skipwho

So I see that the tires will be specially made for the C7. What do you think the replacement cost will be. Not saying that I will burn thru the 1st set within a month or two but but but....

HurricaneRN

$1200/set stingray or z51 - Michelin Pilot SS run flat

JoesC5

$1700-$1800 for a set of replacement OE Michelin SS ZP's from a discount store like Tire Rack plus another $75 shipping and another $100 to mount and balance at your local tire dealer..

sam90lx

Check with the local Discount Tire, my dealer hooked me up with PSS's for my GS (big tire).
Was $200-300 less than Tire Rack out the door.

CaryBob

I would guess somewhere in the vicinity of the current Michelin run-flat tires in comparable sizes, maybe $1,600-$1,800. Maybe more, probably not less. That is cheaper than the current OEM tires on GS and Z cars.

MitchAlsup

$1200-$1600 seems about right for a set of tires capable of dealing with the performance of the C7 Vette.

On the other hand, you can get a set of tires for a Prius for about $200-$300.....

GOLD72

I would agree with this range.

-CM-

$1188 for non Z-51; $1196 for Z-51 (plus shipping) on TireRack.com for the Pilot Super Sport ZP.

I see the only A/S option is the Pilot Sport. I hope this changes, and I hope GM offers the option.

Gearhead Jim

The only Super Sports I can find on Tire Rack, in Stingray sizes, are the non-runflats that have been available for a year or so.

The runflat version will be available some time later this year, I expect the price will higher.

-CM-

Yes, you're right.

The difference between a set of PS2 and PS2 ZP is $236, so the difference between PSS and PSS ZP is likely to be in the same range. ?

Gearhead Jim

Interesting background info on tires:

The fellow who designed the Z51 Supercar tires stated that GM has lots of specs that are different from what the tire companies might choose. For example, even the Supercar tires have a rolling resistance (MPG) spec. And after all the howling about tire wear on the GS, I suspect that GM will have a newer spec for tire life. In one sense, those are good. But they work against getting the kind of grip we might want from our tires. So the Super Sports that come on the Stingray might not be as "good" as we hope.

Also, I was speaking with a rep from one of the big multi-brand tire distributors this week. He said they previously tested a Viper with the Michelin PS2 tires and then the same car with Super Sports. He said the Super Sports were a little quieter, a little softer, and gripped a little better in rain. But on dry pavement, they did not grip quite as well as the older PS2's.

Based on these two bits of info, I suspect that the Stingray runflats may not be as good as we hope; but rather will be better in some respects than the PS2 but not as good in other respects.

Time will tell...

EDIT-
Of course, almost anything from Michelin will be better than the C6 Goodyears. That might explain why the GM guys are so excited about the new tires; the rest of us might just yawn.

Gearhead Jim

That sounds reasonable.

Unfortunately, the tire makers sometimes jack up the price we pay for OEM replacments. Partly because they know a lot of people will just want identical replacement tires, and partly to compensate for the rock-bottom price they are giving to the automaker.

Ask me in a year...

Larry/car

GM worked with the tire manufacture (Michelin) as they developed/tested the C7. Indications are quite a bit of research and development went into these tires. I expect these tires to be superior to anything else that might be available for the C7. Unfortunately, expect a replacement cost of approximately $2,000 for a set of four.

Slynky

Why wouldn't people just replace a set with non-runflats?

Gearhead Jim

The problem is that your idea and my idea of "superior" might be different from each other, and almost certainly different from GM's. I'm quite willing to give up .5 mpg and pay an extra $200/set to get the "best" combination of dry grip/wet grip/quietness/softness, but I doubt that GM is willing to do that.

I'll need to replace my PS2 runflats on our Z51 coupe this summer. Knowing only what I know today (see post #11), I would get another set of PS2's instead of SS runflats even if the SS ZP were available. But I'm hoping the SS runflats will be available and properly tested by the time i need to buy, then I can make a more informed decision.

Gearhead Jim

Some people will do that.
But good runflats today are very good indeed. Our regional autocross champs (man and woman) used PS2 runflats a couple years ago to win their respective championships. They said that noise and ride were equal or slightly better than the non-runflat PS2's they'd used previously.

Under some circumstances, a flat is merely an inconvenience. Under other circumstances, it can be deadly. Lots of threads on the subject for those who wish to research.

Slynky

You make a good point. And a surprising one.

I am negative-runflat, I guess, because I hate the ride on in my wife's Cooper S. We took the car to the dealer to make sure they had unlocked the suspension after its trip across the ocean. It is THAT rough. Hitting small holds and pavement height changes give a big CLUNK sound from them. My 370Z's sport suspension and regular tires don't clunk around and make as many hard knocks as hers.

Thanks for your reply.

Gearhead Jim

I have never driven a Cooper S, but have heard similar comments about the stiff ride from other people and in some car magazines. How much of that is from the runflats, and how much is from the suspension itself; I don't know.

Some runflats are stiffer than others, I wonder if you could find someone with the same car but different tires; runflats or not. A back to back test of the two cars on a familiar road would be interesting.

Mark S.

The sad thing about the Vette's tires is, yes, they are always expensive to replace (I remember having new tires put on at around 20K miles) on my C5 and I'm not an aggressive driver. My cost at the dealership (including alignment) for new Goodyear F1 Eagle Run-Flats was about $2,400. You would think that for that kind of money these tires would last at least 40K miles (but they don't).

gthal

It's the price we pay to play with cars like this. Similar issue on all higher performance cars that use sticky, soft rubber that gets eaten in no time.

I would definitely NOT buy tires through the dealer though... way too pricey.