Blow out with GY run flats.
10-12-2015, 02:43 PM
#21
Team Owner
I have the Bridgestone RE050A runflats on my Z06 and I have 30,000 miles on them with another 10,000 miles in them before I hit the wear bars.
So much better than the OE Goodyears.
I drive my Z06 on long road trips, and usually I am in remote areas on narrow two lane roads with no shoulder to pull off on. I would never run with non-runflat tires.
Last month I was in my daily driver, driving in a very rural area of Arkansas when I ran over a small piece of wood(that had a 1/4'' diameter wood screw in it). I heard my rear tire throw up the wood against the bottom of the car and less than a mile down the road I was on the side of a narrow two lane road with a very flat tire. I have roadside assistance insurance with my State Farm policy, so I tried to call them to send shop truck out to change my flat(I have a jack, spare tire, etc in the trunk of my Mercedes). Guess what, no cell service where I was. so I had to change out the tire myself(which took a while as I'm 73 with bad legs, knees, feet etc and bad right shoulder).
If I had been in my Z06, with non-run flats tires, I was looking for a pretty long walk to find a house with a land line, leaving my Corvette on the side of the road. Since I only run runflats on my Z06, I could easily have driven the 25 miles to the nearest town(on I-30).
Prior to that, the last flat I had(and it was on a Saturday night on I-44, quite a distance from a town) was in 1995(and I had a spare tire in my Cadillac then).
So much better than the OE Goodyears.
I drive my Z06 on long road trips, and usually I am in remote areas on narrow two lane roads with no shoulder to pull off on. I would never run with non-runflat tires.
Last month I was in my daily driver, driving in a very rural area of Arkansas when I ran over a small piece of wood(that had a 1/4'' diameter wood screw in it). I heard my rear tire throw up the wood against the bottom of the car and less than a mile down the road I was on the side of a narrow two lane road with a very flat tire. I have roadside assistance insurance with my State Farm policy, so I tried to call them to send shop truck out to change my flat(I have a jack, spare tire, etc in the trunk of my Mercedes). Guess what, no cell service where I was. so I had to change out the tire myself(which took a while as I'm 73 with bad legs, knees, feet etc and bad right shoulder).
If I had been in my Z06, with non-run flats tires, I was looking for a pretty long walk to find a house with a land line, leaving my Corvette on the side of the road. Since I only run runflats on my Z06, I could easily have driven the 25 miles to the nearest town(on I-30).
Prior to that, the last flat I had(and it was on a Saturday night on I-44, quite a distance from a town) was in 1995(and I had a spare tire in my Cadillac then).
Last edited by JoesC5; 10-12-2015 at 02:47 PM.
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mhatton222 (10-13-2015)
10-12-2015, 03:46 PM
#22
I love my Michelin run flat tires. I would not want to drive my Corvette without run flats. I work on an army base, and if I had a flat on base, my wife would not be able to come and pick me up.
That said, you had a flat. You did not have a blowout. And congrats on the timing, since you needed new tires anyhow.
That said, you had a flat. You did not have a blowout. And congrats on the timing, since you needed new tires anyhow.
THIS is a blowout!
10-12-2015, 05:50 PM
#24
This picture is after driving 30 miles on it.
If this had been a non RF, not only would this have probably peeled off the rim in the initial blow, but it would have instantly stranded the car, requiring a tow, and would have damaged the rim and the nose of the car (look at the front plate on the blue car in my avatar).
But this isn't the one that I said could have been a dangerous stranding, even though it could have been dangerous in the moment.
I had a less dramatic sidewall blow out on a Sunday, in the rain, in a dead zone, with no shoulder, and a significant drop-off (six or so inches right into the mud). That one, I drove 50+ miles to get to Richmond.
If I had not had RFs, I would have had to either stop on the road
or pulled off the pavement and probably damaged the front end, and/or the undercarriage. Then, because, I was in a cell dead spot, I would have been at the mercy of whoever stopped to "help".
But hey, roll the dice. No skin off my nose! Though, if you are stranded in a Vette, I will pull over and help.
If this had been a non RF, not only would this have probably peeled off the rim in the initial blow, but it would have instantly stranded the car, requiring a tow, and would have damaged the rim and the nose of the car (look at the front plate on the blue car in my avatar).
But this isn't the one that I said could have been a dangerous stranding, even though it could have been dangerous in the moment.
I had a less dramatic sidewall blow out on a Sunday, in the rain, in a dead zone, with no shoulder, and a significant drop-off (six or so inches right into the mud). That one, I drove 50+ miles to get to Richmond.
If I had not had RFs, I would have had to either stop on the road
or pulled off the pavement and probably damaged the front end, and/or the undercarriage. Then, because, I was in a cell dead spot, I would have been at the mercy of whoever stopped to "help".But hey, roll the dice. No skin off my nose! Though, if you are stranded in a Vette, I will pull over and help.
Last edited by owc6; 10-13-2015 at 10:59 AM.
10-12-2015, 07:29 PM
#25
Drifting
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Thank you for all the replies and the pictures of sidewall blowouts and email about such. I have read about 2000 emails over last 5 years, forums and close to 1000 on tire rack on both on rf and nrf. I do not decide anything on a whim. If you do your due diligence you will find out that run flats are very susceptible to side wall failures. One of the worst offenders are the Michelin ZP's. According to the sources rf tires are 3 times more likely to get a side wall failure/blowout. And i also know why. Some who live in NJ or CA with bad roads warn never to buy these tires. Nope, rf,s have not come long ways yet, they are the cause of the misery lot of the times. Last but not least they have been chosen as one of the most hated tires by consumers, service industry and some very prestigious automobile organizations. Do the search on the forum here and on the net. You may be very surprised.
Regardless, as long as you are happy with your choices for whatever reasons that is the only thing that matters.
Regardless, as long as you are happy with your choices for whatever reasons that is the only thing that matters.
10-12-2015, 07:35 PM
#26
Thank you for all the replies and the pictures of sidewall blowouts and email about such. I have read about 2000 emails over last 5 years, forums and close to 1000 on tire rack on both on rf and nrf. I do not decide anything on a whim. If you do your due diligence you will find out that run flats are very susceptible to side wall failures. One of the worst offenders are the Michelin ZP's. According to the sources rf tires are 3 times more likely to get a side wall failure/blowout. And i also know why. Some who live in NJ or CA with bad roads warn never to buy these tires. Nope, rf,s have not come long ways yet, they are the cause of the misery lot of the times. Last but not least they have been chosen as one of the most hated tires by consumers, service industry and some very prestigious automobile organizations. Do the search on the forum here and on the net. You may be very surprised.
Regardless, as long as you are happy with your choices for whatever reasons that is the only thing that matters.
Regardless, as long as you are happy with your choices for whatever reasons that is the only thing that matters.
10-12-2015, 09:32 PM
#27
Drifting
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Would be very glad to. Mind you I cannot recall all the posts and the hyperlinks, like I said I have been following these for many years but I will cite some easy ones, readily available.
First one is the Tire Rack. Pull up the Michelin Pilot ZP,s and the Super sports on our sizes and look at all the reviews. There are 76 submissions for ALL the run flats tire rack sells with total mileage reported 587,700 miles. On the Super sport non run flats, 862 submissions with total mileage reported to be 5,835,602, that is almost 6 million miles!
Read them all. You do not see one sidewall blowout in all the reports on Non run flats for 5 million plus miles but see a whole lot of it in 76 submissions with some dire warnings on the run flats. DO NOT BUY THESE TIRES IF YOU LIVE IN AREAS WITH BAD ROADS, and lot of speed bumps. Many people had repeated side wall blowouts with run flats. Naturally everything being a compromise in building tires, in order to make the side walls stiff they had to add weight, non run flats are 3- 6 pounds lighter, yet they have a 300 tread wear rating VS, 220 on the RF's, yet the NRF's have a higher service description (they can carry additional 400-500 LBS per side), they can take more load and have much more give. They are simply more supple. In order to make that side wall stiff enough on the RF's, for them to stay on the rim, it had to become hard, brittle and more fragile, it does not have the suppleness to take on a large object or a pot hole, a sudden impact shatters the side wall. The worst case scenario for something like this on a NRF would be a ply separation, possibly a bubbled up sidewall but the tire would stay together and it would not cause a catastrophic failure like it happens with a RF tire.
Last one was here on the Corvette forum, just a few weeks ago, someone posted a hyperlink for an article (I believe) done by Edmund's. Search it on the forum. It was an eye opening article about being the most hated invention by both the consumers and the service industry by using some very good numbers and studies. They also scored it as the worst.
Honestly the spare tires in my 79 C3 for ten years was never used once, and in my 89 C4 for additional 10 years and 100K miles, and my 17 year Volvo with 300,000 miles (which had 5 sets of tires). Not once. Car manufacturers know something most of us don't, that is why my new Volvo with non run flats come with no spare but a bottle of goop and a compressor and many other makes follow suit. If these flats and blow outs were a issue, they would be in huge trouble. If you have a run flat you are very happy to have one because you are needing it all the time (or will soon)
First one is the Tire Rack. Pull up the Michelin Pilot ZP,s and the Super sports on our sizes and look at all the reviews. There are 76 submissions for ALL the run flats tire rack sells with total mileage reported 587,700 miles. On the Super sport non run flats, 862 submissions with total mileage reported to be 5,835,602, that is almost 6 million miles!
Read them all. You do not see one sidewall blowout in all the reports on Non run flats for 5 million plus miles but see a whole lot of it in 76 submissions with some dire warnings on the run flats. DO NOT BUY THESE TIRES IF YOU LIVE IN AREAS WITH BAD ROADS, and lot of speed bumps. Many people had repeated side wall blowouts with run flats. Naturally everything being a compromise in building tires, in order to make the side walls stiff they had to add weight, non run flats are 3- 6 pounds lighter, yet they have a 300 tread wear rating VS, 220 on the RF's, yet the NRF's have a higher service description (they can carry additional 400-500 LBS per side), they can take more load and have much more give. They are simply more supple. In order to make that side wall stiff enough on the RF's, for them to stay on the rim, it had to become hard, brittle and more fragile, it does not have the suppleness to take on a large object or a pot hole, a sudden impact shatters the side wall. The worst case scenario for something like this on a NRF would be a ply separation, possibly a bubbled up sidewall but the tire would stay together and it would not cause a catastrophic failure like it happens with a RF tire.
Last one was here on the Corvette forum, just a few weeks ago, someone posted a hyperlink for an article (I believe) done by Edmund's. Search it on the forum. It was an eye opening article about being the most hated invention by both the consumers and the service industry by using some very good numbers and studies. They also scored it as the worst.
Honestly the spare tires in my 79 C3 for ten years was never used once, and in my 89 C4 for additional 10 years and 100K miles, and my 17 year Volvo with 300,000 miles (which had 5 sets of tires). Not once. Car manufacturers know something most of us don't, that is why my new Volvo with non run flats come with no spare but a bottle of goop and a compressor and many other makes follow suit. If these flats and blow outs were a issue, they would be in huge trouble. If you have a run flat you are very happy to have one because you are needing it all the time (or will soon)
Last edited by gsflyer2011; 10-12-2015 at 09:45 PM.
10-13-2015, 09:00 AM
#29
Drifting
10-13-2015, 09:43 AM
#30
Race Director
I only got about 9.5k miles before the OEM run flats on my Grand Sport needed replacement. One guy in our club only got 7.8k miles before his needed replacing.
10-13-2015, 10:18 AM
#31
Well then explain the logic in this statement...."A run flat will roll a flat non fun flat is really flat"....HUH ???
10-13-2015, 10:32 AM
#32
Drifting
10-13-2015, 12:48 PM
#33
Drifting
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As far as the one that you have replied to that he cannot find the posts, let me also add few more, JD. Powers, Consumer reports.org. Just enter run flats on the search function. For anyone seeking the truth it is all there and I said my peace.
here is a going away present for you. This one is from Consumer reports.org
Run-flat tires promise to remove a key travel worry—being stranded roadside. However, the ownership experience can be both expensive and frustrating, as we have heard from owners.
A reader recently recounted a nightmarish run-flat tire tale that captures the potential downsides to this technology and mirrors other feedback we have received. (Even a staff member here has had his own run-flat adventures.)
This consumer wrote us about driving his dream car, a 2012 BMW 550i, on a long trip. When a tire-pressure warning light illuminated, he pulled off the highway, stopped, and discovered a flat tire. Ready to tackle this misfortune, he looked for a spare tire in the trunk, but there was none to be found.
Without the option to solve the dilemma on his own, he called BMW roadside assistance, only to be told there was no spare tire since the car comes with run-flats.
Because the flat was caused by a sidewall failure, the owner was told not to drive on it.
Late on a Sunday night, far from home, the driver spent two and a half hours waiting for a flat-bed tow to get the expensive car to safe ground, followed by an unexpected night in a hotel.
The disappointed owner got his car back on the road the next day and was fairly satisfied knowing flats are a rare event. But he felt that he would have bought a different car with regular tires instead of the run-flats, had he known.
Check out our tire ratings, including models available in run-flat configurations.
Since the initial troublesome experience, the owner was stranded four more times, accumulating a total of eight road-hazard flats in less than 30,000 miles. Adding insult to injury, in the best of times, the owner found the run-flats to be stiff-riding and noisy. Plus, they cost a bundle to replace (claimed $500 apiece), and even at that, replacements are hard to find. (The Bridgestone Driveguard is an aftermarket run-flat tire currently in-test at Consumer Reports and is widely available, unlike some original equipment run-flats.)
Although eight failures is extreme for any car, the issues related to comfort and replacement are not unique to this individual. We’ve heard similar complaints from many others. In this case, a BMW dealer suggested he buy tire insurance for a mere $2,500—an astronomical sum that sounded ridiculous at the time. To be fair, the owner confided that a BMW dealer did make some concessions on the cost of some of the replacement tires, but he no longer has confidence in his beloved car.
The owner suggests that anyone buying a car with run-flats inquire about tire insurance and negotiate the price down to make the car deal happen. We estimate that about 15 percent of the cars sold last year came with run-flats, so be sure to ask the dealer what kind of tires are on the car before you buy it. Many cars today come with just a tire repair kit, rather than a spare tire. Be sure you are getting what you expect when you buy a car, and if it doesn’t include a spare, ask if one is available.
Have you experienced the benefits, or frustrations, with run-flat tires? Share your insights in the comments below.
—Gene Petersen
10-13-2015, 01:03 PM
#34
Burning Brakes
I carry a mini compressor it fits perfectly in one of the rear storage compartments, takes out the worry till you can get you run flat fixed.
10-13-2015, 02:23 PM
#35
Race Director
I have runflats and I still carry a compressor and a can of goop. Everything about a tire is a number of compromises. You are definitely giving up some other things if you use runflat tires.
The question is, how many times have runflats CAUSED a problem compared to the number of times they AVOIDED a problem? I bet overall, they solve a lot more problems than they cause. Do they ever cause a problem? I'm sure they have. Would a regular tire have failed in the same circumstances? I'm sure many times it would.
We, as owners, have a part in this, also. Perhaps some people are letting their inflation pressure get low because they have runflat tires and they do not notice the low pressure. A tire is far more likely to fail if the pressure is low. So keep your pressure up, folk! Let's face it, most people do not check their pressures monthly.
The question is, how many times have runflats CAUSED a problem compared to the number of times they AVOIDED a problem? I bet overall, they solve a lot more problems than they cause. Do they ever cause a problem? I'm sure they have. Would a regular tire have failed in the same circumstances? I'm sure many times it would.
We, as owners, have a part in this, also. Perhaps some people are letting their inflation pressure get low because they have runflat tires and they do not notice the low pressure. A tire is far more likely to fail if the pressure is low. So keep your pressure up, folk! Let's face it, most people do not check their pressures monthly.
10-13-2015, 03:07 PM
#37
Racer
I have the Bridgestone RE050A runflats on my Z06 and I have 30,000 miles on them with another 10,000 miles in them before I hit the wear bars.
So much better than the OE Goodyears.
I drive my Z06 on long road trips, and usually I am in remote areas on narrow two lane roads with no shoulder to pull off on. I would never run with non-runflat tires.
Last month I was in my daily driver, driving in a very rural area of Arkansas when I ran over a small piece of wood(that had a 1/4'' diameter wood screw in it). I heard my rear tire throw up the wood against the bottom of the car and less than a mile down the road I was on the side of a narrow two lane road with a very flat tire. I have roadside assistance insurance with my State Farm policy, so I tried to call them to send shop truck out to change my flat(I have a jack, spare tire, etc in the trunk of my Mercedes). Guess what, no cell service where I was. so I had to change out the tire myself(which took a while as I'm 73 with bad legs, knees, feet etc and bad right shoulder).
If I had been in my Z06, with non-run flats tires, I was looking for a pretty long walk to find a house with a land line, leaving my Corvette on the side of the road. Since I only run runflats on my Z06, I could easily have driven the 25 miles to the nearest town(on I-30).
Prior to that, the last flat I had(and it was on a Saturday night on I-44, quite a distance from a town) was in 1995(and I had a spare tire in my Cadillac then).
So much better than the OE Goodyears.
I drive my Z06 on long road trips, and usually I am in remote areas on narrow two lane roads with no shoulder to pull off on. I would never run with non-runflat tires.
Last month I was in my daily driver, driving in a very rural area of Arkansas when I ran over a small piece of wood(that had a 1/4'' diameter wood screw in it). I heard my rear tire throw up the wood against the bottom of the car and less than a mile down the road I was on the side of a narrow two lane road with a very flat tire. I have roadside assistance insurance with my State Farm policy, so I tried to call them to send shop truck out to change my flat(I have a jack, spare tire, etc in the trunk of my Mercedes). Guess what, no cell service where I was. so I had to change out the tire myself(which took a while as I'm 73 with bad legs, knees, feet etc and bad right shoulder).
If I had been in my Z06, with non-run flats tires, I was looking for a pretty long walk to find a house with a land line, leaving my Corvette on the side of the road. Since I only run runflats on my Z06, I could easily have driven the 25 miles to the nearest town(on I-30).
Prior to that, the last flat I had(and it was on a Saturday night on I-44, quite a distance from a town) was in 1995(and I had a spare tire in my Cadillac then).
10-13-2015, 03:16 PM
#38
Burning Brakes
This will happen each and every time with non-runflats.
The issue that is addressed here is absence of a spare -
This consumer wrote us about driving his dream car, a 2012 BMW 550i, on a long trip. When a tire-pressure warning light illuminated, he pulled off the highway, stopped, and discovered a flat tire. Ready to tackle this misfortune, he looked for a spare tire in the trunk, but there was none to be found.
Without the option to solve the dilemma on his own, he called BMW roadside assistance, only to be told there was no spare tire since the car comes with run-flats.
Because the flat was caused by a sidewall failure, the owner was told not to drive on it.
Late on a Sunday night, far from home, the driver spent two and a half hours waiting for a flat-bed tow to get the expensive car to safe ground, followed by an unexpected night in a hotel.
Read more: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...#ixzz3oTdWNvce
The issue that is addressed here is absence of a spare -
This consumer wrote us about driving his dream car, a 2012 BMW 550i, on a long trip. When a tire-pressure warning light illuminated, he pulled off the highway, stopped, and discovered a flat tire. Ready to tackle this misfortune, he looked for a spare tire in the trunk, but there was none to be found.
Without the option to solve the dilemma on his own, he called BMW roadside assistance, only to be told there was no spare tire since the car comes with run-flats.
Because the flat was caused by a sidewall failure, the owner was told not to drive on it.
Late on a Sunday night, far from home, the driver spent two and a half hours waiting for a flat-bed tow to get the expensive car to safe ground, followed by an unexpected night in a hotel.
Read more: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...#ixzz3oTdWNvce
10-13-2015, 03:27 PM
#39
Burning Brakes
gsflyr2011 -
I call complete BS on that Consumer Reports blurb - BTW
The number of strandings - which I call BS on the first one asking why
not drive on the blow-out tire? How did BMW service know condition of tire?
How is someone at BMW roadside service qualified to make that call when they are
incapable of getting a flatbed to the guy? sounds like he called the counter guy
at the lease company LOL
And the $2500 tire insurance? - There is no sense to that at all - I have tire
insurance on my Michelins from Discount Tire and it was like $16 per tire fer rice
cakes! Full replacement.
I call complete BS on that Consumer Reports blurb - BTW
The number of strandings - which I call BS on the first one asking why
not drive on the blow-out tire? How did BMW service know condition of tire?
How is someone at BMW roadside service qualified to make that call when they are
incapable of getting a flatbed to the guy? sounds like he called the counter guy
at the lease company LOL
And the $2500 tire insurance? - There is no sense to that at all - I have tire
insurance on my Michelins from Discount Tire and it was like $16 per tire fer rice
cakes! Full replacement.
10-13-2015, 03:50 PM
#40
Race Director
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Location: Phila Suburbs 2023 C8 & 2013 650ix
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Since you went with Michelin tires, you should be aware of one the benefits that Michelin provides to customers:
3-Year Flat Tire Changing Assistance
A qualified service professional will change your flat and install your spare tire or provide towing at no charge. In case of a flat tire, simply call 1-888-553-4327 and a qualified professional will change the tire or provide towing up to 150 miles for free. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in the U.S. and Canada.
3-Year Flat Tire Changing Assistance
A qualified service professional will change your flat and install your spare tire or provide towing at no charge. In case of a flat tire, simply call 1-888-553-4327 and a qualified professional will change the tire or provide towing up to 150 miles for free. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in the U.S. and Canada.