prinzSD455

I have been lurking on this message board for about a year now but have never signed up until today. I must admit the board is very informative regarding all things Corvette and occasionally even the flame wars can be entertaining.

Now, to the business at hand. I am planning on buying a Vette this summer, either a 2003 Z06 or a 2004 Anniversary (?) Vette. If I do not buy a Z06 then it will be a 2004 Anniversary (?) Vette coupe in the Burgundy color and the Champagne tinted rims (I really do like the tinted champagne rims) and light beige interior (I am not a fan of black interiors). My question is in regards to run flats. My sister called me the other day complaining about how she had a flat in her run flat tire for her BMW 645 Convertible and how the dealer wanted $500.00 to replace the tire. She ended up taking the car to a wheel shop and had the nail hole plugged up. She called me asking if it was safe to do so and my answer was “I did not know, but it does not sound to safe!” Since I plan on getting a Vette this summer with or without the run flats (my understanding is Z06s do not have run flats), I was wondering how safe it is to repair a run flat? Since the Vette has had them since 1997, I figured I would defer the question to the experts among this forum whom have had plenty of experience with the run flats.

Thanks in advance, and once again…great board.

Regards Jim P,

P.S. Hello Frank T and Derrik.

TripleBlackxThree

First welcome to the board.


Goodyears can be repaired. So can Michelins (AS/ZPs). I don't believe Firestones can however, or at least Firestone doesn't recommend it.

Can't speak for the others. Suggest you try the advanced search and check the archive box looking for runflats and repair. There was a pretty comprehensive discussion about this a few months back.

prinzSD455

thank you, I will try the archives

Yoggi

Welcome!!! Hope things work out on getting your vette soon.

As far as run flats. I dont know about the repair issue. However a new run flat tire (depending on brand) can cost less than $300.00.

I know my Firestone Firehawks are about 230 for fronts and 290 for rears.

blacksedan87

Welcome to the "active" world - it's a big jump from the sidelines!

Here's an article that you might find interesting to answer some of your questions about the GY EMT that was OEM on the Vette and some of the aftermarket tiremakers that offer an extended mobility tire....

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/....php?qstId=515

rws.1

Direct from the GoodYear site

"The EMT sidewall is built to maintain its shape and driveability even after losing all air pressure. In fact, the tire performs so well when it's "flat", that cars must be equipped with a sensor system at each wheel to alert the driver to any loss of pressure.

Without such a system, you might drive on the tire until it was damaged beyond repair. The next generation of Goodyear EMTs for cars and light trucks is designed to be driven while "flat" for up to 50 miles at 55 mph and still be fully repairable."


They recommend a plug and patch approach....

JeffC5

I just had one of mine repaired at SamsClub. They didn't even charge me to do the repair.
jeff

ArmyVette

I believe Goodyears and Michelins can most certainly be repaired if the repair is in the tread area. If the sidewall is damaged, however, the tire is shot.

Also, repairing a tire invalidates the speed rating on the tire which is probably not a big deal unless you are doing high speed racing. For general road use, a tire with repaired tread puncture is just fine.

HummelS

When I had one repaired at a Goodyear store, they told me that if patched correctly (from the inside), the speed rating was not affected.

edensknight

A helpful note: As found from the Tire Rack website, do enter in the following web-link. This specific tire tech link will offer an informative explanation, and, exposive pictures that discuss the importance of a comprehensive tire inspection, as well as, the implementation of a combination small plug/vulcanized patch repair to properly patch a tire with a puncture that is considered repairable:

http://tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/t....jsp?techid=77

Best Wishes to you, and, welcome to the CF family!

Humanoid 2.0

FYI the Anniversary year is 2003 not 2004. There is no Anniversary Edition in 2003 for the Z06. In 2004 there is a Commemorative Edition that has the same interior colors as the 2003 AE with exception of the Z06 that has a black interior. The exterior color for the 2004 is Lemans Blue.

50 4Ever

I takled to Goodyear Customer Service about this issue a couple of years ago. If the tire is patched you lose one letter in speed rating and you can only patch a tire twice, the third time it must be replaced.

If you have a Y rated tire (186 MPH), when you patch it, it drops to a rating of W (168 MPH). If you patch it again, it drops to a rating of V (149 MPH). Which is still very fast.

ZO6vettepilot

After reading your entire post, I thought I would provide some additional info for you, you can take it for what it's worth.
Regarding the 2004 Anniversary Edition, there is no such animal
The 2003 was the Anniversary Edition.
The 2004 had the Commemorative Edition. Just to make sure some salesperson doesn't try to pass off something that isn't right.

The Extended Mobility Tire (EMT) from Goodyear may be repaired provided the following hasn't been exceeded.
200 miles at up to 55 MPH in a runflat condition.
If the tire is flat because of a penetration, the actual size and location of the damage must be evaluated by a trained tire tech. That could be why your sister's tire had to be replaced, it may not have been in a repairable location on the tire casing.
In the beginning only the Goodyear EMTs were repairable, now there are several brands that, if the damage meets the tire manufacturer's damage/repair criteria, they may be repaired safely.
As far as the speed rating goes, there are a several schools of thought on that, none of which I have read from the tire manufacturer's themselves.

1. The speed rating is dropped by one rating level for each repair.
2. The speed rating is lost forever.
3. There is no effect on speed rating if the repair is performed to the tire manufacturer's specifications.

This is what I believe; if the repair is performed per the manufacturer's specifications, the average driver is unaffected. Unless the car will see speeds approaching the speed rating on the tire for extended periods of time, I really don't think one would see a problem. But that's just me. I had 3 repairs in the right rear of my Z06 F1 Supercar tires. I had it on the dyno last year, 145 MPH in 4th gear with no problems. Incidently, I just replaced those tires yesterday after finally wearing them down with 36,500 miles of spirited driving style. The repairs had been in there for over 30,000 miles since the repairs were made. I had no tire problems.

JDLearjet

Only Goodyears retain the original speed rating, if properly patched.

Vetteman Jack

Several years ago I posed the question of whether the Firestone Firehawks can be repaired after a flat - sent an e-mail to their Customer Service Office, who in turn referred my question to a Consumer Products Manager in Nashville. The response I got back then was that the tire is repairable using the plug and patch method. Obviously, there would be a limit to the number of times the tire can be repaired, just like any tire. They also indicated that the tire would lose its speed rating with a repair. Hope this helps. I run a set of the Firehawks on my car and have had a tire repaired. Not had a problem with it.

If you want to check back with them, they were pretty prompt at responding to my questions.

barrynk

I had my left front Goodyear Eagle F1 EMT patched this morning (plug & patch) after I discovered a slow leak yesterday - $52. Nice to see the corvette tax is alive and well....

prinzSD455

Once again thanks for all the replies, they are informative. Can't wait for my Vette.

prinzSD455

Sorry for the confusion, I did not mean the Z06 Commerative Edition but the standard coupe with the Burgundy exterior, tan interior and champagne colored rims( at least I am under the impresion it was a collector edition of some sort, anyone know the option code?) I am sorry if I caused confusion, I realize this is not a Z06 and it may seem wierd to choose between a 2003 Z06 or the standard coupe in the Burgundy color, tan interioer and champagne rims but I like the color combination.

ZO6vettepilot

Where in the world did you go for that repair, a jewelers? Mine cost $14.50 plus tax, that included dismounting the tire from the rim, the actual repairs, (2 nails and 1 very large staple), remounting and rebalancing. Of course I do live in a low cost of living area, but I didn't think there would be that much difference.
Of course that was 4 years ago, but I noticed the other day when I had my new rear tires installed, tire repair is still $14.00 per tire.

ZO6vettepilot

Yup, that sounds like the Anniversary Edition, nice looking Vette. And your not weird to get what you want, in fact not everybody likes the Z06. Some prefer Coupes, some Verts, it's what each individual likes. I happened to like the Z06, not just the performance end, but also the body style. Actually I like all the Vette body styles, I just had to make a choice between the three. If I had my way, I would have one of each.
If my wife had her way, we wouldn't even have a Vette, she isn't into cars at all....