On my previous 99 vert, I dumped the Goodyear run flats and went with a General all season performance tire. The difference in road noise and grip was night and day.

Thankfully, I only had to deal with a slow leak once and figured roadside assistance (through my auto insurance) would take care of any outright flat tires.

 

I have had vette's on roll backs that AAA sent twice in the past 5 years.

Both times the service was excellent. Both drivers went OUT OF THEIR WAY to get the car loaded safely with no damage.

One time I blew the clutch line on my 07 Z06 and the driver dropped the car into my garage... talk about service.

The other I had scheduled the tow the day before to get the car to a shop to get it worked on. Guy showed up on time, I helped him load, no scraping, etc...

 

I vote non-runflat for the many reasons listed above. I carry a 12V air compressor. This will take care of any small leaks long enough for me to get to a shop. Complete blowouts are rare. If you change your tires when you should, and buy a good quality tire, the VAST majority of leaks will be slow. I personally really like Michelin's offerings for the C5. I use their Pilot super sport Summer tires. They're able to handle my 500RWHP. Since your car is stock, you might go with their AS tire instead. Congrats on your new Vette. I hope it brings you many miles of smiles.
Don't forget to SAVE THE WAVE!

 

Yep. They've taken mine three times in total.

Once for a tire blowout on the side of the interstate.
Once because a brake caliper mounting bolt backed out (this makes one hell of an interesting noise, by the way....)
And once to get it to the shop for a dyno tune because I didn't want to drive it that far untuned with the cam swap.

All three times the drivers were friendly, courteous, and accommodating. Most tow drivers I've dealt with in my life have been car guys/gals. They care about their jobs, and by extension, your car, too.

 

I think it's a bit of luck of the draw. Just like anything else some tow drivers are great, some are terrible, and others are somewhere in the middle. It all depends on who shows up when you call. The last time I called AAA (not for my Vette) I was VERY pleased. I've also had times where I've ended up waiting for hours. You just never know.

 

That's true too - there is a human element to everything. I think, though, if you realize that it's just a car, and that they're just doing their jobs, you tend to have a better time.

The waiting sucks though. A lot of that comes down to contracts and your location. Wouldn't be a bad idea to call around and see how many tow yards near you are contracted with AAA, or ask that question upon sign up.

Longest I ever waited was about 2 hours, but that was because it was 3:30am, and I was on DD duty and we needed a crew cab wrecker that could carry me and my three drunk college buddies home.

Life happens.

 

On my last two C5s, I ran non-runflats. Have not had a flat in many, many years so rolled the dice and went with non-runflats. Didn't have a flat with them in the over 15 years I ran them on two cars. Just in case I did have an air compressor and a plug kit in the car, but I also had emergency road service and a cell phone for any emergency. Besides, it was better handling, ride and less road noise with the runflats.

The choice you make depends on whether you feel runflats will provide that level of security when driving that you may seek. Really nothing wrong with going with either type of tire.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I ordered some non run flats for a Saturday install. Now to find the plug kit and tire inflator (and maybe a can of tire goo ). I'm already a AAA member.

 

What kind of tires (brand, etc) did you decide to go with?

 

OEM sized Cooper Zeon RS3-G1. I've had really good luck with the Coopers on my wife's car. The specs match my intended driving style and weather. And, they're reasonably priced (middle of the road). I've decided to get new TPMS sensors (Shrader) at the same time. The factory ones still work but how long can we really expect a battery to last?

 

They say industry average is 10 years, so replacing them was probably wise.

 

Curious as to why so many people think they need AAA to get a tow?

 

You don't, but It's A LOT more expensive without it.

 

It's probably the cheapest way to accomplish it. Go call a tow company and ask them how much to tow your car 200 miles and then compare it with a year of AAA and report back to us.

 

Bingo. Also allows you to use their DMV services. That alone is worth my money. lol

 

So how are the coopers on your initial drive. I have a set that i am putting on on Tuesday?

 

Come west young man!... Anywhere between Vancouver and San Diego. All's you need is a phone!

 

Do you plug them while on the vehicle? Ie: no jack?
and found out my Chrysler minivan doesn’t have a spare or runflats. Does have a compressor with sealant,

 

I just got them mounted today. They’re magnitudes better than the 17 year old run flats that were on there. They seem quiet and the ride was good. So far, so good.

 

I use regular tires, because I favor the best tire performance possible for my needs, in other words, best tire= highest safety .

there might have been a time when run flats made better sense, I wasn't exactly paying attention at the time , but with todays tires, pressure drops are much more rare than when these tires were first developed , so now seem to me to be a solution without much of a problem, plus the car has a tire pressure monitoring on the dash to help the cause.. If run flats offered any advantage beyond security of mind, race cars would be running zero pressure designs.



Be sure to select a good quality air pump if that is your solution to flats.. it is pretty easy to buy one from the excess supply of cheap junk offered everywhere to unknowing consumers, but that stuff is often unsuitable for tires the size of a corvette's, and the protective heat shut off will activate before the tire is filled. Few would enjoy waiting by the side of a road in the dark for their random quality pump to cool enough to resume pumping. I made up a kit with a serviceable piston style pump that comes in a little carrying bag from harbor freight tools that can run long enough to comfortably inflate a C5 tire. I also carry a phone, tire sealant, roadside assistance via my car insurance, a small light, and sturdy gloves suitable for working in bad conditions.

Had I known about the GM kit that is OEM on their performance corvettes , or the inflation kits other manufacturers offered, I would have gone for the more pro look, but for me the main consideration is speed. I want the ability to get the car off of a high speed road quickly , so some kind of liquid sealant is needed, and a way to re pressurize the tire quickly is my call. Spare tire in a can is the fastest solution, you don't need to electrify a pump, but the size of the tires make it a little too space intensive for my tastes, with the need for multiple cans to handle the big tires. plus the sealant only is good for a couple of years, and I would rather just replace the smaller container of sealant than throw away a couple of unused sealant cans every two years.

I have used a flat bed a couple of times, but never for tires, and it worked ok with my lowered car, although the quality varied with how much scrap wood the driver carried to ease the transition angle on to the bed. Apparently buying a couple of boards once in a while to keep with the truck, is an unbearable expense for management. in my area, a flatbed is all AAA sends out, cars are too expensive and delicate in general to put them on the hook and then have to cover any damage caused when the plastic parts get beefed.

I would suggest the guy who considers an AAA tow as out of the question for his car to perhaps reconsider his position. How do you think all the super expensive cars get to the garage , helicopter lifts? the last tow I had with my C5, the guy said he towed everything, lambos , Ferrari, Toyotas, everything. And he was the cheap tow service that AAA uses, not the good tow yard that never seems to be available although every truck has AAA authorized tow painted on the sides.

I am waiting until Michelin comes back on line with a stock C5 sized performance all season tire, since they recently brought out some new designs, before I pull the trigger on a set of goodyears. I do enjoy seeing that blimp doing power slides through the sky on a good kite flying day.