What's recommended around here?

When the EMT Supercar runflats wear down, I don't anticipate buying another set. However, I'm also having trouble finding my favorite tires in the 18" and 19" sizes required for the Z-51 handing package.

Previously, I've used the Falken Azeni Sports on my other cars, it's a hellaciously grippy tire at a good price but wears a bit fast. However, it's not available in anything bigger than 17".

My second favorite tires are the Yokohama A032Rs. About as much grip as you can get from a streetable tire, and the wear is comparable to the Azenis, but there's a tradeoff in price and noise. However, these also aren't available in sizes larger than 17".

Even the Yoko A048, which I also hear great things about, is not available in 19" sizes. Had I not bought the Z-51, I could run these and be happy, but as it stands, I cannot.

I also considered the Nitto 555R, but again, I can't find a size to fit the Corvette. Tire Rack isn't much help either, apparently, the only tires for my car are the Continental ContiSportContact 2 and Pirelli PZero System Asimmetrico, neither of which am I even remotely interested in.

So, what am I missing? Did I buy the "performance handling package" only to find that my tire choices are so severely limited that it might have been better to stick with the base suspension?

It's really sad when my Miata sticks better than my C6.

 

Wait, aren't the wheels sizes the exact same in the regular and Z51 packages???

 

The best tire on the market today is the Mich PS2.. 245/40/18 and 285/35/19.. The toyo T1S is also a great tire.. Nitto's are junk stay away from them. The advan's are amazing and are OEM on the evo but do not come in stock sizes.

 

Yep, base are the same size as Z51, wheels and tires.

 

Stay away from the Michelin anything. They're junk.

Get Goodyear, or Pirelli.

 

Its blatenly obvious you know nothing about tires Glad to see you are dispensing proper advise. The goodyear "Supercar" tires are absolute crap. They have no grip and take 20 minutes to warm up before they even become remotely sticky. Pirelli's are like pencil erasers and you would be lucky to get 6000 miles out of a set of rosso asymmetrico's on the vette. The michelin PS2 has received the best rating from every tire metrics group on the planet as the best DOT non RCompound tire. The tie for 2nd is the Potenza S03 Pole Position and the Toyo T1S.. im sure you are going to have some retort to this so i have data waiting for you to back up your ludicrous allegations of Michelin tires being junk.

Ohh and they seem to work well at 200+ MPH for F1.. Dont see any Pirelli tires in F1?

 

I recently changed to all 18" wheels on my Z51 C6, using Michelin PS2s, 265/35 and 295/35. These are great tires! And yes, you will have a problem finding good 19" tires, especially if you are interested in track use. The Z51 is a great package, but I sure wish they had stayed away from 19" wheels and drilled rotors.

 

I don't ever expect my Z51 to stick as well as my Miata did, mostly because of the mass. It would be fun to try some Yokohama racing slicks, like on the Miata, IF they could be found in the right size. But, man, I only got 6000 miles on those, and with 400 HP in the Vette, they'd only last a few 1000 miles, at most!

 

I've driven the T1-S. It was more expensive than the Azenis, far less grip, and about the same amount of tread life. Let's not even compare it to the A032R. Same price, same life, the old dead A032Rs had more grip than the T1-S ever had.

I'll not make that mistake again.

Let me make it obvious, grip is my primary concern. I'll trade just about anything for ultimate grip on the street. Price is secondary, and wear I simply don't care about. What I'm really looking for is an R-compound I can drive on the street that's available in sizes to fit the Corvette -- for example, the Yokohama A032R or A048R.

 

Tire Rack has the Continental ContiSportContact 2 in the OEM sizes for a good price. I'm not sure about the tire though.

 

The only RCompound that even comes close to being streetable and comes in 18/19" close to vette sizes is the Pirelli PZero Corsa.. It comes in 285/35/19 for the rear 235/40/18 for the front.. I take no responsibility for these tires though as im not sure where you live but any RComp tire including the PSC's will just about be driving on ice at anything lower then 50degrees.

 

 

Just curious but why do you say Nitto's are junk? I've seen lots of recommendations for the 555's from the autocrossing crowds, first time I've heard someone say they're junk, any particular reason?

 

For the original poster, I don't know of any R compound tires that come in 19", if you want R compound tires you're probably going to need to get different wheels, several come in 18" sizes, and almost all come in 17".

 

I just bought the ps2s in 245/35/19 frontand 285/30/20 for the rear

There going on these rims !

 

And, it seems you know so much. Especially racing around Todt Hill all day.

Here's some data, for starters, based on about 20 million miles of driving, and not just by one biased dealer (go to www.tirerack.com for details):

Pirelli PZero
2,494,919 miles reported
1 out of 18 tires (Score of 8.7 vs best tire in category score of 8.7)

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3
6,632,821 miles reported
2 out of 20 tires (Score of 8.8 vs best tire in category score of 8.8)

Michelin Pilot Sport
10,706,317 miles reported
6 out of 20 tires (Score of 8.1 vs best tire in category score of 8.8)


Let me repeat those results again, in case you're having difficulty with the numbers:

Pirelli first, Goodyear, second, Michelin, sixth.

And so, now, please provide your "data," the one based on 20 million miles of testing. Thank you so much.

 

You accurately mentioned that the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 placed second in its maximum performance category. But, you failed to mention which tire beat it. Let's see, I believe it is the Michelin PS2. Not bad for junk. Seriously, the GY GS-D3 is obviously a good tire. The PS2, being newer, is naturally going to have fewer review miles logged. To some extent, tire review is subjective. Most of us have different requirements of tires. But regarding the Michelin PS2; based on everything I have read, and everyone with whom I have spoken, and now my own experience, it is an excellent tire. And, the few folks I have found having experience with both tires, rate the PS2 better in both dry and wet handling. If your experience is different, I respect your opinion, but it seems to be in the minority.

 

I thought I did mention the tire that beat the Goodyear -- it was the Pirelli -- here is the link to the search I did. I chose Corvette, then three tires brands -- Goodyear, Michelin, Pirelli :

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...g=ZR&x=35&y=11

Then click on "Survey Results" for each tire in the header (far left).

I'm glad some folks have had positive experience with the Michelins. I have had at least four sets of Michelin tires over the years, on various cars, and have not been impressed.

Having owned some Italian cars, I've always liked the Pirellis, and just switched some OEM Michelins off a car to Pirelli -- cheaper, and a much better tire.

Goodyears have always been fine -- and I particularly like their customer service -- they stand behind their product. Michelin I can't even get on the phone -- and, not the least, they are French.

 

I would buy a Michelin PS2 or PS2 ZP in a heartbeat. Unfortunately the PS2 is not a runflat and the PS2 ZP runflats are not sized for the C6. You must be anti-French, the Michelins are one of the few great things the French make (besides wine), that is any good at all. In fact, the Michelins are world class.

 

Yes, I must admit, we were on opposite sides of the war.

But that has nothing to do with it. I have just personally had bad experiences with Michelin tires over the years, and as they say..., fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, ....