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[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2] However, at this time, while we do plan to release the + in both sizes your vehicle requires,we do not have plans to release any that are equipped with run-flat technology.
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[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2] However, at this time, while we do plan to release the + in both sizes your vehicle requires,we do not have plans to release any that are equipped with run-flat technology.
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That suck's!
Indeed it does.... So what is the best solution for running non-ZP tires? I've seen a kit from Slime that's supposedly "TPMS friendly".
......just got an e-mail back from Michelin this morning having asked them about availability of the AS 3+ for my 2015 C7 Stingray , 18's front , 19's rear.
Michelin stated availability for the AS 3+ will be March and " This will be a conventional tire and not be a ZP ( Zero Pressure) runflat tire"
Looking at October for release date on the A/S 3+ Zero Pressure (20" rears). Fronts Z51 size are out now; I couldn't wait, needed tires now so I went with the Non-RF version of the 3+ last week. So far I'm seeing just a little bit smoother and quieter....waiting for a good down pour to try out the wet handling.
Just got off the phone with Michelin customer service and they
said the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ will be Run flats for the Z51 (that is the tire size I gave them) .
They expect production to start around March 2016.
At the Bash last month, the Michelin engineer said production has started on prototypes and they are finishing their testing. The ZP AS3+ will hit the market in October and they are producing enough tires to satisfy demand from the getgo. They will be available in the 18/19 Base and 19/20 Z51 sizes but will NOT be available in GS/Z06 sizes.
Tire Rack has the Michelin A/S 3+ in stock in the Z51 sizes, and they are not run flats. They are not (Y) rated for 186+ MPH.
For a base line; I paid just under $1300 out the door (mounted, balanced, tax, licence & DOC fees) plus $100 mail-in rebates.....so just under $1200 for a set of Z51 A/S 3+'s non-RF (Nation wide large chain tire dealer).
Yes the tires will warm up, but in 30 degree weather they're not going to warm up to their designed working temperature.
That's why there's a caution in the description for Summer Only tires related to driving below certain temperatures
It's not theory or opinion, it's simply what happens.
The tire performance level is noticeably less than it was designed to do because they get Hard and slippery in Cold weather.
Can they still be driven in cold ? Yes... but that doesn't mean they work the way they're designed to.
I've driven Ultra High Performance Summer tires in 30 degree or less weather with no problem, but the car can not be safely driven Aggressively.
And they don't stop very good either.
Many times the ABS would kick in coming to a stop on dry sunny roads at 30 degrees.
I've also driven Ultra High Performance A/S tires in 30 degree or less weather and there is no problem at all driving Aggressively or stopping.
Summer only tires will have the edge in warm hot weather, or on the Track
Originally Posted by Bill Dearborn
They will warm up when the car is driven at highway speeds and they will grip just fine. I got my personal best lap time at the Glen running in 32 deg ambient temp with snow flurries. I had Continental Race Slicks on the car and after a couple of laps at speed they had plenty of grip. I knocked 2 seconds off my previous personal best.
Bill
My experience-
We had the Firestone summer runflats on our C5. They seemed to grip better in cold temps (down to about freezing) than the original Goodyears, but I didn't have any comparative numbers.
One winter day, the outside temp was down to -20'F. But the roads were clear and dry, a very unusual combination around here. So I took the C5 on a 40 minute trip and they were absolutely awful. Just taking my foot off the brake (A4 tranny) at a stop sign would cause the rear tires to start spinning. If I barely touched the brake at any speed, the ABS would start pumping. It took a while before I could even get up to normal highway speeds without fear of sliding off the road. And driving at highway speeds for a while produced only a small improvement in grip.
Summary-
At that cold temperature, the grip was nearly zero and improved only a little after the tires had warmed from driving.
We had the Firestone summer runflats on our C5. They seemed to grip better in cold temps (down to about freezing) than the original Goodyears, but I didn't have any comparative numbers.
One winter day, the outside temp was down to -20'F. But the roads were clear and dry, a very unusual combination around here. So I took the C5 on a 40 minute trip and they were absolutely awful. Just taking my foot off the brake (A4 tranny) at a stop sign would cause the rear tires to start spinning. If I barely touched the brake at any speed, the ABS would start pumping. It took a while before I could even get up to normal highway speeds without fear of sliding off the road. And driving at highway speeds for a while produced only a small improvement in grip.
Summary-
At that cold temperature, the grip was nearly zero and improved only a little after the tires had warmed from driving.
This is exactly why I switched to Conti DWS06s. I want to be able to drive my C7 safely when it's a cold day as long as the roads are absent snow or ice.
Quote Originally Posted by NCM News
Lee Willard from the Michelin Research Group is a familiar face at Corvette races and the Museum. As the central figure in developing tires for the Corvette he is clearly excited about the latest offering from Michelin. “Together with our North American President and CEO Pete Selleck, and Chief Operating Officer Scott Clark (pictured right) and Corvette Racing driver Tommy Milner (left), we’ve introduced the new Pilot Sport All-Season 3+ tire. This tire is a big improvement over the Pilot All-Season 3, and what’s important about this tire for Corvette owners is that we have them in new dimensions in ZP run flat. We have them for the standard Stingray and the Z51 as well as the C6 Grand Sport and C6 Z06. One of the main reasons we created this tire was because of Corvette owners. They’ve come up to me at Corvette Museum events and at races, asking about when Michelin would come out with an all-weather tire for their car. This is our answer to that question and they’ll be available in October of 2016.”
This doesn't back it up though.
I'm skeptical. One of our members was told by Michelin engineers that a C6 GS/Z06 All Season runflat would be available within a year. It's now been about 4 years since that statement and still no A/S in that size from any manufacturer, runflat or not.
Total production of the C6 GS/Z06 was about 56,000 cars, subtract some crashes and we're probably below 55k.
Perhaps 15k of those cars are based in warm climates where hardly anyone would want an A/S, that drops us down to 40k potential customers.
About half of the remaining 40k cars are track cars or weekend fair weather fun cars, so now the potential market is down to 20k.
In our club (Chicago suburbs), no more than 20% of our C6 base car owners actually own any A/S tire, which would equate to a potential total market of 4,000 cars for a GS/Z06 All Season. If GM really leans on Michelin, they might be forced to make that A/S for the C6 GS/Z06. But for a market that small, and constantly shrinking as the cars get "retired", a free-market production would be an economic disaster.
I didn't run the numbers for the various sizes of C7 GS/Z06 tires, perhaps they are better for those cars but I'm not betting on it.
GM needs to stop using oddball tire sizes on the Corvettes.
While the number of Corvette owners interested in AS runflats, Michelin will be offering these tires across a broad range of sizes for various high performance makes and models spreading development costs across a large sales revenue opportunity.
The fact of the matter is, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires are NOT run flat tires, but improved compounds over the A/S 3 tires.
It is the end of October '16 and no all season run flat tires from Michelin!
Now what?
I ordered some A/S 3+ and they are very clearly identified as Run flat tires. Are scheduled for delivery in about 2 weeks.
I ordered mine a few weeks ago and was told the release date is 11 November (2016). I made sure they were the same tire as Michelin's Lee Willard listed in his presentation as all-season run-flats for the C7 Z51 fitment.
01-31-2016, 11:10 PM
) plus $100 mail-in rebates.....so just under $1200 for a set of Z51 A/S 3+'s non-RF (Nation wide large chain tire dealer).
This is exactly why I switched to Conti DWS06s. I want to be able to drive my C7 safely when it's a cold day as long as the roads are absent snow or ice.
