New Tires - OEM or not?
Thread Starter
7th Gear
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria VA
New Tires - OEM or not?
The time has come to put new tires on my 2001 vette. The originals are the run flats on the standard aluminum rims for 2001 as opposed to the chrome rims option. I am thinking of putting Bridgestone S03,S02 tires on as replacements but I am not clear about weather these tires will work with my existing rims without damaging the tire pressure sensors or causing operational problems. The guy at Goodyear said I could not change cause it would damage the sensors but looking thru the forum it appears that this is only a problem with the Goodyear tires like on the Z06. Please, would someone here clarify this for me and tell me if this is a good decision to go to the Bridgestones. I was planning on getting the Z06 flat repair kit if I do change from the runflats.
Thanks!!!!
Thanks!!!!
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,503
Likes: 0
From: Tupelo Ms
Re: New Tires - OEM or not? (ase2001)
Hey Now:
I also have a 2001 coupe and went with the S03's. No problems with the sensors. Still get the tire psi without any codes or problems. It will Not damage the sensors. You will love the S03's :yesnod: Better ride, handling and traction. Plus a huge difference in road noise vs the runflats. Find you another tire dealer to change out your tires. :flag
I also have a 2001 coupe and went with the S03's. No problems with the sensors. Still get the tire psi without any codes or problems. It will Not damage the sensors. You will love the S03's :yesnod: Better ride, handling and traction. Plus a huge difference in road noise vs the runflats. Find you another tire dealer to change out your tires. :flag
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 3,569
Likes: 0
From: Greenville NC
Re: New Tires - OEM or not? (ase2001)
I went with the new Kumho's MX, $600 per set, they are very sticky, quiet, and weight much less than the OEMs. In some people's opinions I got, the BFG KDs and Kumho MXs are the stickiest street tires you can get. You also may save money in the mounting, I had the local Goodyear dealer mount them, there charges are $40 per tire to remove runflats and replace them with runflats, $20 for runflats-nonrunflats, $10 for nonrunflats-nonrunflats. There aren't any issues with non-runflats untill you get a flat, you would have to plug it or get your car flat beded. The use on non-runflats also allows you to change your suspension settings to Z06 or custom specs that improve handling even more.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,927
Likes: 3
From: Glendale NY
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18- '19
Re: New Tires - OEM or not? (ase2001)
Good idea, go with the Bridgestones. I own a 98 Coupe and after much research I bought the Potenza S-03 Pole Position Bridgestones. You will notice an immediate difference. They are quieter, softer ride, and handle much better in the turns. My power steering feels like I added a booster. They are also one of the best rain tires for the money. You can purchase a emergency tire repair kit from "Eckler's", 2002 fall/winter catalog No.102 from page 151. The tires can be researched on line at the "Tire Rack" Very good customer opinion section. Good luck :steering:
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 20,054
Likes: 44
From: Swansea IL
Re: New Tires - OEM or not? (ase2001)
I just replaced the OEM GY's with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S ZP's. Holy Cow - what a huge difference. While more costly than most any other tire available for a Corvette, I find you get what you pay for. Now instead of spinning my tires with just part throttle I can apply all of the available RWHP and the Michelin's just bite and propel the car. Hard to say w/o before/after track slips to compare but if you can shave .2 or .3 seconds off your ET with just tires that has to be one of the best bang for the buck mods you can make.
Plus unlike other mods the tires affect EVERYTHING ELSE - HANDLING, BRAKING, BAD WEATHER and ROAD NOISE/HARSHNESS are drastically reduced as well. In short total vehicle dynamics.
If I had it do to over again - my first mod would be to get rid of the GY's and start from there.
Tom
USAF Retired
Plus unlike other mods the tires affect EVERYTHING ELSE - HANDLING, BRAKING, BAD WEATHER and ROAD NOISE/HARSHNESS are drastically reduced as well. In short total vehicle dynamics.
If I had it do to over again - my first mod would be to get rid of the GY's and start from there.
Tom
USAF Retired
Thread Starter
7th Gear
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria VA
Re: New Tires - OEM or not? (barryscott)
Thanks for the input. :thumbs: After looking at the forum articles I am sold on the S03 tires. I saw S02 somewhere on the forum and thought maybe it was a code for the fronts but all 4 tires would be S03 right? Should I be getting the 245/45-17 front and 275/40-18 rear for sizes? I have not even looked at what size is on my car but I read these are the original size tires. There is no good reason to change size right?
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 4,411
Likes: 1
From: Wilmington NC
Re: New Tires - OEM or not? (ase2001)
Thanks for the input. :thumbs: After looking at the forum articles I am sold on the S03 tires. I saw S02 somewhere on the forum and thought maybe it was a code for the fronts but all 4 tires would be S03 right? Should I be getting the 245/45-17 front and 275/40-18 rear for sizes? I have not even looked at what size is on my car but I read these are the original size tires. There is no good reason to change size right?
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Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: Norristown PA
Re: New Tires - OEM or not? (ase2001)
I mounted Michelin Pilot Sport AS, non runflats, on my 99 hardtop. I am pleased with the tires. The sensors work fine, but I did insist that the installer kept the wheels with sensors in their original location. Thus there was no recalibration required. :)
