Swallowed hook

After owning many M3's for the last 20yrs, I decided I needed to own a vette one time. LOVE my 2009 C6! I bought it with 112k miles and 1500 miles on a factory fresh motor due to the CHP son of the previous owner blowing it up on I-5. I found the bump steer intolerable, and assumed the suspension was worn out. A 40 yr experience dealer mechanic checked it out and said the suspension was perfect. I told him even with the traction control on default, it would spin the tires liberally. He told me those tires are too slippery, and stiff. I put on BF Goodriches and 75% of the bump steer was gone, no wheel spin on default, and the cornering and ride quality improved immensely. The only day a run flat is worth having is the day it goes flat. For that upside, you trade off ****** performance every other day you drive your car. Next is to start suspension upgrades, as i'm sure there is more to be gained.
Have a nice day, unless you made other plans

jrose7004

I certainly haven't had the experience that you've had with my Firestone Firehawk RFT'S, no bump steer at all.

bobeast

Agreed. I have the same tires, and although they are not as grippy as non-RF, I've not experienced any bump-steer at all. I think bump-steer has more to do with the shocks and suspension components than tires anyways. It could well be that the particular set of tires the OP had were defective.

boraxman

Most seem happy with these tires..I have them on my car and really like them...Interesting/

4SUMERZ

I really like the Firestone Wide oval Indy 500's, but they are non runflats. I'm on my second set, and have not had RF's since my OEm GY's, which were a complete let down as far as tires went. I assumed since those RF's were so bad, the other brands would be as well.
I have seen many good reviews on this forum about the Firestone RF's as well as the Michelin RF's.

Jmhornz71

I had the Michelin A/S runflats on my 08, I found them to very hard in the winter till they warmed up then smooth out some, I have replaced the fronts with non run flats and am waiting for the rears to wear out and will replace them with non runflats My 96 had non run flats and they were a much better tire Michelin A/S

Outlaw7

That's odd. I had them on my stock red 08 convertible and they were fine for the street. However, I do prefer the PS's on my silver convertible, but it's not stock and sees a track occasionally. I also use PS's on my SLK AMG.

Red08

Sorry to hear of your issue, but I am confident in saying that your experience is the exception, not the rule. I have been running Firehawk rft's for two years now, and have had absolutely no issues at all with them.

hawkgfr

I loved them on mine, for sure better than the good/craps....

Swallowed hook

The engineers call it "chatter feedback" from the transverse spring transferring some energy from what is happening on one wheel, to the other front wheel. Just to be sure we are all on the same page, bump steer is a quick steering wheel movement when in a corner, going over a bump at speed with the suspension well loaded. Run flats accentuate this due to the spring set up combining with stiff sidewalls. If all you have driven on is run flats, you will be amazed at the difference in the ride with non run flats. Stiff sidewalls cause a decrease in sticking ability over a bump at speed. At the limit, it is the difference between getting through a corner, or calling your insurance agent. Tire engineers spend a lot of time getting sidewalls right on the maximum performance summer tires. Too little flex is not a good thing, as is too much. Run flats also cause suspension bits to wear faster due to the increased pounding all run flats cause. At the end of the day, different courses for different horses. Should mention I live on twisting mountain roads which are far from track smooth.

Landru

You didn't say how many miles were on your Firestones.
I know many members have been quite happy with Firestone, priced right too. Any runflat will perform poorly when worn, GYs the worst of the bunch.

Dif

acesx4

No problems with my Firestone RFT's then again I make my turns on four wheels!!

JAsVette

I love my Firestone RFT's and would buy them again. If I ever do decide to get non-run flats, do you live in the CT area so that I can call you at 3:00 am to give me a ride home when I get a flat?

dryadsdad

I don't know if we're saying the same thing, but bump steer is the car steering itself w/o steering wheel input. Usually this is a change in direction due to a bump that changes the geometry sufficiently for a vector adjustment.

My guess is you do have worn suspension leaving you with some and the stiff walls of the Fires made it worse. Going to compliant walls has masked the issue some. This car should run fine on the run flats.

Also have you alignment checked. Some here will tip you on the right street specs.

1bdvet

Been using them for two corvettes, and love them.

GotVett?

I've had them on for a good long time now and currently looking to go wider, which involves new wheels also. So in a quandary. I like them and would put the same Firehawks back on.

Cherokee Nation

I'm on my 2nd set of Firestone RF's...Just as good or better as the high price Michelin A/S..

RagTop69

It's always possible that your C6 might have some suspension issues related to 112K miles rather than either bad tires or poor suspension design. Maybe if you'd bought a fresher example you wouldn't be experiencing these bump steer problems.

Dif

I personally never heard of Bump Steer before reading this thread.
But I would tend to agree with you after searching and reading up on what Bump Steer is and what causes it.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I found, It's about the suspension geometry being setup incorrectly and nothing to do with tires.