I totally agree with you. Those early Goodyear's gave runflats a bad reputation. I will only use runflats. I've had 3 incidents with punctured tires, and I'm glad I had the runflats to get me home.

 

I've had one run flat repaired from a nail in tread area at Discount Tire without a problem. Of course as has been mentioned no tire can be repaired from sidewall damage / nail / etc.

 

The GYRFs can be patched up to 3 punctures as long as the punctures are 90-degrees off center and on different treads. The GYRFs also can drive up to 200 miles at reduced speed after loss of air.

The Michelins (which I have now) only allow one puncture repair per tire if in the tread area and can only go up to 50 miles after loss of air (which works fine for me since I never leave town)

Having had multiple flats on both the above brands I can say that the GYRFs are so rigid that I never even noticed the loss of air. The Michelins however will be obvious - I even had people honking and pointing at me as I limped home a couple times at reduced speed.

Regardless of the brand, a sidewall puncture is terminal. Even that metal cleat shown in the photo I posted earlier could not be repaired as it was right on the edge.

 

My z had GY run flats on it when I bought it 5 years ago. When I test drove the car I was kind of unimpressed with the ride and handling. Shortly after getting it home installed NT05's and had an alignment done...totally different feeling car, way better handling, better ride and much more fun to drive. Run flats are for non performance cars imo. I would never put them on a corvette again.

.

 

Run flats are called run flats because they will run when flat. RUN FLAT. Flat means no air pressure. It looks like the tire was coming apart.
If it happened when he hit the pothole then the damage the OP had was a blowout, not a puncture and it is not recommended to drive on run flats with a blow out. They will come apart and possibly destroy your fender. The OP was lucky. Runflats are for punctures only.
This is what happens when you drove on a run flat with a blow out.

 

I'm glad you like them. Yuck!

 

Hey guys did not mean to start a war here I was just sharing my story on what happened to me. I am new to this area I have no friends no family I guess I can call state farm with road side assistance BUT WHY the run flats did their job and I am thankful for it. Some of you don`t like them and thats fine it`s your money your car do what you think is right for your car. Like I said I will never use another tire on this car other than a run flat saved my bacon thats for sure ........everyone have a great day !!!

 

There are a lot of myths about run flat tires. Almost every one of them is untrue. The only one that used to be true was they didn't handle as well as non run flat tires. Even that has changed with the new run flats like the Michelin PSS and PS2 Cup2 tires.

The thing is if you have a flat that ruins a regular tire you are stuck along the road and then get flat bedded to a tire shop that doesn't have your tire in stock and have to wait for them to get one. Driving a Corvette it is hard to get any Z rated Corvette tire whether it be run flat or not. Tire stores in small to medium size towns don't stock tires for Corvettes since they don't see them often enough to afford carrying the inventory.

If you have a ruined run flat tire you can then decide to go home or wait for a replacement tire. Yes, if it is ruined like the one pictured you can still drive it home and you can drive it for far more than 50 miles since you aren't going to get it repaired anyways.

If it isn't ruined you can drive it without air for up to 50 miles at 50 mph (if you have the original GY EMT tires that came on the C5s you can go 200 miles) and still get it repaired. If the tire has a slow leak (losing 5 psi per hour) then you can stop along the way and add air and you won't be driving on the tire without any air pressure. Then you can go hundreds of miles and not ruin the tire.

On my C5 I had a flat in one of my EMTs and I took it to the local GY store. They told me they couldn't work on the tire because they weren't qualified and sent me to a different GY store 20 miles down the road. That store repaired the tire. Since then I have had dealers and other tire stores repair them. I have also run into shops like Sam's Club that will not repair any Z rated tire let alone a run flat.

There is no such thing as a blow out with a run flat. Well, yes you may hear it pop but all you will feel is the same thing as you did before the popping noise. The tire doesn't sag or drop. When you look at one with a huge hole in it the tire still looks like it has a tire pressure of 26 psi. As for driving on a blown out tire that is up to the driver. There are different types of blow outs and if I had to I would drive on a run flat until it came apart like the one pictured. You can still put a lot of miles on them before they shred apart like that. All you have to do is manage your speed and the temperature of the tire as it will get very hot. When they get too hot they come apart. Still beats walking.

Your buddy in the Bimmer probably had a ruined run flat or didn't know enough to go someplace else where they would fix the tire properly. Some shops won't fix them because they are afraid of liability, others don't fix them because they want to sell you a new tire. Others are just *** Holes.

Bill

 

No war intended. They work great under certain circumstances, and you happen to be one of the people who can utilize them. I went to non RF, and couldn't be happier, but I live in a big city. Use what works best for you.

 

Non run flats perform better.....fact.
Non run flats cost less (mostly).
AAA works if you want to not have run flats.

Me.....I always kept them on, replaced them when they were worn or hard (noisy)....and......
never had to rely on Clem pulling up with the wrong flatbed and dragging my car up . . .

Just a preference I guess.

 

 

That is not entirely true at all.....Discount Tire Stores and NTB Stores will all repair and patch run flat tires as long as the nail or screw or whatever is in the tread area and not on the side wall....I would hate to be in the middle of nowhere and need a towtruck for a flat tire

 

Nobody will patch a side wall hole whether it's a run flat or not

 

 

Ahhh the dreaded runflats vs non runflat debate. Here is the answer, neither of them are bad choices depending on the driving you do with the car. So many variables to consider: daily driver, weekend car, track car, road trip car, show car, etc. Then, based on that answer you can choose performance, ride, convince, sound, etc. What works for one doesn't work for all. Glad your runflat got you to safety. Moral of the story: pick what works for you and drive the car!

 

Just curious, but if the GYRF's can be repaired 3 times and the Michelin's only once why didn't you opt for the GYRF?

 

We all need to get used to RF's. They are OEM on more and more cars. And have been so on all Corvettes since 1997, with only minor (in volume terms) exceptions. The current push to meet CAFE standards is driving a push to reduce weight so a spare will become a thing of the past.

BTW, I have never had a problem plugging a RF, and I have run many, many miles on plugged RF's without issue. The Michelin instructions quoted to only repair once anywhere on the tread make no sense. I can understand not wanting multiple plugs anywhere near each other, but only one? Lawyers at work, I guess.

When I have picked up a nail or screw, the hardest part has been removing whatever was in there - especially small screws. For the repair itself, you just need to be vigorous with that small round file you get in the kit, otherwise you will never get the plug in.

 

Most people think about buying run flats when they are in the middle of no-were with a flat tire .. Yep should have brought the run flats ,DANG.. I can't run them ..AAA

 

Which ones did you like more?

I read a thread here comparing the Goodyears to the Michelins, both in OEM sizes, (I don't remember which one of the Michelins' 3 generations, but I would say it wasn't the 3+) in which the Michelins were better in handling and less noisy, but the Goodyears could be driven more miles when flat and were better looking (gave the impression of being wider/beefier). What's your take on this after having owned all those different sets?

What are your thoughts on the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ ZP?

Thanks!

 

I had all three RFs listed on my used 99 C5 during the 75k miles I put on it
The GYs were the hardest riding and caught every dip, bump, and rut in the road.......but they may have been original to the 99. They were WIDER than the Michelins despite being the same listed size.

I liked the ride and grip of the Michelins MUCH better than the GYs. But they were purchased new. They still caught the wear paths in the roadway but not as much as the GYs. ("tramlining")

My last set of tires were non-RF General G-MAX. Compared to the three RFs I had they were a huge improvement in traction, ride, and price.

When I sold my 99 and bought my 03 it still had GYs on it
The week I git it home I had the GYs replaced with the new BF Goodrich
G-FORCE™ COMP-2™ A/S. I really like these tires! Will not go back to RFs........but that is just my opinion.