C6 Tech/Performance LS2, LS3, LS7, LS9 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Tech Topics, Basic Tech, Maintenance, How to Remove & Replace
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Removing Run Flat Tires

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 31, 2011 | 01:21 PM
  #1  
simontonbill's Avatar
simontonbill
Thread Starter
Intermediate
 
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: Simonton Texas
Default Removing Run Flat Tires

I just talked with the shop that normally does my wheel and tire stuff and he said the RFT's on the C6 are almost impossible to remove without ruining them.

Is this true? I bought some wheels from a CF member and want to swap the tires over from my stock wheels. Should I just look elsewhere to have this done?
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2011 | 01:25 PM
  #2  
AORoads's Avatar
AORoads
Team Owner
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Default

well, it is not a piece of cake, but if he can't do it you do know what you have to do, right? of course they can be removed safely, and without damaging either the tire or the rim~!

it is possible that A) he has had no good experience doing so, or B) doesn't work on wheels with runflats very often. whichever is the case, he's telling you in a roundabout way, go somewhere else or he will ruin the tires.
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2011 | 01:26 PM
  #3  
eboggs_jkvl's Avatar
eboggs_jkvl
Moderator emeritus
20 Year Member
Veteran: Army
 
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 18,599
Likes: 3,951
From: Jacksonville Florida BWO Dayton, Cincinnati, Bloomsbury NJ, Cincinnati
2015 C7 of the Year Finalist
Default

Originally Posted by simontonbill
I just talked with the shop that normally does my wheel and tire stuff and he said the RFT's on the C6 are almost impossible to remove without ruining them.

Is this true? I bought some wheels from a CF member and want to swap the tires over from my stock wheels. Should I just look elsewhere to have this done?

Sounds like he just didn't want your business. Tires is tires. They come off they go on. He's ducking the job.

Elmer
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2011 | 01:34 PM
  #4  
simontonbill's Avatar
simontonbill
Thread Starter
Intermediate
 
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: Simonton Texas
Default

I think he's scared of damaging the glossy black wheels. He said he usually just cuts the run flats off with a utility knife. I think I'm going with Discount Tires on this. I called them and they said "No biggie, bring it by".
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2011 | 01:38 PM
  #5  
AORoads's Avatar
AORoads
Team Owner
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Default

better yet, call a Corvette club or hot rod club in your area and ask who they use "for their precious wheels." no kidding.
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2011 | 01:39 PM
  #6  
pewter99's Avatar
pewter99
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime Gold
20 Year Member
Veteran: Army
St. Jude 15 Year Donor
 
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 174,312
Likes: 1,217
From: Here
Pilot of Beer Force 1
Tampa Regional Coordinator
CI 4-5-6-7-8 Veteran
Organizer St. Jude Fundraiser
I believe in the Beer Fairy
Default

I would find a new tire installer.
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2011 | 02:49 PM
  #7  
sampaschal's Avatar
sampaschal
Pro
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 512
Likes: 2
From: Denton TX
Default

Not rocket science...Discount Tire does this every day...your dealer doesn't want your business.
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2011 | 03:07 PM
  #8  
NYC6's Avatar
NYC6
Team Owner
15 Year Member
Veteran: Navy
 
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 21,136
Likes: 212
From: Long Island New York
Default

Find a good shop who does alot of work on Hi-po cars and use a Hunter Road Force machine.
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-5

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-6

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-7

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-8

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

 Joe Kucinski
Old Jan 31, 2011 | 03:43 PM
  #9  
VET4LES's Avatar
VET4LES
Team Owner
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 27,420
Likes: 64
From: San Clemente CA
Default

I watched my shop do the fronts and it looked to me like any other tire change. Maybe it's the equipment they use.
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2011 | 04:09 PM
  #10  
Ragtop 99's Avatar
Ragtop 99
Safety Car
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,537
Likes: 1,402
From: Bethesda MD
Default

Originally Posted by NYC6
Find a good shop who does alot of work on Hi-po cars and use a Hunter Road Force machine.
I found a listing of shops using the Hunter Road Force and then I called to a couple shops and told them the size of the rear (325/19 in my case). If they flinched or hesitated, I was on to the next place.
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2011 | 04:12 PM
  #11  
Bill Dearborn's Avatar
Bill Dearborn
Tech Contributor
25 Year Member
Liked
Top Answer: 1
Top Answer: 3
 
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,022
Likes: 9,776
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Default

Originally Posted by AORoads
well, it is not a piece of cake, but if he can't do it you do know what you have to do, right? of course they can be removed safely, and without damaging either the tire or the rim~!

it is possible that A) he has had no good experience doing so, or B) doesn't work on wheels with runflats very often. whichever is the case, he's telling you in a roundabout way, go somewhere else or he will ruin the tires.
There are many shops that don't have the training or capability to remove/install run flat tires. Most of them have old equipment or bought new equipment without the capability to change run flats since they didn't see a need for that type of equipment. Most places sell lots of off brand tires for grocery getters which don't have run flat tires.

Dealers will most likely have the right equipment and some Goodyear stores have trained tire jockeys and the correct equipment. There are two GY stores in my area. The closest one cannot do run flats and sends everybody to the other store which can. Outside of that there are no other tire stores that have the equipment. When I purchased Firestone run flats from Tire Rack to put on my 97 I had to take the car and tires to the GY store to get them installed.

Bill
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2011 | 04:15 PM
  #12  
NYC6's Avatar
NYC6
Team Owner
15 Year Member
Veteran: Navy
 
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 21,136
Likes: 212
From: Long Island New York
Default

Originally Posted by Ragtop 99
I found a listing of shops using the Hunter Road Force and then I called to a couple shops and told them the size of the rear (325/19 in my case). If they flinched or hesitated, I was on to the next place.

325/19 & 275/18's here also. Word of mouth is a great way to find a place also. Us Corvette guys are quite particular about our rides and if they dont get it right they hear it but if they do a great job, others hear about it.
Reply
Old Feb 1, 2011 | 08:14 PM
  #13  
YLOFEVR's Avatar
YLOFEVR
Drifting
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,569
Likes: 4
From: Phoenix AZ
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11
Default Tire removal/installation

Originally Posted by NYC6
Find a good shop who does alot of work on Hi-po cars and use a Hunter Road Force machine.
Find someone who's got the right stuff and the right attitude.
Reply
Old Feb 1, 2011 | 08:19 PM
  #14  
AirBusPilot's Avatar
AirBusPilot
Le Mans Master
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 5,578
Likes: 61
From: Austin TX
Default

Originally Posted by simontonbill
I think he's scared of damaging the glossy black wheels. He said he usually just cuts the run flats off with a utility knife. I think I'm going with Discount Tires on this. I called them and they said "No biggie, bring it by".
Is his name "Goober". Does he own a gas station at the edge of town? lol

Discount tire usually has state of the art equipment. I just watched them change my tires and they made it look easy.
Reply
Old Feb 2, 2011 | 12:53 PM
  #15  
goatts's Avatar
goatts
Safety Car
 
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,860
Likes: 5
From: Tampa FL
Default

Originally Posted by simontonbill
I just talked with the shop that normally does my wheel and tire stuff and he said the RFT's on the C6 are almost impossible to remove without ruining them.

Is this true? I bought some wheels from a CF member and want to swap the tires over from my stock wheels. Should I just look elsewhere to have this done?
Total BS.
Reply
Old Feb 2, 2011 | 03:29 PM
  #16  
fnsblum's Avatar
fnsblum
Pro
 
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 679
Likes: 4
From: TremontonUT UT
Default

My local Big O didn't have any problem with mine. The last set I resold. Didn't have one tear in the bead area. Later! Frank
Reply
Old Feb 2, 2011 | 04:45 PM
  #17  
cclive's Avatar
cclive
Team Owner
 
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 21,502
Likes: 461
From: Southern Utah
Default

Originally Posted by simontonbill
"No biggie, bring it by".
If he has to cut a tire off with a knife, then he either doesn't know what he is doing or he doesn't have the right equipment. I have my two rear tires that Costco took off and they show no signs of any rough treatment, and my chrome wheels are fine.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Removing Run Flat Tires

Old Feb 4, 2011 | 02:27 AM
  #18  
Honch's Avatar
Honch
Instructor
15 Year Member
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 102
Likes: 4
From: Brownsburg IN
Default

This happened to me two days ago at the third Goodyear I went to, I needed a slow leak (visible nail in the center of the tire tread) repaired. The first one said that runflats were not repairable, the second told me to try Firestone, and the third one did this with a brand new Coates rimgrip and then took no responsibility for it. The manager claimed it was road hazard damage (with no corresponding damage to the wheel), and obvious freshly exposed rubber. The technician did not notice it until after the tire was removed from the rim.



Reply
Old Feb 5, 2011 | 10:24 PM
  #19  
3 Z06ZR1's Avatar
3 Z06ZR1
Team Owner
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 20,933
Likes: 905
From: salem OR
Default

Originally Posted by pewter99
I would find a new tire installer.
Cut them off. Thats a joke!
Reply
Old Feb 5, 2011 | 10:27 PM
  #20  
3 Z06ZR1's Avatar
3 Z06ZR1
Team Owner
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 20,933
Likes: 905
From: salem OR
Default

Originally Posted by AirBusPilot
Is his name "Goober". Does he own a gas station at the edge of town? lol

Discount tire usually has state of the art equipment. I just watched them change my tires and they made it look easy.
Reply



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:37 PM.

story-0
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-1
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-2
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-3
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-5
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-7
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-8
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

Slideshow: 10 major Corvette problems from the last 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-14 16:37:05


VIEW MORE