Thanks for the input everyone. It looks like I will hit the local junkyard first (I will paint mine if I get one ) and then Wallyworld.


Grzldvt: Do you still need a hockey puck with your jack, or will that top piece fit into the jack point ok without one?

 

I'm on non-runflats (Nitto's) myself.
I don't carry a jack, and I've had to make a couple of emergency plug repairs on the road. I'm sure someone will enlighten me here, but I can't see the need for a jack. Carry a compressor and plug kit. As long as the rim seal is intact, you can get enough air in the tire to roll it around to a servicable position. It appears to me that if you need a jack, you've got a more serious problem and will end up on a flatbead. I hope that never happens.

 

No I don't need a hockey puck with the jack
AND
my screw was on the inside of the front tire, very difficult to get to and work on without laying on the ground underneath an already low car. Right then and there I decided to get a jack, so I could pull the wheel off.

Just made life a lot easier to pull the tire off and work on it standing up.

For me, the absolute worst conditions for getting a flat, is on Sunday night in the rain on an expressway at 10 PM, where you are 1/2 mile from the any exit. No way am I driving the distance to get off, nor do I relish laying on the ground on an expressway situation. Chances are very slim there is anyone around to patch it for me until Monday AM.
Prepare for that situation. Chances are very high it will never happen, since nails/screws are generally slow leaks, but there is no guarantee.

Heck, I have only had two flat tires in the last ten years. Fortunately one of them was at home. I decided to try patching it and discovered, having a just a simple cheap patch kit and compressor was woefully inadequate. I would not have been able to fix the tire and been screwed. I had no way of getting the nail out of the tire, which is why I added pliers and screwdrivers to my kit. The head was completely gone and I had no way of getting the shaft out of the tire. It had gone in deep enough to cause a leak. Had a heck of time just finding it, let alone getting it out.
All the tools in my kit are there due to experience in fixing a flat in the field.

Make sense?

 

That's what I did,put a air pump and a plug kit and go.

 

I agree. If the tire was to go flat at least I could drive it to a local tire shop and get it fixed otherwise I would have to wait for Bubba and hope he knows how to put a vette on his flatbed.

 

??????????
js wondering.

 

The real trick is to jack it up under the point where the tire is not flat.

The frame is so stiff that it will lift the whole side of the car up. It helps that I have coil overs as my wheel travel is limited.

 

You bet. Thanks Grzldvt. Experience is the best teacher. All the tools and the jack are not that cumbersome. Probably fit into one of the under-floor compartments in the trunk. I have everything but the jack which I will add to my kit before long.

 

took the jack out of thr wifes car (528I)BMW it works real good, let the air out of thr two front tires not a problem. By the way I replaced it with a AAA card I don't see her changing a tire anyway!

 

IMHO, going through the nut roll of buying a jack, puck, lug wrench, compressor, etc. etc. is like fitting a square peg in a round hole. Unless you race, there is nothing wrong with EMTs. Your Vette was not designed to be jacked up on the side of the road with a jack meant for a BMW. Your car and your money, but I think a lot of the "non-run flat advocates" are just simply looking for justification for not spending the extra cash to keep original rubber on their Vettes. I concur with the poster that is staying with EMTs. You catch a flat, just drive to a dealer and get it fixed, no muss, no fuss.

 

If you go this route remember to put the number of a good body shop on your speed dial. Granted there are some careful flatbed operators out there but they are in the minority. AAA will not let you pick who will tow you so you are essentially playing Russian roulette. Don't think they are going to repair your flat at the scene with no spare. I've personally seen the damage some of these clowns can inflict on a car with much more ground clearance than a C5 when I needed towing on a business rental. Yeah, yeah that's what business insurance is for but do you really want all that hassle due to a flat? If so, go for it. After all that's what the majority of auto "non-enthusiasts" would do.

Also, if you don't have the more costly AAA Plus you will only be towed to the nearest AAA 'approved' center whether you like them and their business reputation and pricing or not. AAA Plus gives you up to 100 miles to your choice of destination.

Personally, since the OP is "planning a trip to the west coast next summer and need(s) extra insurance" my best suggestion would be to get runflats as even AAA Plus would probably offer no additional benefit.

 

To each,, their own,,,and no disrespect intentend,,,but the road noise, handling and ride comfort of the run flats are no good trade off for the "peace of mind" afforded! My car is WAY better in the aforementioned areas with my new non runflat tires than my old Eagle EMTs. I don't care if I have to fix a flat every six months for the rest of my life! The times between those flats without RUNCRAPS will more than make up for it!


My $00.02

 

The funny thing is that the same can be said for new runflats verses old Eagle EMTs. After all the old ones are most likely hard from age and worn to minimal tread depth which are the root causes of "the road noise, (reduced) handling and ride comfort."

Food for thought as this is rarely ever considered in these threads.

 

Amen Brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

We purchased a 2001 coupe with only 4460 miles on it in September. Needless to say, the car looks like it just like the day it came out of the factory. The tires still have the nubs on them. Is there a point at chich i need to be concerned with them due to age?

 

My C6 still has the original Run Flats, supposedly a much better and newer design. Hmmmm..don't think so, an improvement over the old C5's EMT's, yes, but the C5's non Run Flats are so much better. I could go on a dissertation about the seat of the pant's feel, but that is better left for another thread. I had BFG KD's, now running Nitto's. When the C6 tires finally hit the dust, I will go with the KD's, or Kuhmo's again. Had Kuhmo's on the C4 and loved those tires.

The handling, ride and control, for normal daily driving is simply a big improvement IMO, that the carrying of a few items for tire repair is well worth it. In my case it has nothing to do with the cost of tires, or convenience and everything to do with improving my driving experience.
We all have different ideas/views of why we own these cars. I definitely respect that. Changing to a different performance tire with wider capabilities has made an improvement for what I was looking for.

I am incredibly easy on my cars, I don't beat them or race them, but I appreciate the moment that I decide I want to stretch the car's capabilities that I can get a bit more out of it than most.

What convinced me to stay with a non RF, was a parade lap at Laguna Seca. Many people let the crowd get out in front of them and cranked in the corners. I followed a guy with RF's, and he had a heck of time keeping his car under control, and I was all over him, and had absolutely no issues, in fact I felt I could have passed him, I had that much left in my KD's.
I rarely use it, but when I do, I want it to be there.
Your mileage and opinions may vary.

 

They are definitely hard from age, but unless you start really pushing the car, you will be fine. Older tires have a tendency to get very hard and loose their ability to grip.
I am restoring a BMW 633 with tires of the same vintage and I can tell in the rain and under some harder turns and hard braking, they are not as good as when I first picked the car up four years ago.
But for normal day to day driving they work for me.