Fact or fiction about C7 tires
#1
4th Gear
Thread Starter
Fact or fiction about C7 tires
2017 C7 Stingray Vert. I have been told that tires on this Vette are only good for about 10-12k miles and they can not be driven in cold weather. Is that correct?
Last edited by 430hp; 11-23-2017 at 08:39 PM. Reason: CHANGE TEXT
#2
They should last longer than 10-12K miles unless burning rubber and drifting is your normal driving style. Most people get at least 15-20K miles, and with conservative driving some have gotten close to 30K miles.
They can be driven in cold weather, but below 40F they have very little grip. I certainly don't recommend it. You can drive carefully, but you'd still be in trouble in a panic stop situation because grip is as important for braking as driving. I do drive mine year round, but I have a 2nd set of wheel and tires, and I run UHP all-seasons between November and April.
They can be driven in cold weather, but below 40F they have very little grip. I certainly don't recommend it. You can drive carefully, but you'd still be in trouble in a panic stop situation because grip is as important for braking as driving. I do drive mine year round, but I have a 2nd set of wheel and tires, and I run UHP all-seasons between November and April.
Last edited by Foosh; 11-23-2017 at 08:43 PM.
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Skid Row Joe (11-23-2017)
#3
Burning Brakes
Congrats on your Stingray Vert!
The OEM tires are soft but mileage will be determined primarily by your right foot. Drive hard and you'll do well to make it to 12k, drive conservatively and you'll do better but they are not high-mileage radials.
As for cold weather, they are soft summer tires and will get slippery as the temps fall so be careful; your traction will not be the same as when it's sunny and 80. There are also reported concerns with the tires cracking if driven when very cold. I've yet to find official guidance to that affect in the OM or associated literature that came with my car...
/r
Allen
The OEM tires are soft but mileage will be determined primarily by your right foot. Drive hard and you'll do well to make it to 12k, drive conservatively and you'll do better but they are not high-mileage radials.
As for cold weather, they are soft summer tires and will get slippery as the temps fall so be careful; your traction will not be the same as when it's sunny and 80. There are also reported concerns with the tires cracking if driven when very cold. I've yet to find official guidance to that affect in the OM or associated literature that came with my car...
/r
Allen
Last edited by Allen_B; 11-23-2017 at 08:44 PM.
#4
They are only soft when temps are warm. The summer compound becomes as hard as a brick in cold weather, and when it's very cold, you might as well be on ice skates even on dry pavement.
Last edited by Foosh; 11-23-2017 at 08:45 PM.
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Skid Row Joe (11-23-2017)
#6
Z06 Cup2 tires are the ones with low mileage as an average. On my Stingray I got close to 28K out of the stockers. The Z06 I will be lucky to get 10K out of the Cup 2's still with no track use...
#7
I got 45,000 on my rears, and 35,000 on my fronts.
I don't drive like an oldwoman despite my username. 17 mpg lifetime, just so you know. I don't burn rubber, however.
I get frequent alignments with everything set as close to zero as possible. For street use, this has served me well.
I don't drive like an oldwoman despite my username. 17 mpg lifetime, just so you know. I don't burn rubber, however.
I get frequent alignments with everything set as close to zero as possible. For street use, this has served me well.
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JerryU (11-24-2017),
Rebel Yell (11-25-2017)
#8
Le Mans Master
I got more than 30K out of my tires......
#9
Instructor
Had my car about 4 days. Yesterday at 35 degrees I was leaving my neighborhood and pulled in front of a car doing 45 mph. I hit the gas a little just to get up to speed as I rounded the corner and the back end slid out. Yes, when the tires are cold and the temps are cold, you'll need to go easy on the throttle
#10
Had my car about 4 days. Yesterday at 35 degrees I was leaving my neighborhood and pulled in front of a car doing 45 mph. I hit the gas a little just to get up to speed as I rounded the corner and the back end slid out. Yes, when the tires are cold and the temps are cold, you'll need to go easy on the throttle
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Soonere39 (11-24-2017)
#11
Team Owner
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St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
A tiny bit of hyperbole there. I’ve driven my ‘14 vert year round in CO on the stock tires unless there is snow or ice on the road. That includes temps in the teens. They are not “as hard as a brick” and it’s not like “ice skates.”
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Rebel Yell (11-25-2017)
#12
Foosh and I agree on most everything but this.
We live practically within shouting distance, but he chooses to put other tires on during the winter. I like the idea, btw if it's feasible. For the most part, our winters don't get below freezing for any length of time (a few days mostly). I have my C6 with A/S tire to deal with those days.
I don't plan to drive it in snow (but I have), I also don't plan to drive it below 32F, but I have.
I wouldn't call the tires hockey pucks at those temps, but much caution is advisable
We live practically within shouting distance, but he chooses to put other tires on during the winter. I like the idea, btw if it's feasible. For the most part, our winters don't get below freezing for any length of time (a few days mostly). I have my C6 with A/S tire to deal with those days.
I don't plan to drive it in snow (but I have), I also don't plan to drive it below 32F, but I have.
I wouldn't call the tires hockey pucks at those temps, but much caution is advisable
#13
Le Mans Master
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I got 11,500 miles on mine. I'm on my third set of tires with 49,000 on the car now. The second set came in at about 25K, but they were the Michelin All season ZP tires. The third set is AS also. Very good tires. I drive the car hard, so therefore I don't get optimal mileage on my tires. I was amazed I got 25K on the second set. I just plan on paying $1,500 a year for tires. That's a heck of a lot more than my insurance. I will have had the car for 2 years this coming Dec 1st. Best car by far I have ever had. We have more fun between going from point A to point B than the actual destinations themselves. This is the only car I have ever had where I don't have to slow down going around corners. Now that explains the poor mileage I get on my tires.
A friend of mine with a C7 drives like a normal person and she got 28,000 on her first set.
A friend of mine with a C7 drives like a normal person and she got 28,000 on her first set.
Last edited by joemessman; 11-24-2017 at 02:40 AM.
#14
My original tires are at 26,000 miles and still have some miles left in them. I don’t run them real hard but do have some fun driving.
The first couple of times I drove it in temperatures in the 30s I thought something was wrong with the car. It was noticeably stiffer riding and the little bumps in the road made the car creak and rattle enough to get my attention. Once I realized the cold tires were the culprit it didn’t seem so bad.
I think the short sidewalls on the low profile, run flat tires add to the stiffness. Mine is a base Stingray with the 18/19 wheels so I would imagine the 19/20 wheels and tires would be a little stiffer yet.
Enjoy your car and take some time to figure out all it’s quirks and qualities. You have a lot of fun miles before the tires wear out!
The first couple of times I drove it in temperatures in the 30s I thought something was wrong with the car. It was noticeably stiffer riding and the little bumps in the road made the car creak and rattle enough to get my attention. Once I realized the cold tires were the culprit it didn’t seem so bad.
I think the short sidewalls on the low profile, run flat tires add to the stiffness. Mine is a base Stingray with the 18/19 wheels so I would imagine the 19/20 wheels and tires would be a little stiffer yet.
Enjoy your car and take some time to figure out all it’s quirks and qualities. You have a lot of fun miles before the tires wear out!
Last edited by TyBoo; 11-24-2017 at 03:37 AM.
#15
Burning Brakes
I have 16K on mine and am getting ready to change out for all-seasons. If I wasn't driving 2 hrs a day on them, and winter wasn't coming I'd probably leave them on for another 5K. But tread is compromised enough that they're gonna go.
#17
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
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Hydroplaning is less with more tread. Especially with the wide Grand Sport tires will change to have a reasonable deep tread remaking. One slide hitting even a curb costs more than tires!
#18
Burning Brakes
I took delivery of my car in September. One of the first thing the sales advisor told me was don’t drive on these tires under 30 degrees. They aren’t made for cold weather driving. By Thanksgiving I had a set of A/S3+ On the car.
They are made of two different rubber compounds, the super sport rubber dosen’t respond as well in cold tempatures. They also run the super sports at Spring Mountain after a season on the track, they feel like sandpaper. That’s running in the optimum conditions they were made for. You will never meet or exceed those conditions on the street, so you could run A/S3+ all year round without a noticeable difference in performance.
This year I swapped on Halloween, and will switch back for a second full summer of my OEM tires. It will be interesting to see if I get another set or just stick with the A/S3+ all year around.
#19
Safety Car
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In terms of the OEMs I took mine off at 12,500 miles and they had 7/32nds left. I'm not sure that's much less than they had originally. Mostly freeway driving though.
Last edited by mschuyler; 11-24-2017 at 03:35 PM.