I've looked over the various posts on replacing the tires, but I have a slightly different questions to ask.

Basically, I'm not a racer, and don't see myself driving in deep snow; however, I do want to stay with EMT's and wouldn't might a bit smoother ride AND have been looking at some slightly cheaper alternatives to the original Goodyears. My fronts need replacement soon, the backs seem to have a little more life left.

Anyway, I came across these Michelin Pilot Sport A/S EMT's on Costco's warehouse. http://www.costco.com/Tires/Product....ed=Y&Width=245

My questions are:
* what do you think of these michelins?
* if I replace the front Goodyears with the Michelins, should I replace the rear Goodyears at the same time?
* what about Costco installing them (I've ordered the pucks!)

Any help would be appreciated!

 

I'm sure others will chime in about your tire selection, but for my part I've been running on non-EMT tires for 2+ years and wouldn't go back for anything!!! There really is a tremendous difference in ride quality (better) and cost (cheaper) with non run-flats.

For the install, take a look at their equipment and speak with the head tire-tech guy there to be sure they handle your rims with care.

 

Thanks. I've read quite a few varying opinions on the run flat - non run flat issue, some quite strong opinions, though divided on each side. And I am tempted by the lower price and better ride.

That said, I'm still leaning towards the EMT's partly because my 17 yr old son shares the Vette and though he is a very careful driver, he's not quite as "in tune" with the mechanics of a car as a more experienced driver would be. Not saying I couldn't be persuaded

I agree with your caution on the installation. What's tempting is the Costco price INCLUDES shipping, handling and installation!

On these front tires, that made them about $100/tire cheaper than TireRack's price on the Goodyears without shipping and installation.

Thanks again for your reply. It's my first on this forum!

 

I had these Michelins on my 2003 convertible after having a 2000 coupe with the Goodyears runflats. I loved these Michelins compared to the Goodyears. If I went to EMT's I would go with these but I went to a ZO6 and have to play russian roulette with every piece of road debris now. I lost one day and cost me almost $600.00 You are the one paying the bills so I say you choose what is in YOUR best interest.

 

My advice, do not buy any OEM replacement tire from Costco, Wal Mart, etc.

All of those places get 'C' tires. 'A' tires go to GM for production cars, 'B' tires goto Discount Tire, Belle Tire, etc...'C' tires goto Costco, Wal Mart, etc.

This is only true if the tire you are buying is a direct OEM replacement.

If your buying strictly an after market tire only, go with your best price.

These are tires that failed to meet GM's specs. Now there might not be anything wrong with them physically but they will not meet GM's specs for balance, construction, etc.

If you are looking for the best tire on the market from a strictly engineering point of view, Michelin makes the best tire for noise, smooth ride, etc...their tires almost always balance out and have good construction.

Are they the best for handling, stopping, turning, road feel, etc...hardly, but from a construction and balance standpoint they build more 'A' tires than any other manufacture.

Personally I go with the cheap Kuhmo MX's and let the balance guy pull his hair out but I'm not fussy about a bit of wheel shake and the other issues you can run into with them, I prefer grip and predictability.



Good luck

 

I bought a set of Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo's for my 99 Silverado at Costco and they had no problem with mounting the tires on the factory alloy wheels.

Corvette wheels are another story. My local Costco doesn't like to deal with tire pressure sensors and they even have a sign up that says they are not responsible for damage to sensors.

If you have a Discount Tire in your area, I would see if they can get the same tire at a better price. Discount will usually match prices of other shops and in many cases beat that price. Discount sells a lot of wheels and they have tire mounting equipment that can deal with larger diameter wheels and sensors.

If Discount can't beat the Costco price, then buy the tires at Costco as a carry out and take them to Discount or a reputable tire store.

if you fill out your profile so we know where you live, there may be members in your area that can give you specific information and/or tips on where to go to get good service.

 

Thanks One. So if I understand correctly, since the Michelin EMT's are not OEM, then I should be okay to buy them from Costco, right?

And AZ, thanks for your thoughts as well. They confirm what I've been hearing on the Michelins.

Also, any thoughts on if it would be okay to change the fronts to Michelin and leave the existing Goodyears on the back for a while?

 

How does this work? They have seperate pallets at the factory for the a vs c tires? Or does the guy at the distribution warehouse make the call?

 

Cool!! I'm glad I was the first responder. To your question about the different tires..... Well, with my Vette making quite a bit morepower than stock, I run Nitto 455's (I think) in front together with Nitto 555's Drag Radials in the rear.

They're the same mfg., but the thread patterns are certainly not the same. I think you'd be okay with the different tires, more important is that they're the same speed rating probably.

Wish ya the best!

PS. You're a BRAVE man allowing your 17y/o son to drive the Vette. My parents allowed me to drive their cars for a while..... I won't get into what happened & why they STOPPED!!!

 

I got exactly the same tires at Costco. I made my choice pretty much on the same grounds as you.

Costco fitted them fine although I had a set of PS2s briefly as they ordered the wrong tires Nice to compare the EMTs and non run flat though.

I had problems with a slow leak after fitting when a balance weight pinched the bead. The local branch were good at sorting out the problem

Overall I'd go back (if I still lived in Vegas )

I'm very happy with the Michelins. Much quieter and better handling than the stock. The OEM tires have stiffer sidewalls than the PSs (OEMs rated for 200 miles vs 50 for Michelins). I wouldn't fit different tire types with such different characteristics even on separate axles. Much better to replace as a set.

 

Every tire is tested when it comes off the line.

OEM's state that for a tire to be used with them all the specs must fall within their requirements. When they do not they goto the B stack which is most likely acceptable to the manufactuer. Tires that fall below that spec go in the C stack and are sold at a discounted rate.

 

Thanks guys, this is really good and helpful info.... I love this forum already!

DeeGee, thanks for the 200 vs 50 info. After your post, I found a link on the site to an article about this which confirms what you said. Given where we live in Virginia I think I can accept the 50 tradeoff for smoother ride and lower cost.

c4, I will try to get my profile filled out soon, though it may take a few days...... crazyness before Thanksgiving if you know what I mean

 

And the Pilot Sport All Season (AS) get a very good write up for wet weather performance. Useful in VA

 

After doing my research, I replaced my Goodyear EMTs with Michelin Pilot ZPs. I got them at my local Costco in Burbank, CA. The guys there did a great job and very careful my Vette. The only downside was that it took them about a week and a half to get them from back east. I like them much better than the Goodyears in terms of handling and noise. The sides of the Michelins are more rounded than the Goodyears and don't appear as wide, but I'll give up looks for performance.

Drive on!

 

I got a price of $1358.00 from Costco for the Michelin Pilot AS ZP's for my 2003 Vette. The price included installation and taxes. 8.375% in my area (Staten Island, New York). I'll probably do the changeover in the Spring since I don't do much winter driving in the winter.

 

If Costco is Runflat Certified then fine, but if they're not qualified to install Runflats you could end up with a lot of expensive trouble (i.e. broken pressure sensors at ~$100 each) and possibly a voided warranty on the tires.

I bought my Michelin Pilot Sport EMTs from Tire Rack and had them shipped to one of their local approved installers who is very experienced with Runflats (a GoodYear Certified EMT Installer) and has a high customer feedback score. The tires were ~ $1150 shipped for 4 and total price including installation was ~ $1300. In fact, the Tire Rack price looks lower than Costco even with shipping ($235 front, $347 rear).

 

The Michelin ZP's are great tires. The bead extends slightly beyond your rim (RimGuard). The ride is good, steering good and less noisy than the Goodyears. Go to the Michelin website to read the warranty they have on ZPs. Costco has a good price on them. As someone else said, talk to the service mgr re that shop's experience with run flats and TPS. When they, or whomever, mounts the tire make sure they line up the white dot on the tire with the valve stem. That matches the high and low points of the tire and rim for better balancing. Follow up with a 4 wheel alignment. Opinions will vary about the handling with mixed tires. Personally, I would replace all 4 tires. Replaced the GYs with Michelins earlier this year even though the rears had about 7/32 tread left. Fronts were worn on inside edge.

Cheers

 

PierEagle thanks, even more great info

I never knew about the white dot.... makes sense to me!

And I'm leaning towards doing all four at once, I may just have to delay a bit to be able to gather the cash. Shouldn't be a problem, though, the car passed VA state inspection this month.

 

PierEagle,

I don't know if this is allowed, but I see you're from St Louis. I've been a Cardinal fan since I '67 when I was in Junior High School.

Go Cards!

 

Glad you're a Cardinal fan. Didn't look real good during the season but at least they demo-ed during the series that they really do know how to play ball.

One other thing I forgot to mention on tires...wheel weights. Supposedly you get the best balance with hammer on weights, inside and out. If you let them do that, MAKE SURE, they use plastic coated weights. The uncoated lead ones will corrode wheel finish. I always get the "stick ons" and only on the inside of the wheel (no outside weights) and have not had a problem, if they are properly applied. The shop should have a non-damaging, evaporating, degreaser/cleaner they use on the area of weight application.

Cheers