ranch41

I was looking at the Tire Rack website for replacement tires for my CE and did not see any non-run flat tires. Did Michelin discontinue the non-run flat Pilot PS2 and are there any similar non-run flat tires that will fit the CE?

THANKS-for any help or advice.

corvettemonster

I've heard good things about the Continental Extreme Contact DW, but IMO, run-flats are the way to go as they make the Z06 (and other cars) feel tighter during cornering at high speeds - which makes sense since the run flats have some seriously reinforced side-walls. I wouldn't put anything else on my SSB Carbon Edition except the PS2 or PSS (both run flats).

Dan_the_C5_Man

Or Cup2's.. Or Nitto's..

No doubt, us CE / Z07 / ZR-1 guys and gals are still getting the short end of the stick tire-wise.

ranch41

Maybe my research is old and the run flat technology has improved but because of the stiff wall design of the run flats, the tire sidewalks do not flex as much as a non-run flat therefore creating a smaller contact patch on high speed turns resulting in reduced corner traction. Is this not the case with current production run flats vs non-run flats?

dcamick

Dan_the_C5_Man

No..

In fact the RF's have an advantage in that the tread blocks on the outside edges stay square to the rim due to the sidewall stiffness. This also improves steering response / turn-in.

Honestly, the Michelin RF for our cars work very well with tons of grip - the down-sides are cost, un-sprung reciprocating weight (and that is a biggie) and ride quality.

As it stands today, there isn't a better performance tire option than the Michelin's in these sizes.

ranch41

Based on some of the positive responses in support of run flats, I researched run flat tires for current responses (2012 to present) and most of the opinions concerning run flats seem to be negative. For instance, researchers for JD Power did not like the run flats on their test cars and there are many post in other performance car forums (BMW, Mini, etc) where the OP is seeking to replace their run flats. In another article, representatives of major performance tire manufacturers were commenting on their current developments into improving their run flat tire product line to bring it closer to non-run flat tires.

To respond to your comments and keeping in mind that I have only a basic knowledge of physics, tread blocks maintaining a 90 degree angle to the rim does result in increased responsiveness only in a low speed situation. In high speeds the sidewalls need to flex in order to maintain a larger contact patch due to the centrifugal force created during a turn. If there were no sidewall flex, the inner tire edge would rise slightly because of the weight transfer resulting in a smaller contact patch and traction.

The grip you mention is relative to a number of other factors and conditions but all things being equal, I believe non-run flats to be superior. In fact, the downsides you mention are the very factors by which I am trying to compare run flats to non-run flats, i.e. Unsprung weight and ride quality. For performance vehicles and performance tires, these are major considerations when choosing between run flats and non-run flats.

Lastly, I do agree with you in that Michelins are probably the better brand choice when purchasing run flat tires.

Ultimately, this may be a moot point in that I researched the WCC website and noted that they do have the Michelin Pilots in a non-run flat tire. THANKS-for inspiring me to keep current on my run flat vs non-run flat research!!

Dan_the_C5_Man

Hey, I am with you - if you review past posts, I am on record as stating the only reason I care about the C7 Z is that my hope was its' success would spawn manufacturers to produce high performance non-RF tires in sizes we can use. It is known that the Conti and Nitto options are a step backwards.

Do you have a link to the tires you mentioned?

ranch41

No problem Dan. I googled "run flat vs non-run flat" and got through about 4 or 5 pages of threads and looked for dates from 2012 forwards. I know when I had my '09 Z06 from 2009 through 2011 all of my tire research resulted in a nonfavorable run flat tire. Anyway, I was hoping things had changed with R & D but maybe not as much as I had hoped.

TAKE CARE

corvettemonster

Also, keep in mind that run-flats are a lot safer both on the road and track as you won't experience the "blow-outs" that non run-flats do...I've seen it happen on the track.

I'll take the slightly stiffer ride and more expensive price tag in exchange for piece-of-mind...

08 ATOMIC-Z

I had PS2 on my Z06 and they were great.

ranch41

Run flat or were they non-run flat? I think I had the non-run flat PS2's when I replaced my GY run flats. The improvement was substantial. I prefer non-run flats over run flats whenever possible.