting
2003 Corvette Z06 with 4,200 original miles
Chances are those tires have 02 DOT codes. That being said, no matter what the mileage may be they are 13 years old. As a tire ages the steel belts and windings in the carcase start to pull away from the rubber. This is an internal failure that is why tires over 6-8 years old should not be run on the road especially under a Z with a new owner!
Unless your planning on turning this into a garage queen, or a future top flight....
Buy some tires!
Chances are those tires have 02 DOT codes. That being said, no matter what the mileage may be they are 13 years old. As a tire ages the steel belts and windings in the carcase start to pull away from the rubber. This is an internal failure that is why tires over 6-8 years old should not be run on the road especially under a Z with a new owner!
Unless your planning on turning this into a garage queen, or a future top flight....
Buy some tires!
This is exactly why you can't go by the way the tire looks on the outside.
04-18-2015, 12:13 PM
#56
There are a lot of low mileage C5s out there with original tires and I have never heard about or read about any tire failure. These are high performance tires made to go 180 mph and have very low miles on them. A few hours at 70 should not be a problem no matter how old they are. I would not be worried about it.
04-19-2015, 12:38 AM
#58
Racer
That was a specific problem with the Firestone tires on Ford Explorers (many years ago), specifically Ford's recommended tire pressure for those tires of only 26 psi, which was an under-inflated pressure for those tires and was prone to cause tread separation at higher speeds. The reason for the 26 psi recommendation was Ford's attempt to mitigate a greater tendency of Explorers to roll over, so their solution to that was simply to lower the pressure in the tires. Their cheapass solution to a problem they didn't want to resolve the correct way. And they paid for it.
04-19-2015, 04:08 PM
#59
My Dad has some reservations about driving home seven hours from dealer to my house on a 2003 Corvette Z06 with 4,200 original miles. Tires are OE Goodyears; local Chevy dealer is supposed to perform an inspection on whole car today to help give me a better run down on where everything is.
What do you all think, dealer says he has put about 1k miles on car over the last six weeks since his taking possession of it; not sure if he has ever got the tires warmed up to highway speeds or not. They have plenty of tread and still look new!
What do you all think, dealer says he has put about 1k miles on car over the last six weeks since his taking possession of it; not sure if he has ever got the tires warmed up to highway speeds or not. They have plenty of tread and still look new!
It's your choice but I would still run a used set specially after paying a total of $570.00 including install and road protection free balance etc. Good year stores take over the warranty where there are no Just Tires. Just Tires are stores owned by Good Year in Illinois and several other states.
Driving to FL from Chicago two years and using my C5 for an everyday car I can't complain.
04-19-2015, 08:46 PM
#60
Drifting
Thread Starter
Thanks all for comments and insights, they were all much appreciated.
Was able to verify via the date codes on the tires that they were at least not the original set of tires, and all though even still a little old at 2006 and 2007 build dates, we felt comfortable enough to drive her home and had no problems. Local Chevy dealer did a Mobil1 Oil Change and 27 point inspection the day prior, so that helped allay any concerns, as well.
Definitely will be looking into some new Michelin's in the near future, though.
Had no problems all the way home, save for some weather. Had to pit stop under a Sonic cover for three hours as a storm line went through, but was able to make it home eventually, (albeit 4am!)
The car was amazing looking, like a brand new 12 year old Corvette Z06. Everything worked and sounded like it did when it was new. Sounds like previous, original owner had a place large enough to store all of his 15 personal cars, and the car definitely looked like it was stored in a climate controlled facility.
My Dad's last Corvette (7th in his lifetime,) was a new 2003 Corvette Z06 that he sold in 2009, so this is like a do-over for him. Number eight won't be leaving the family anytime, soon!
Was able to verify via the date codes on the tires that they were at least not the original set of tires, and all though even still a little old at 2006 and 2007 build dates, we felt comfortable enough to drive her home and had no problems. Local Chevy dealer did a Mobil1 Oil Change and 27 point inspection the day prior, so that helped allay any concerns, as well.
Definitely will be looking into some new Michelin's in the near future, though.
Had no problems all the way home, save for some weather. Had to pit stop under a Sonic cover for three hours as a storm line went through, but was able to make it home eventually, (albeit 4am!)
The car was amazing looking, like a brand new 12 year old Corvette Z06. Everything worked and sounded like it did when it was new. Sounds like previous, original owner had a place large enough to store all of his 15 personal cars, and the car definitely looked like it was stored in a climate controlled facility.
My Dad's last Corvette (7th in his lifetime,) was a new 2003 Corvette Z06 that he sold in 2009, so this is like a do-over for him. Number eight won't be leaving the family anytime, soon!