Man there are so many choices out there for tires. The wheels I have decided on will be 18x9.5 front and 18x10.5 rear. As far as I know I cannot find any options for runflat tires for those sizes, which is a bummer as I use this car as my daily. Moving along, I have searched tirerack and discount tire to find SEVERAL options for these sizes. Most of which are performance summer or high performance summer. What tires would you all recommend and why? Also for performance driving applications, would 1 performance tire rated the same actually be significantly better than another? Also do performance tires provide better acceleration over all seasons? Thanks for donating your wisdom to this noob!

-Alex

 

I'd look at either the Michelin Pilot Sports or Goodyear GS-D3s. Both have excellent ratings by owners.

 

Bump.

-Alex

 

Runflats: I've been driving Corvettes for 29 years and have had a flat exactly once. In all those years (and more) of driving many cars, I have had 1 blowout. The other few times, there was a nail or screw in the tire that allowed the air to leak out very slowly or not at all. In those cases, I had plenty of time to get the car to a tire shop. (By the way, not every tire shop is prepared to fix/remove/install runflat tires. Many that do will NOT guarantee the the wheel will not be damaged.)
Non-runflats are quieter, much better riding (6 lbs lighter per tire), much better handling around curvy, not-glass-smooth roads (sidewalls aren't as stiff, so side-hopping is reduced), and are less expensive (not to mention that they can be repaired/installed at any tire shop.

That being said, If you drive your C5 during very cold months, the highest-performing tires may be a bit scary, as they will not grip well at temps below 30F or so. All-season tires will not grip as well as the ultra high-performance Summer tires when traversing roads at temps above 30F. You can always switch to all-season during the coldest months, but I recommend having a Subaru STI or some other decent all-weather vehicle for the worst season in your area.

Of the best warm-weather tires, two really stand out: The Goodyear GSD3s and the Michelin PS2s. Of these two, the GSD3s should last longer. Another great tire is the BF Goodrich KDW 2, although it is a bit noisier than the first two I mentioned. Of course, there will always be third-tier tires that handle "okay" for daily commutes. Some will start singing after 5000 miles and may wear unevenly, so buy at your own risk. There's a reason why a tire would cost $150 less than another and it's not just because it's made in Korea.

 

Glad that you posted this. I was thinking about the same thing last night and was going to post today. I'm definitely in need of some new rears to replace the Kumhos. They are disappearing quickly.

 

That's my way of thinking too, I've only had one tire in 22 years of driving that got a hole in it so big that it could not hold any air at all.

So I ditched my runflats years ago and simply carry a compressor with me. I've gotten a few nails and screws in the tire but even in the worst case scenario the tire still only lost 5psi per day, so it held air long enough to get to a tire shop.

I drive my car year round, winter included and put about 15-17k on it, and am confident that things will be fine. If I have a problem during my daily commute, a tow truck is always around, they are like vultures here in Toronto (and if the first one that shows up is not a flatbed, they can always radio back to their home base and send someone with a flatbed)

FWIW, I just bought a new pair of front tires this morning, and went with the new Goodyear F1 all seasons. It was only about 40 degrees on my way to work, and raining heavily, but these tires worked fantastic. I wish I had not bought new Kumho ASX tires for the rear last fall, now I have to wait for them to wear down a bit more to replace them with a matching set of the new Goodyears.