cylon

The front tires on my 2009 vert (GY runflats) are worn out and need replacing. I will replace them with Firestone Wide Ovals. Did the same on my 2006 vert, loved the Firestones grip.

But,

my rear tires are fine (GY) so i do not need to replace them, so the question is, will i have issues of any type by replacing the fronts with Firestone and leaving the original GY's? Or should i just replace them all?

cylon

ttt

smurfkiller

if the rears dont need replaced and you dont want to or dont have the money to replace all 4 then dont. youll be fine as long as you replace fronts with a tires that are same diameter you wont have any probs. i had firestones on all four corners then replaced rears with hankooks and ran the rf's upfront for months. there are alota cars on the road that have 4 different tires. i wouldnt recommend it but as long as they are all sized properly you wont do any damage to car or throw off speedo.

Gearhead Jim

Having different brands of tires front & rear may work out just fine, or not. Usually, the handling differences show up as you approach the cornering limits of the car in an emergency or in enthusiastic driving. The results can be surprising.

Even though your rear tires are in good shape, they will have less tread on them than the new Firestones up front. And the Goodyears ain't known for their wet weather grip even when new. Again, it could work out fine (especially if you don't drive in rain), or it could bite you in the butt.

You choice. Be careful.

laconiajack

Tire experts recommend you do not put tires on the front with more tread/better adhesion than those on the rear as this can cause the rear of the car to try and pass up the front when making an emergency maneuver or stop. If you have a Discounrt Tire Dealer nearby ask them to show you a video on the subject. Or call Tire Rack and ask them the same question. I know this answer isn't what you want to hear, but think of it as an opportunity to improve ride smoothness, have a quieter ride, and improve traction and safety.

LS WON

Is this mixing runflats in this case rear GY tires with Firstone tires that are nonrunflats?
Is t here a problem with mixing these two different types of tires together?

Bill Dearborn

Mixing the two types of tires will result in handling issues when cornering at the limit. The Firestone even if a run flat is a softer and different handling tire than the EMT. You always want the best handling tire on the rear. However, tread depth isn't how you judge handling. Generally, the less the tread the better the tire will handle. That is why we have slicks with no tread at all. A tire that is just about to cord will actually put more rubber on the ground than a new treaded tire which has lots of open space. Tread improves traction when you have large amounts of water on the ground. The tread provides paths for water to flow from under the tire so the rubber can make contact with the ground. Granted age of rubber and the number of heat cycles affects the traction provided by the rubber but that varies considerably from tire to tire. When it gets down to it I don't think anybody knows for sure which of those two tires is the better handling tire.

Although the GY slips some when the road is wet/damp it does quite well in deep water. Depending on which Firestone you are getting it will probably be even better. The Firestone SZ50 and Wide Oval tires are outstanding in deep water.

There are a lot of people who drive cars with mixed tires with no issues but it only takes that one emergency that wouldn't have ended in a mishap if the tires would have all been the same.

Bill

06 C6 vert

I did it for a couple months with no issues, but it was all dry summer running. It's fun because you can burn them up with some good burn out launches

FortMorganAl

You bought a $50K car. Buy tires for it. They should last years.

I would NEVER mix runflat and non-runflat.

cylon

All run flats

GY run flats

Firestone wide oval run flats

I will replace all 4 though, anyone want two rear GY tires?

FortMorganAl

OK, my mistake. Firestone makes the Wide Oval in both runflat and non-runflat. When you spoke of saving money by only buying one pair I assumed you were also going to the non-runflat version to save a few dollars.

Good decision, IMHO. If you amortize the cost of tires over their life they are really pretty inexpensive for what you are getting though the upfront cost can seem high.

Mad*Max

how much for the rears?

cylon

hey, u r in Toronto, that would work, how about shipping costs and 50$each? if i think of it this week, i will get the dealer to do a tread depth for you

jpee

I have GY runflats (OEM) on the front, but put on a set of NITTO Drag Radials on the rear...

I have to drive 100 miles each way to & from the track.. "Never had a problem on the Garden State Parkway at 75 mph or on the curvy Saw Mill Parkway up her in Westchester....

My only problem is if I get caught in rain, then I just SLOW DOWN to 45 - 50 mph and stay in the right lane...

LS WON

Is is normal on factory stock Corvette for the fronts to wear out faster than the rears since both front and rear tires are different sizes and you can't rotate them?