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Can someone point me to a discussion of the best replacement tire for my '14 Z51? I have searched and come up with nothing. I have almost 18K on the clock and tires are worn evenly but have the following wear measurements:
Left front: 5/32
Right front: 4/32
Left rear: 5/32
Right rear: 6/32
I definitely want to stay away from run flats and probably stay with Michelins. But aren't there more than one choice of Michelins to pick from? I would appreciate some help or a heads up of some discussion where this has already been debated.
BFG's may not be rated for 200 mph but they grip like a champ in all weather. They look aggressive as hell to me. They can be a little loud on certain road surfaces though. They are All season including light snow.
Last edited by nightroddersp; May 14, 2019 at 09:25 AM.
Can someone point me to a discussion of the best replacement tire for my '14 Z51? I have searched and come up with nothing. I have almost 18K on the clock and tires are worn evenly but have the following wear measurements:
Left front: 5/32
Right front: 4/32
Left rear: 5/32
Right rear: 6/32
I definitely want to stay away from run flats and probably stay with Michelins. But aren't there more than one choice of Michelins to pick from? I would appreciate some help or a heads up of some discussion where this has already been debated.
Thanks in advance
Doug
Great wear compared to what I was used to in my prior 3 Vettes before my 2014 Z51 and hope I can get that with my Grand Sport.
Unless you have to drive frequently when it’s below ~40F (have driven the OEM tires at 30F, just have to be careful) don’t know why you would switch from the carefully developed between Michelin & GM OEM tires. They spent millions on the perfect high performance tire for the C7. Took the business from Goodyear who had it for years.
Don’t say why you don’t want run flats but if it’s from old technology RF tires, that is not the C7 OEMs. Yep if driving frequently when it’s freezing can see “compromising” performance and getting all-season tires.
SIDEBAR
The OEM Michelin tires, especially for the Z51, GS or Z06 (Now all 2019s have the same tire) are not like my old Vettes.
Recall getting a little over 10,000 miles on my 1988 OEM tires. Switched to “stickier” Continentals. When I pulled into the parking lot at work, you could feel they were hot. Had a high speed run and hairpin turn just before the lot. Yep, stuck better and got about 9000 miles on those. A bit better with my 1993 Vette, but the Goodyear’s on my 2008 were poor. Wore those out before 15,000 and put on what was recommended on the Forum, Firestone.
The Firestone had better traction, except when cold. Had great wear on my 2014 Z51 tires. The OEM tire is all I’ll consider for my Grand Sport, when needed.
The one advantage of getting new tires, in addition to less chance of hydroplaning is I tie the old ones in pairs (some truck tires in there as well,) weight those and put them in front of my dock! Great large mouth habitat!
We lost our dam for over a year and all my neighbors now know where my tires are located! Caught these 11 1/2 and 12 lb bass off my dock! Last ~2 years ago. Unfortunately will take ~10 years to get them back to this size. The dam is fixed, Lake is back, recently bought 400 irradiated male grass carp, and ~10,000 crappie going in next. About 5000 small bass (~2 inches) going in in 6 months! If we put in now they will eat the crappie!
Since mine is a daily driver, including rain and some cold temps, I went with the Michelin A/S 3+ ZP. As @Vetteman Jack stated, the non run flat version of this is the A/S 3+ (no ZP).
I see no reason to stay away from run flats. With the low profile of the Z51 tires, you're not going to feel much difference between the fun flat and the non run flat but you do lose the benefits of the run flats, including the ability to continue to drive with a tire that could not be fixed with a can of slime. There have been multiple reports of significant tire damage that the Michelin run flats took in stride.
One reason I posted this is to get other's opinions as I certainly don't know a lot about tire technology. I actually have a quote from my local Discount Tire store for Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus non RF for $1141 out the door including tax, state disposal fee and lifetime maintenance. The local store has treated me well and always price matched any competitive price I've presented them. Right now I've got 5 Michelin shod cars from Discount Tire.
You guys actually make a good case for run flats and I've had to use that feature one time on my Z51 when everything was closed. It wasn't an emergency but sure would have been a pain in the butt to have to have the car flat bedded to a safe place late at night. Thanks for the input.
what has not been mentioned yet is the care the Michelin A/S 3+ ZP gives to your car. The original z51 tires are the finest tires you can fit to it. As mentioned above, it was a specific tire designed for a specific car. I bow down to their superiority on the track. BUT their stickiness throws up stones on your fenders and rocker panels something fierce. One poster mentioned leave it long enough and the clear plastic overlay GM puts on those parts clouds over from all the scratches and looks like a different color on those parts.
The Michelin A/S 3+ ZP is a well mannered tire. It don't throw stones at your car, it doesn't hop when you do a full wheel lock turn in the parking lot, and i can't really tell you it rides softer; i had my MRC flashed for the softer settings at the same time that i fitted the A/S3+ ZP and one or both of those actions has resulted in a softer riding car.
if your part of texas has nothing but a barbed wire fence between you and Canada, and that has blowed down, then the Michelin A/S3+ ZP's are rated for use in temps below 40 degrees F, the original Z51 tires are not. less or no chance of driving like you have marbles for tires on a glass surface in cold weather with the A/S 3+.
No ZP? guess it depends on how much you trust your tow truck drivers at 11pm on a rainy night on a dark but busy road to hook your car up and pull it up on the Jerr-Dan without damaging some very soft aluminum part of your undercarriage. I believe being able to drive it home on ZP Runflats is cheap insurance against that.
I just wish Chevy would fit Performance all seasons tires on the C7 standard and let owners who want ultra performance summer-only track tires to opt for them.
Last edited by SilverGhost; May 14, 2019 at 10:06 PM.
One reason I posted this is to get other's opinions as I certainly don't know a lot about tire technology. I actually have a quote from my local Discount Tire store for Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus non RF for $1141 out the door including tax, state disposal fee and lifetime maintenance. The local store has treated me well and always price matched any competitive price I've presented them. Right now I've got 5 Michelin shod cars from Discount Tire.
You guys actually make a good case for run flats and I've had to use that feature one time on my Z51 when everything was closed. It wasn't an emergency but sure would have been a pain in the butt to have to have the car flat bedded to a safe place late at night. Thanks for the input.
Doug
They should be able to offer you the A/S 3+ ZP for about $200 more (total) than the non RF version.
Replacement tires
