Tire Life Expectancy?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,477
Likes: 2,249
From: Southern NJ
Tire Life Expectancy?
I keep reading about the low tire life on the Z51 equipped vettes of 14,000 to 20,000 miles.
What has been your experience with F55 and Standard Suspension equipped cars with the factory equipped Goodyear Run Flats?
How many miles have you been able to drive before replacing your tires?
My vert with F55 and factory equipped Goodyear runflats has just over 30,000 miles and the tires seem fine.
Back in 1989, my convertible went about 44,000 miles before needing tires, but I know the Goodyear Run Flats are a different breed of tire.
What has been your experience with F55 and Standard Suspension equipped cars with the factory equipped Goodyear Run Flats?
How many miles have you been able to drive before replacing your tires?
My vert with F55 and factory equipped Goodyear runflats has just over 30,000 miles and the tires seem fine.
Back in 1989, my convertible went about 44,000 miles before needing tires, but I know the Goodyear Run Flats are a different breed of tire.
Last edited by direct007; Nov 8, 2010 at 05:46 AM.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 11,146
Likes: 1,913
From: Missouri City, TX
I keep reading about the low tire life on the Z51 equipped vettes of 14,000 to 20,000 miles.
What has been your experience with F55 and Standard Suspension equipped cars with the factory equipped Goodyear Run Flats?
How many miles have you been able to drive before replacing your tires?
My vert with F55 and factory equipped Goodyear runflats has just over 30,000 miles and the tires seem fine.
Back in 1989, my convertible went about 44,000 miles before needing tires, but I know the Goodyear Run Flats are a different breed of tire.
What has been your experience with F55 and Standard Suspension equipped cars with the factory equipped Goodyear Run Flats?
How many miles have you been able to drive before replacing your tires?
My vert with F55 and factory equipped Goodyear runflats has just over 30,000 miles and the tires seem fine.
Back in 1989, my convertible went about 44,000 miles before needing tires, but I know the Goodyear Run Flats are a different breed of tire.
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
From: Bakersfield California
Corvette is a sports car and a muscle car. Some people will get 50k out of the stock tires driving like women. Some will get 15k driving like morons. I guess I am on the moron side of things.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 11,470
Likes: 765
It's not the Run Flat design that determines life. It's the rubber compound. The standard and F55 suspension cars get "all season" design tires and those tires don't get the softer and more sticky rubber that the Super Car tires get that go on the Z51 and Z06 cars. New tire tread depth might be greater also on the all season tires than the Super Car tires but someone else will have to confirm. The Super Car tires don't get as much tread depth so as to minimize tread block squirm on cornering. JMHO.
- well, most of the time 
. with a little luck, i'll get 25K out of my OE tires, then it's on to a set of michelin ps2 a/s.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
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From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 2,130
Likes: 54
From: Granbury, Pecan Plantation TX
a slight exagg re the 50K miles on Corvette tires of any kind, but as to the moron thing, can't speak to that concern. I can say some of the other comments re softer compound/different compound are correct. also, alignment, air pressure and a lot of other factors. just remember: an alignment in January (or any month) is not a set-it-and-forget-it thing. it can go out in Feb., or June. depending on the tire and how you drive that can reduce your tire life in a month of driving. so can the wrong tire pressure over a period of just a few weeks.
Last edited by BRCC; Nov 8, 2010 at 09:19 AM.
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Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
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From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
It's not the Run Flat design that determines life. It's the rubber compound. The standard and F55 suspension cars get "all season" design tires and those tires don't get the softer and more sticky rubber that the Super Car tires get that go on the Z51 and Z06 cars. New tire tread depth might be greater also on the all season tires than the Super Car tires but someone else will have to confirm. The Super Car tires don't get as much tread depth so as to minimize tread block squirm on cornering. JMHO.
Goodyear made, maybe still does, a genuine All Season runflat for the C6. It looked exactly like the Base/F55 tire except for some of the printing on the sidewall, but different tread compound for cold temp use. Also, rated to "only" 168 mph. I had a set and they worked very well in cold temps and in snow up to 4".
Of course, driving style is the biggest factor in tire life. I've gotten about 20k miles from each of my three sets of Supercar tires. Lots of guys wear them out in 10k-15k, but a Grandpa in our club got 30k from his Supercar fronts and still has over 2/32" on the rears at about 35k.
Last edited by Gearhead Jim; Nov 8, 2010 at 01:27 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,409
Likes: 129
From: Fairview Heights IL
With modified camber settings (-0.1 degree), non-tracked Z51 and Z06 owners could probably expect to get 20-22K miles from their GY SC runflats. Base and F55 owners could probably expect to get 28-30K from their GY GS-2 runflats.
Then there are the garage queens who will have to replace their tires due to age and dry rot with fewer than 10K.
Then there are the garage queens who will have to replace their tires due to age and dry rot with fewer than 10K.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 19,574
Likes: 168
From: Frederick, MD
You don't buy a sports car (or a lot of sports sedans) if you are worried about tire wear. 15k is nothing for a max performance tire. A Lotus will eat up their performance tires at about 5k and that car is only about a ton.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 422
Likes: 1
From: Aurora Colorado
I have an '07, Z51, and got 21k on the oem tires, which included running the car on a NASCAR track, plus a short LeMans type course for a day. I think I did well. I now have Mich. PS 2's with 15k on them, still holding on well. (total miles on car 36.5k).
I like the PS 2 a bit better.
I like the PS 2 a bit better.