Harley6

Looks like I've found my first Corvette -- a well-maintained 2003 coupe with 31,000 miles. The car shows very little wear anywhere, inside or out.

The tires have decent tread, although they are the originals. So that'll be my first purchase.

I'm thinking of going the non-run flat route, not only because of cost but also (at least as I've been led to believe from comments on this forum) for a little better ride. I don't race or even push the envelope that much. Just summertime cruising.

So based on that, what tires would you recommend?

gulfstrings

Congrats on your new Corvette and welcome. I'm kind of new myself (compared to some of these folks) and have learned much in the forms of both instruction and opinion - such are tires.

One opinion you noted that seems to be generally held is not replacing run flat tires with run flat tires. In my case, not doing so made a big difference in ride quality, road noise and cost of replacement.

With some of the money saved I purchased a good roadside flat repair kit and made sure my AAA membership was up to date.

Brand selection offers a chance to really dig in - do a little research, tick off some boxes and enjoy the experience. We're 'summer cruisers' ourselves (though living in FL makes that pretty much year 'round) and purchased a C5 specifically for its touring qualities. We did 7 states and nearly 4k earlier this summer, so when choosing a tire we checked the boxes for quiet and ride comfort as well as the 'best value' box.

We ended up with the Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport. They were very reasonably priced and scored well on the features we were looking for. There are quieter and more comfortable 'cruising' tires out there but you'll pay more for them. Good luck.

williame3590

There's not much talk of them here but I am on my second set of Falken's.
They look awsum and handle extremely well. Price is also quite good!

Congrat's on the new Vette, you'll love it!

Bill

DSTURBD

Another vote for the Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sports. I've had mine on the car for over two years now and drive at least 10K miles a year and I love them. They still have at least half of their tread left and have been great, even year-round here in Colorado. Good tire!!

DSTURBD

Kevinl

I have a similar story, I found a nice '03 coupe with 20k on it and original tires. Based on what I read in this forum I went with the Handkook V12's. I'm extremely pleased with the improved ride and reduced noise. Not to mention the price!

CQRT

There are several searches you can do- tire brand by name would be a good start . . .that will also lead you to the discussion of run-flat versus non run-flat....it'll save you time and provide a wealth of knowledge.

You've been asking a lot of good questions that are common to new Corvette owners and there's a ton of good information here if you look for it.

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your new car.... and yes, get the old tires replaced - - Nitto 555's for about $750 or Goodyear/Michelin runflat's for $1400-1600 IMO.

Fcar 98

When it comes to run flats and tires in general. Goodyear rf are the worst, The Michelins rf are the best coming in at just over 1100 installed. I am one that prefers to go with run flats, and they are the Michelins.

jdsaengine

We just drive 2-3000 miles a year in town and some hwy. I must not have a very sensitive feel for tires. Our original OEM tires didn't seem all that bad, but then I never hung the *** end out much on a turn. We put new Mich Pilot sport all season run flats on ours last spring and they seem fine to us.

I've blown tires on my other car to bits so that fix a flat would be worthless and since this is mainly my wife's daily driver, I rather her limp home than wait on the side of the road an hour for AAA

QCVette

+ one more for the Hankook Ventus V12's.

(Or maybe +2 since I bought a second set for a second car).

Lee DeRaud

What he said: I had them on my last car too.

Vetteman Jack

I have the Hankook Ventus V12s on my car and they are excellent. Those would be the ones I recommend.

Harley6

How much quieter are the Hankook's than the original Goodyear run flats? The reason I ask, I took a drive on the freeway and those originals are REALLY NOISY!!! Granted, I-5 north of Seattle is a pretty worn road and road noise is a given in any car, but this was excessive and much louder than when I test drove the car at speed on another freeway.

I don't have this car for anything but cruising, so I'd like a set of tires that offer a ride that's as soft and quiet as possible.

Kevinl

I wholeheartedly concur, dump the EMT's!

MAJ_Charlie

I've used both Michelin Pilot Super Sports and Hankook V12 evo2. Both are excellent tires, but for the price you can't beat the Hankook.

strat62

michelin a/s pilot sports for me

anything is better than the oem rfs

caroutisine

Nitto 555's

REDHOTS

Well, I ran the Hankook, and Bridgestone 760 back to back. When I got my wider than stock 17/18 TSW wheels, I bought the Hankooks in the stock size, because they were so cheap. They were okay. Seemed a little harsh riding, and not all that quiet, plus being directional, they couldn't be rotated side to side. But, they looked stretched on the wider wheel. So, I decided to get the wider Z06 size. The only practical choice available in the stock size was the Bridgestone 760. Other than price, a much better tire in every way, and looked better, over the Hankooks, which I promptly sold with only 50 miles on them for $400.

OldSchoolII

^^^This post saved me a bunch of typing! Bought a '99 back in April with 31K on it...and original tires. Went with new (wider) wheels and the RE760s in the Z06 sizes. Very happy with them.

bjones7131

Hankook, quiet and smooth, from tire rack on closeout about 10 months ago for 460.00 shipped to the door. I thought I was in a different care when I first drove it.

cooter99

Nitto 555 are night and day to original run flats. Traction gets better as the get more heat in them.