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Run flats SUCK
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,606
Likes: 210
From: Nevada City Ca.
2015 C1 of Year
Run flats SUCK
Have a 06 C6 and the run flats suck in more ways then others have stated in the past .
First they ride hard and are noisy, Having hard stiff side walls is what makes them run flats but as I found out they will also bend the wheel, three of the four of my GM chrome wheels were bent on my Corvette when I had new Toyo tires put on . I live in left Ca. Where the roads suck having pot holes . The walls of the run flats are so hard that they bend the wheel if you hit a pot hole I found out . The worst was the right front wheel which also caused the tire lining to wear through '
So I was wondering how many other owners have had this happen to them!
By the way the Toyo are 75% quitter and the ride is softer then those shi**ty run flats . If GM offered me FREE run flats for life I would never put them on.
Your opinions!! 
First they ride hard and are noisy, Having hard stiff side walls is what makes them run flats but as I found out they will also bend the wheel, three of the four of my GM chrome wheels were bent on my Corvette when I had new Toyo tires put on . I live in left Ca. Where the roads suck having pot holes . The walls of the run flats are so hard that they bend the wheel if you hit a pot hole I found out . The worst was the right front wheel which also caused the tire lining to wear through '
So I was wondering how many other owners have had this happen to them!
By the way the Toyo are 75% quitter and the ride is softer then those shi**ty run flats . If GM offered me FREE run flats for life I would never put them on.
Your opinions!!
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
at the risk of having my tires chewed off 
, I disagree. they do ride hard and aren't particularly quiet, but I'm not listening for them, nor do I really care that much if other tires ride better.
that your wheels were bent may or may not be attributed to the tires. it may just be the potholes you went over, and the wheels that you have, with any tire on it. but I wouldn't want you to experiment and find out for sure with another set of wheels and a different set of tires.
, I disagree. they do ride hard and aren't particularly quiet, but I'm not listening for them, nor do I really care that much if other tires ride better. that your wheels were bent may or may not be attributed to the tires. it may just be the potholes you went over, and the wheels that you have, with any tire on it. but I wouldn't want you to experiment and find out for sure with another set of wheels and a different set of tires.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,022
Likes: 2,714
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
2001 Coupe: 68,000 miles on GY runflats, no bent wheels.
2006 Coupe: 44,300 miles on GY runflats, no bent wheels.
2009 Coupe: 6,200 miles on GY runflats, no bent wheels.
The 2006 and 2009 have the Supercar runflats, stiffest sidewalls.
This is all on the bombed-out roads of northern Illinois.
Operator technique may be an issue here...
2006 Coupe: 44,300 miles on GY runflats, no bent wheels.
2009 Coupe: 6,200 miles on GY runflats, no bent wheels.
The 2006 and 2009 have the Supercar runflats, stiffest sidewalls.
This is all on the bombed-out roads of northern Illinois.
Operator technique may be an issue here...
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 131
Likes: 1
From: Huntington New York
You're right of course that the carbon fiber (and otherwise reinforced sidewalls) when combined with a "plus size" wheel over a large disc are a disaster when driven over rough roads. On my daily driver, a big Jag, I have 20 X 9 inch alloys with Goodyear Eagle F1 All Seasons. They aren't even runflats but they are 35 profile and they have the carbon fiber sidewalls. Over the winter I replaced 3 out of 4 wheels. The main problem occurs when the inner rim hits a hole or bump without the support of the outer rim because there's no spokes there to support them. But if the runflat gets you home or to a safe haven after air loss I guess it's worth it. Not much alternative when you don't have a spare.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 82,175
Likes: 1,319
From: McKinney TX
St. Jude Donor '21-'22-'23-'24
I'm crazy about my runflats. I hit potholes twice that severely damaged a runflat when I had my silver 05 C6. Didn't have to stop on the side of the road and replace a flat tire.
Hit an unseen object with the right rear runflat on my 06 C6, same solution. Drove it for a week with a flat tire until the Chevy place could get me a new tire (another runflat).
You no longer have to wait until you're near a phone booth to make a phone call when you're on the road and have your cell phone with you. Why shouldn't your tires also be from the 21st century?
But I understand your situation and you have my sympathies.
EDIT: Forgot to mention the fact that I had no damage to the wheels during any of those 3 damaged tire incidents.
Hit an unseen object with the right rear runflat on my 06 C6, same solution. Drove it for a week with a flat tire until the Chevy place could get me a new tire (another runflat).
You no longer have to wait until you're near a phone booth to make a phone call when you're on the road and have your cell phone with you. Why shouldn't your tires also be from the 21st century?
But I understand your situation and you have my sympathies.
EDIT: Forgot to mention the fact that I had no damage to the wheels during any of those 3 damaged tire incidents.
Last edited by Vette_DD; Aug 11, 2009 at 02:27 PM.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,999
Likes: 2
I will agree that the standard run flats I got on my '05 vert are noisy and a bit rough but, and I don't know if this is the tires or the F55 suspension, I love the ride and cornering of this car big time and the tires must have something to do with it!!
Pro
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 529
Likes: 1
From: Princeton Texas
You sure have a right to be upset over bent rims. However you can bend rims with any tire. I have bent a front tractor rim and did not damaged the tire. I think you are putting the blame in the wrong place. Blame the pot holes.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 776
Likes: 1
From: Northeast Ohio
Maybe it's not the run flats that damaged the rims. Most low profile tires, have the capability to damage the rims, with severe impact due to the small side walls. I've damaged other rims on my cars, and even my truck, when the pot holes were severe enough to allow the rubber to distort and contact the rim. 
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,295
Likes: 8
From: Issaquah WA
This really isn't a run flat issue as much as a summer, sticky compound rubber issue. Any of the tires with really soft compounds are going to stiffen up and be pretty much unusable below 40. You'll get the same warnings about cold weather from the mfr's, no matter if it's a run flat or not.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 144
Likes: 0
I am waiting for mine to wear out so I can get a quieter better riding tire.
I just replaced the RFs on my Lexus GS350 after 50,000 with new ContiTouring and the difference is amazing. The ride is great and quiet. I can hardly wait for the C6 change out.
I just replaced the RFs on my Lexus GS350 after 50,000 with new ContiTouring and the difference is amazing. The ride is great and quiet. I can hardly wait for the C6 change out.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,867
Likes: 66
From: . Wyoming .
Did the tires change for 09? I don't find the tires any noiser than my other vehicles. As for ride comfort, I don't have another Vette to compare to, but I don't notice anything I can attribute to the tires. On a nice road, the ride is nice; on a not-so-nice road, the ride is not-so-nice.
I just had a flat this past weekend. The tire shop took the tire off the rim to patch it, and there was no bent rim issue.
I honestly don't know what all the complaints are about, and I hope it stays that way as the tires age.
I just had a flat this past weekend. The tire shop took the tire off the rim to patch it, and there was no bent rim issue.
I honestly don't know what all the complaints are about, and I hope it stays that way as the tires age.
Moderator emeritus
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 18,599
Likes: 3,954
From: Jacksonville Florida BWO Dayton, Cincinnati, Bloomsbury NJ, Cincinnati
2015 C7 of the Year Finalist
to your statement.