Ron Dittmer

UPDATE ON 4/19/2012
I now have 7000 miles on these tires. Thread wear is excellent as I cannot see wear on the tires, though I am sure there must be some. Certainly no uneven wear thanks to the wheel alignment changed from the stock performance specs to commuter even-wear specs. The ride continues to be excellent with no increase in road noise that I can tell.

UPDATE ON 8/28/2010
I now have over 3000 miles on my Sumitomo tires which I installed before this driving season.

I am still extremely pleased with my decision. They still have a very quiet and comfortable ride. My Corvette is a real joy to drive.

I use the car exclusive for around-town commuting with a mix of stop-n-go city, rural, and highway conditions, from smooth to difficult road surfaces that really need repair badly. Handling is excellent. I don't have notable tire noise in my convertible, top up or down. I do have a Lloyds trunk mat which I assume helps reduce any such noise further.

I did get a front wheel alignment at the start, modified for commuting so all 4 tires seem to be wearing evenly, if there is any wear at all.

Given they are not run-flat tires, I do carry a tire repair kit with tire plugs & compressor, stored in the rear center stow compartment, but my tire sensors keep things monitered too. I figure if I discover a flat when returning to the car in a parking lot, I could either plug a hole with the tire on the car, or fill up the tire with air to last long enough to get myself to a local repair center.

Great tires!....and the lowest priced tires I found at Tire Rack. My total including shipping was $520.

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UPDATE ON 4/9/2010
Today was my first day driving my A/E Corvette since I mounted these non-runflat tires during winter. I am "Extremely" pleased with the comfort ride. I will never be able to comment on how they perform under "performance" conditions because I don't drive that way. I can only say, these tires offer a very soft, and very quiet ride. I have no road noise, but also consider I just put in a full-covering Lloyd's trunk mat which also dampens road noise. Time and miles will tell how these tires do in the long run.

I have owned six C5s over the years. These tires along with my magnetic ride select set to tour, make this Corvette feel like a family sedan. For some people that is a bad thing, but for me joy-commuting they are fantastic. At 1/3 the price of OEM runflats, and $50 for a tire emergency kit at Walmart, I am in good shape.

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ORIGINAL POSTING QUESTION
Here is the NON-Runflat tire I am considering:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e&autoModClar=

Cost to me $520.60 from Tire Rack (I will mount and balance them myself)

Seeking Tires With These Strengths.......
- Quiet Ride
- Smooth Ride
- Comfortable Ride
- Handles Bumps & Irregular Road Surfaces Well

My Driving
Driving Condition - allways dry, driven in Spring, Summer, & Fall
Driving Style - easy going commuting
Driving Type - combined city and highway
Suspension - Magnet Ride Select (Tour & Performance)


About Re-Using The Original Pressure Sensors.........
Given I own a 2003 with 31,000 miles, should I replace all sensors due to battery life issues?

I originally set my goal on runflats, but the expense and rougher ride got me considering these.
I would appreciate your thoughts on all this.

Bounty

Have had both the HTR-Z II's and the HTR-Z III's...they're both fine for your projected goals and driving habits and are excellently priced. Less noise than runflats, better dry/wet traction, not as stiff a sidewall so more "flex" in corners making handling less stiff than with the runflats, and all you have to worry about are nails in the road.

Keep a tire inflation/repair kit in the car or AAA and you'll be fine...

c5vetteguy

I bought the exact setup you're considering from TW. These tires are a vast improvement over old/worn runflats. I bought the original tire sizes (17s & 18s) last Spring and put close to 1200 miles on them with zero issues. They will be relegated to my wagon wheels as a backup set this Spring as I'm updating my wheels to something a little bit different.

As far as the TPS goes, it wouldn't hurt to replace them at the same time. Even though mine were working fine (originals from '98), I replaced all four just in case one went bad in the near future. You can get these from TW also. Bottom line, with the sensors, you'll end up spending about as much as a moderately priced set of non-runflat tires, but considerably less than a set of replacement runflats.

JW Motorsports

I have the IIs. They are great for the price and what I use my car for.

See if you can find a set of the IIs. The thread pattern looks a lot better.

Ron Dittmer

I can get the II's for much less from Tire Rack at $417.01 but I am a little worried the thread pattern will be noisier, or get noiser over time.

Road noise is my biggest influence with tire selection. How would you rate road noise of the II's, especially after 10,000 miles of use?

Ron Dittmer

Who Is TW?

JW Motorsports

I'm probably the wrong person to ask.

I haven't even put 10,000 miles on since I had them.

My car is also loud with long tube headers and custom exhaust so that's all I hear.

n8dogg

I am going to guess price is the #1 priority. Personally I wouldn't put them on my car, but mainly because I love improving the performance of my car. If you do not drive aggressively/spirited the tires will be fine. Just be aware that you may get negative comments from people at cruise-ins and car shows.

Ron Dittmer

Yes price is very important, but there are many tires in the same general price range. A comfortable ride for commuting is also critical. That is why I seek comments on "The Ride". Is it comfortable? Any side effects other than the obvious flat tire? Is there another tire that gives a much better ride for just a little more money?

I did give consideration to negative comments on cruise nights. I will have to deal with them.

JW Motorsports

The ride is good to me. I had Michelin Run Flats before these and I couldn't tell the difference with the swap.

If someone has something bad to say about the tires I run I probably wouldn't want to be around them in the first place.

n8dogg

I agree with you 100% but no ones opinions and actions are the same. Lets face it, with all the Corvette clubs out there and all the car guys, MANY of them are VERY critical and love to make fun of other cars flaws to show how much they know. When you see a beautiful American made car with Japanese, Chinese, Korean (whatever, cheapos) Sumitomo tires on it, you cant help but wonder why. Sumitomos belong on Hyundais and Kias and poor grandmas grocery getter(IMO).

As a car guy I appreciate quality and aftermarket equipment that compliment the car. In my opinion Sumitomos hurt the car, it just doesn't fit, may as well put dinosaur oil in an engine that recommends Mobil 1. But if you don't care and just use your pretty little car as a means to get to point A to point B then do it!

Check out Kuhmo, they have come a long way, I have installed Kuhmos on C5's and C6's and have been VERT impressed in how they ride. Also check out the treadwear ratings. If I remember the Sumitomos I installed on a C4 had a rating of 150-200. A kuhmo for a few dollars more has 300-400. This would indicate the Kuhmo may last twice as long as the Sumitomo. In the long run would save you more money than just going for the cheapos. Keep in mind the tire ratings vary between manufacturers so use your best judgment.

Han Solo

I have experience with the HTRZ2 on a Mustang. They were a pretty good street tire for the first 10,000 miles then not so much. The tread would last way longer than you wanted to drive on them. The traction would go away and the noise level would get pretty loud.

Not sure I would put Sumitomos on my Vette but I might try a set of the 3s on our mazda 3 five door.

Ron Dittmer

I have made a decision. Thanks everyone here for your input. I am placing my order tomorrow morning on these tires through Tire Rack at a total cost of $520.60

Sumitomo HTR-Z-III Tires

I will mount and balance them myself as I have experience with and access to such mounting and balancing equipment.

If anyone else thinks these tires are bad news, then speak up quickly. I will check this thread one last time before making the call to Tire Rack.

I am not personally bothered having Japanese tires on my Corvette, though I do hear the points made from others who feel different. I wonder how many foreign parts are in my Corvette to begin with.

I saw a website, the #1 vehicle made in the USA was a Ford E-Series cut-away chassis used in motor homes and box trucks with 94% or 97% of it was USA made.

KenShores

Dig, why hob-**** with the Hoyte-Toyte, when you can relax with the hostess with the mostess.

Bounty

Just curious...but does this line of thinking extend to the fact that my "beautiful American car" has $400 a piece Pirelli's (Italian) that they are a "flaw" and should be ridiculed?

c5vetteguy

Sorry about that! I was thinking Tire Warehouse (local chain) when I wrote that, but I did get mine from Tire Rack. The tires are just fine for the type of driving you're doing. They are quiet and comfortable and have a UTQC rating of 300. If other people have issues with the parts you put on your car, well, that's their problem, not yours.

n8dogg

Not at all, my line of thinking includes the knowledge that Pirellis are expensive and renowned for their supercar performance, and many high end automobiles use them as OEM.

So in my opinion they compliment the car. Personally I would not use them as I have had Pzero Rossas before and did not care for how they performed and wore quickly. But thats not to say other style tires they offer aren't better.

I favor Michelins, in my experience with Corvettes I have found they perform superb, they are quiet, and have great tread wear for their performance. Worth every penny if you can afford them.

n8dogg

You will be fine with the tires you chose. Like I said its all about what you value in your car. Personally if I were shopping for a 'Vette and I came across one that has "Sumitomo" tires on it, I would wonder what else they skimped on. Tires are probably the most important safety device on your car, that's just my opinion. I hope you do enjoy them

Ron Dittmer

Thanks everyone for the comments/input/critisizms, etc. It was all very helpful.

I placed my Sumitomo III's order this morning with Tire Rack, $520.60 delivered to the house, with plans to mount & balance them myself. That works with my budget, and it sounds like it will enhance my cruising/commuting experence too.

I will get together a small 12V tire pump, a long 12v extension cord, compact flashlight, needle nose pliers, and tire plug kit for a roadside emergency kit. I've done a roadside repair on a dually motor home tire, and it went just fine. So much easier than changing the tire. That repair was done at a gas station with an air hose.

n8dogg

I too went away from the run flats, not a fan one bit. I find it funny how many Corvette owners wonder what to do if you get a flat if you don't have run flat tires the same thing you would do in any other car! plus you have the tire monitor system so you will know if you are losing air!