I am sure this will cause considerable debate as there are pro's and cons to this issue.

The reason I prefer the original Goodyear Runflats, F-1 Eagles, is due to the fact the compound is softer and corners better than a harder compound formulation. True, I will not get the advantage of longer tire wear as those using Michelin Pilot Sports no run flat.

Another reason why I prefer the run-flat actually occurred today with my best friend's C-6. He was in Palm Springs when he got a nail in the tread, the warning display came on stating low tire pressure on run flats or something close to this example. Rocky called from Palm Springs and asked what to do. Advised him to get off the 85 mph freeway and inflate the tire to 35 pound minimum and to return to Laguna (home) about 115 miles away and advise pressure when at home.

Rocky complied, at home the tire pressures still hot read 27 pounds, again another trip up to Costa Mesa to Connell Chevrolet. Why all these precautions: 1) a run flat will go 200 miles at a speed under 50 mph per specification (there is no spare in a current C-5 nor C-6). 2) personally feel that without a run flat, this tire would have blown due to the 10 penny nail stuck in the tread doing both severe rim and body work damage. 3) the wheels are black powder coated and did not want some minimum wage gas monkey changing or attempting to repair his tire with powder coated wheels, repair to the wheel would be 1/2 the price of a new tire!!!

So you have a choice of run flats in either Michelin or Goodyear. The Pilot Sport Z rated were put on my C-5 however the tread width was noticeably smaller. As things worked out the tread diameter was also larger with the Michelins which got me a fix it ticket (first ticket in 50 years of driving experience) since I still had the receipt for the Michelins aboard the vehicle and showed this to the counties finest. Heads up read 65 mph radar said 84.

In either tire selected consider run flats as an definite consideration as no spare exists in the Vettes and question yourself seriously if you would allow some unknown garage mechanic to change the tires with his old delpidated equipment vs. european (reverse side installed) tire installed often called European models compared to the ones were are accustomed to. If your wheels are custom made, chromed or powder coated this becomes a major concern, $250 to possibly repair the damaged tire wheel.

I use the original Goodyear Eagles, F-1, Run Flat, Z-rated tires on my car (had a tire blow once and what it did to the sheet metal was horrendous at freeway speeds.

Tires are all inflated to 34 PSI dead cold with nitrogren, not gas station pump air. Nitrogren is a larger molecule than normal compressed air and is not as prone to leak out monthly. It is also reported by NASCAR drivers they use nitrogren to prolong tire life at high speeds and the heat buildup at speed is greatly reduced with Nitrogren. Have to say they are right, tires are also quieter at 34 PSI cold and handling is firmer but not as harsh as the Z-51 suspension system.

Just offered this for consideration. My wife's Lexus SUV has 55,000 on the factory tires with apparently by measurement 1/2 tire tread life remaining. She also runs nitrogren at 34 psi which seems to be a magic number for street vehicles and within most car manufacturer's tire specs cold.

The use of nitrogren also gets rid of a great deal of road noise as lower tire pressure gains 2-4 psi are noted at high speed if you rely on the gauges. Have also found nitrogen does not loose pressure and now checked every three months with the oil change vs monthly as required with conventional compressed air.

Comments would be appreciated. Like any other question, it often leads to many others.

Regardless of tire manufacturer, if you ever hear a wa wa wa sound on the freeway or interstate, replace all 4 tires, reason being there is a belt seperation forming that will produce a flat or blow out (non run flats) that could cause you to become stranded.

Hope this helps those that are accustomed to just oil changes and where do I put the gas crowd, a minority with forum members I am quite sure by looking at the photos.

 

You make a lot of points that I totally agree with (highlighted above). I, like you, prefer the Goodyear Eagle F1s over any other tire. Maintained at the proper pressure (a little skeptical about the use of nitrogen and 34 psi seems a bit high) and changed out at the right time, the OEMs are as good a tire as you can have for the C5.

Tire choice come down to how you use your Vette. For "normal" use, OEMs are more than adequate (I don't track my car) For those that drag or autocross, and/or have a lot of RWHP over stock, OEMs are not all that ideal. You have to have tires that fit your application.

The OEMs fit the way I drive my car. They seem to fit the way you drive yours. I would NOT want to run OEMs on a dragstrip and there are better tires for sustained/regular competitive driving. Of course you HAVE to mod if you drag on a regular basis anyway.

You are going to get lot of passionate responses to this topic

Enjoy

 

Chemdog 99

I would hope this causes some serious debate as we both know there is no specific tire made for all applications! Daily driver or show car, use the factory designed rubber. Drag strip, put Hoosiers slicks on the rear for some real bite, etc, et al.

Oh, my background is product design engineering.

Grandpa Bear

 

Many good points and interesting points.

I personally do not like the runflats becasue of the stiff sidewalls and their noisy characteristics. They are not really that soft of a compound. I use Goodyear GS-D3's that are a softer compound than the runflats and THESE tires fit my driving style much more than the OEM runflats.

As for not having a spare, I carry a plug kit, portable compressor, and a cell phone for problems with tires.

I am sure the run flats are great for the comfort they give many drivers, they just are not for me.

As for the Nitrogen, I never knew about that. I'll have to try it. NOW, where will I find nitrogen?

Thanks for your info...