MCVetteLs6

So im currently running michelin pilot A/P ZP run flats on the car.
anyone whos anyone already knows all the info on these tires so no need to go into it.

what i was wondering tho was.. im getting new tires soon. 4 of them,
still debating on runflats/non run flats.

looking on tirerack.com my current tires specfiy they have a 500 tradwear rating.
which currently is the best treadwear rating tire tirerack offers..
i have gotten 60k miles from the fronts and about 40k from the rears. no exaggeration.

but when looking at other tires people suggest...
Firehawk wide ovals: 320
Hankook Ventus V12: 280
Michelin Piolt Sport PS2 ZP: 220

and the only thing that gets close to it is the
General G-MAX AS-03: 480
But i havent done my research on them and dont know how well they really perform..

I guess i was trying to stay up close to the 500 Treadwear and get alot of miles out of my tires. and btw i get on it hard and alot. i beat the crap outta my car/tires.. so it amazes me they lasted this long..

i was going to look into getting the same tires i have now, michelin pilot A/S but in NON run flats.. but there almost the same $ as the Run flats... Thinking about saving some $ this time.
but at the same time i didnt want to buy a 600$ set, and have it last half as long as my current tires do, and then basically spend the same $ having to buy 2 sets where i could have just bought 1!

Anyone have any fresh opinions?

Thank you!
Matt

cdkcorvette7

IMO if you DD your vette you have the best tires you can get for it. I have a feeling a lot of the other recommendations are based on cost; not performance.

The PS2's are a much better performance tire but they are CRAP if the road is even a little bit wet and they don't last anywhere near as long.

Before anyone could make an intelligent recommendation we'd need to know how you drive your car. Ever go to the track? Is is a DD? If tread life is the most important factor you'll want to stay away from High Performance Summer tires. Vettes are nice cars with lots of nice expensive parts; don't go cheap on the only part of the car that actually touches the road...

lucky131969

You have to make a choice. Do you want a tire that lasts for 60k miles(willing to give up handling/performance), or do you want a performance tire, that will not last as long? You will be hard pressed to find a high performance...*** kicking ....sticky tire, that will last for 60k miles....especially when driven like you have stated.

dgrant3830

I just put on the Mich. PS AST ZP tires on my '07 and was in the rain just once so far. They seemed to be just fine but I wasn't doing anything wild either. I got 72k out of my last set of tires which were Kumoh's, non-RF tires. On my '99, currently I have GY D3's non-RF tires and love them. They are seriously sticky to the road and so far, miles isn't an issue. They've been on there for about 10-14k miles as I'm not sure exactly when I put them on, but lots of tread left.

MCVetteLs6

haha Not going CHEAP

i spent 1k went i got them. knew they were good. thats why i got them.
it is my DD, prob do about 75 miles on it daily.
prob put about 50k miles a year on it. give or take a few.
No tracks, no draging, no red light dragging.
But i am on the pedal alot, i do take the corners hard. i never do burnouts but i might spin the tires once in a good while for a second or two getting on the Highway.

i drive it in the dry, wet, snow, anything but ice basically..

like i said i know these tires last a long time, i love them dearly! but was just trying to see
if there is a tire with similar tread wear out there, run flat or non. that could save me a few hundred bones.

performance isnt the BIGGEST thing thing to me, but i feel these mich ap ZP have pretty good preformance, but i would be willing to give up a tad performance, if it means getting less $ tires with close to the same treadware.
IE: the general max tires.
ratings about the same.. tire wear is only 20 off
traction for generals are "A" compared to the mich which are "AA"

but in a nutshell the numbers are pretty close.. except the price generals are about 500$ cheaper haha

Caesar68

FYI

Tread wear ratings vary between manufacturers.

Michelins 400 rating may not be equal to Goodyears 400.

0Luke@tirerack

I am a firm believer of the old saying of "if it ain't broke don't fix it"

when everything is considered and I do mean everything

tread wear
steering response
dry performance
wet performance
light snow performance
ride quality
road noise
effects of aging
runflat capabilities
warranty
temperature effects
break away characteristics
braking response
etc.

You would be hard pressed to find a better all around tire for a Corvette than the Michelin Pilot Sport AS+ ZP ....

Something that most people do not take into consideration is how well will a tire perform when it's partially worn. From brand new to completely worn out the performance and characteristics of the Pilot Sport AS+ will degrade less than anything else available for your C5.

MCVetteLs6

Thanks Luke. Exactly what i was looking to hear. looks like another set of mich as zp will be on order.

99 vett babycar

the ONLY time the tread wear rating is of any use is when comparing tires with in a given manufacturer's line.

dgrant3830

The nice thing about TireRack, they actually test the tires they sell.

0Luke@tirerack

one of the more entertaining parts of the job if I do say so myself

0Luke@tirerack

cool ... .here's a link to use that will identify you as a Corvette Forum member

lionelhutz

Just to thow this out there - I have PS2's on the rear of my car and they have been on there for about 35k miles and are not worn to the wear bars yet. I believe they have a 220 treadwear rating. No burnouts but I do "haze" the tires quite regularily. So, you can't just expect a 250 rated tire to wear out twice as fast since you got 40k miles for a 500 rated tire.

Having posted that, you DO NOT want a high performance summer tire if you drive in colder temps or see occasional snow. The PS2 traction drops dramatically by the time the temps get close to freezing. The AS's are a very good choice based on your driving description.

dgrant3830

Well all tires get hard when the temps fall and I doubt many people would be doing any performance driving in the winter with the exception of S. Calif. and Florida drivers.

Trios

Well, I'm not planning on doing any performance driving this winter, but I'm ready for it!

mcm95403

I have the Hankook's on my 99. I stopped off to have them re-balanced at 10K miles on them and the fronts were worn 1/16th, the rears 2/16th's. At that rate, I'd get 100K out of the fronts and at least 50K out of the rears if I could stop painting the streets from time to time.

They stick VERY well for any time of marginally legal cornering, are quiet, comfortable and work great in the rain.

Hope that helps.

baxsom

yeah we dont really have a so called winter here in Fl. we just have a time when we dont have to run the AC at night.

dgrant3830

I hear you. I spent the past 25 years in S. Calif. so I do have a clue. I was born and raised out there. Retired and moved here last year as the people are great and homes are cheap here in comparison.