When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
When was the last time you had a flat? Myself, it has been years, and damm near all of them have been found in my garage. I carry a really good quality air pump, two bottles of Slime and a tire repair kit. I now have 17K miles on my A/S 3+ non-ZP tires....no worries.
And then there is my Ace in the hole from Michelin;
3-Year Flat Tire Changing Assistance from the Michelin web site;
A qualified service professional will change your flat and install your spare tire or provide towing at no charge. In case of a flat tire, simply call 1-888-553-4327 and a qualified professional will change the tire or provide towing up to 150 miles for free. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in the U.S. and Canada.
I've had non run flats on my c5 with a slime kit and air compressor in the rear, for years. Two flats I had were found in my garage.
I got non run flat AS3'S because I could not stand the chatter the original OEM run flats was making when I was turning my wheel when backing up or parking ETC.
When 335 needed replacements, went non-RF with kit in trunk. Quite a difference on the 3. On my Vette, gonna leave as is. ( Stock, RF) You're hearing the pro/ con arguments, so you'll have much to consider.
Thanks for all the input. I decided the go with the new Michelin A/S run flats. Ordered them from Tire Rack and they have already been shipped and should arrive early next week and hopefully will have them installed shortly after that.
Is this (tire change service or towing upto 150 miles in case of a flat) provided free from Michelin for all their tires or do you have to purchase it with the tires?
I just went with the non-runflat A/S 3+ this weekend. Costco had a screaming deal $822 installed. Had them put on Saturday, strange event happened and I was on the side of the freeway on Sunday. Parked the car in the driveway Sunday night and when I came out Monday morning driver rear was flat. Picked up a piece of metal on the side of the freeway. Tossed 30 pounds with my onboard compressor kit and drove it to Costco. They fixed it right away and then adjusted all the air pressures. Still no regrets going with the non-run flats. I feel a more comfortable ride I know I'll get more miles than the 15,000 I got on the stock tires and I like the all season thread as I will be using this through the winter.
I drive every weekend between Seattle Washington and Eugene Oregon. Usually from 6:30 PM till 11:30 PM so being stuck on the side of the freeway was a consideration. I figure I will either use the slime and compressor or just call for the free Michelin flat bed tow. If it was my girlfriend doing this I would probably go the run flats option then.
Just an FYI - My 2013 Camaro ZL1 did not have run flats from the factory and did not have a spare. I would bet that the current Camaro ZL1 is probably the same. Chevrolet includes a can of fix of flat with the car. I drove the car for two years and never thought about getting stranded. I have switched to non-run flat MPSS on my 2016 Z06 and never give it a thought.
Originally Posted by Steve_R
Yup. And can strand you somewhere. There are pros and cons to each.
As far as pros and cons, there are no pros for non-runflats in this day and age, unless you are taking price into consideration. The runflats are are just as quiet and ride just as good as the non-runflats. That was not true years ago. I have tested the Michelin brand per Discount Tire request and could not tell the difference in noise and ride. My last set of runflats lasted 30K.
For low profile tires, I think there is a huge difference between the run flats and standard tires. I swapped them out on my last car, a 335i sport with 19” 30/35 series tires. It transformed the car. With the (Michelin) RFTs, expansion joints would feel like I was damaging the car. With standard tires I hardly felt them. The diffference was stark. I will jet my RFTs as soon as they wear out.
I would agree with this last statement. Now I went from the sports to the A/S 3+ but I would say 25% quieter and the ride is night and day. It is the sharper bumps that I noticed the biggest difference like the expansion joints or pavement transitions. Not so jarring at the same tire pressure.
People say not to plug runflats, but that's bull.
On my old C6 i plugged a runflat and ran it till I switched to Firestone non rf.
I still carry a plug kit and a small compressor in my C7.
If you run Non RF, just carry a kit and small compressor.
Going from my C5 to the C7 I was shocked at how much better the newest run-flats are than the crappola my C5 came with. Ditching those early run-flats was the best thing that ever happened to the C5 (as was done to the Z06 of that time, and which accounted for the most difference between the handling of the two cars according to one of the national mags of the time). I thoroughly expected to do an immediate swap on the 7 as I did on the 5, but it doesn't seem necessary to me. I must say, though, that I haven't been in a C7 without run-flats to compare.
There seems to be no shortage of contradictory replies here as to quietness and ride differences between the two types. I have to wonder which wheel/tire sizes we are all talking about since we know C7s vary from year to year and model to model.
I have a set of 19/20 OEM-sized AS3+ non-runflats for winter use, and a set of OEM PSS runflats for summer use on my Z51. I do NOT detect any major difference in ride quality or noise between the two.
The tread pattern of the AS3+ and PSS are nearly identical.
I was losing air from my runflat. Tirestore said the thread was too low to fix. I've got a lot of good miles left before I replace them (just turned 30,000 miles). I plugged it back in April and it has not lost any air in 6 months.
I'll replace them with non-runflats and keep a flat kit in the back.
I've had 3 (count 'em) large and long bolts that have penetrated my vette tires. Two of them were plugable, the third was not. This is on two different vettes. These things somehow, someway attract large bolts! And I mean large! About a 1/4 in in diameter and about the size of my hand! The run flats saved me each time. Last time this happened was last year.
I've had 3 (count 'em) large and long bolts that have penetrated my vette tires. Two of them were plugable, the third was not. This is on two different vettes. These things somehow, someway attract large bolts! And I mean large! About a 1/4 in in diameter and about the size of my hand! The run flats saved me each time. Last time this happened was last year.
YMMV.
My last flat was the penetration of 1/2 inch rebar! Went through the rim. Ouch for me!
But I could still drive with it in there! Love those runflats.
Last edited by joemessman; 10-10-2017 at 05:18 PM.
Run flats are 4-5 pounds heavier per tire. I run Potenza RE71's, and the difference in ride quality and noise is definitely noticeable, however I don't have Mag Ride so maybe that helps?
11-16-2016, 02:29 PM
I've had non run flats on my c5 with a slime kit and air compressor in the rear, for years. Two flats I had were found in my garage.
