I thought about that , but am too old to be laying on the ground trying to find a puncture in the tire so its run flats for me when tire replacement time rolls around.

 

i once used non runflats on my c5. i did not like the turn-in the car had with them. the run flat tires had much quicker response to steering input . have been running run flat tires ever since for the street. [ 20 years now] . i also carry plug kit and compressor.

 

I use non-runflat Michelin Pilot Super Sports on my 2014 Z51 7MT w/MRC & NPP and on my 2008 BMW 335i that both were made to be run w/runflats.

I have had no problems doing this.

Tire performance on the BMW w/the Michelin's vs the Bridgestone runflats that came with it was a remarkable improvement. Lots of talk on the BMW forums about it when BMW started using runflats. I'm on my 2nd set of them. I only ran the Michelin runflats that came w/my C7 for a short time before I replaced them w/the non-run flats but I did not notice any significant change in the performance of the tires when I did.

FWIW, I don't race/track my cars and, while I sometimes push my cars +100mph, I generally drive at 80-85 and/or at the flow of traffic.

I have never gotten a flat in my BMW but I carry an emergency spare, a can of tire inflator and all of the tools necessary to relace a tire. On the C7, I am carrying a GM compressor and inflator, a tire repair kit and an extra can of inflator as well.

So, I'm not worried about getting a flat and, if all else fails, I can still call AAA.

 

All good answers that I appreciate hearing.
As I'm telling my wife about this thread she asked " how far does a runflat go?". Well, I don't know.
Also, how do you know if you have a flat/leak with a run flat. And can you find out too late if you do?
Anyone have an experience in this?

 

^^^
The TPMS will tell you if you have a flat. Your owners manual will give you a lot of info on this.

 

1. The only flat we've had on our Corvettes was a sidewall cut, fix a flat or plug kit would not have worked.
2. A blowout on a runflat doesn't usually require a roll back, there are lots of pictures posted here of runflats that were badly torn up but still drivable.
3. Michelin allows one repair on their runflats and you still keep the speed rating. A second repair is acceptable but you lose the speed rating.

 

When the pressure gets under 24 pounds you'll get a notification in the Drivers Information Center display. I have driven 87 miles on a flat. I also had a rebar puncture the tire and rim. Drove that one over 25 miles. I have had 5 flats on my two C7s. Two of them would not have been fixed with a inflation repair kit. One of the others was when I was driving in Sacramento on a busy afternoon freeway with no place to pull over. If I hadn't had runflats I would have trashed the rim finding a place to pull over. I have the runflat religion. Amen.

 

As to the question of distance on a deflated RF there are several suggested limits, usually 50 to 100 miles. I think these are grossly underestimated for liability reasons. Back in the early 90's when they were first made available for the Vette one of the national magazines deflated all four tires and drove from the west coast to the east coast and back again and had no issues. I think they are pretty durable.

 

A/S 4 all-seasons anyone?

I also have a 2019 that I've been wanting to equip with all-season tires, and have been going back and forth over the run-flat/non-run-flat issue. Every tire dealer I've spoken with says forget the run-flats and not only would they be less expensive and ride better, I'd have more tires to choose from. I don't drive long distances/take the "big road trips" much any more (my wife insists on flying, but that's for another time), plus living and driving in New Jersey is a daily adventure with so many crazies on the road here; AND the poor conditions of many of the roads--both local and highway, are making me lean towards run-flats.

So here's my question: from what I've read and from tire sellers I've spoken to, the Michelin A/S 3 or A/S 3+ are the tires of choice. But now, with the replacement A/S 4 tires becoming available, has anyone switched to these yet? So far they're very hard to find in my area, but I've seen "interweb" dealers mainly from the West Coast who have stock.

 

Several years ago I started a thread in C6 General, asking how far people had driven on a flat Corvette runflat. The winner went something over 400 miles to get home. Nobody had one come apart from driving too far, though I'm sure it could eventually happen.
You don't have to drive very far on a flat runflat before the tire becomes unrepairable. But you can drive almost forever if the tire is already ruined or you don't care.

 

I had Michelin Pilot Sport non run flats on my last Vette. I noticed 2 things, a much quieter and smother ride.

 

Get the ZPs, the old Goodyear ZPs that came with the C6s (like my 08) were like Fred Flintstone tires and gave ZPs a bad name. Have used Michelin A/S 3+ ZPs and the Continental DWS non ZPs and never noticed a difference in ride or handling.

 

After 400 mi on a flat runflat you may need to find a new wheel to go with that new tire though.

 

I think that would depend upon pot holes and other discontinuities in the pavement that could deflect the sidewalls enough to bend the rims. Barring that, the rims should be good.

 

Here's the thread about our flat tire on the Tail of the Dragon, and there's a picture of the flat while still on the car. The sidewall height is less than when inflated, but a far cry from running on the rim. We had no rim problems, and the long-haulers on runflats in my other thread (linked in the thread above) didn't report any. But, curb-jumping with a flat is not recommended.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...flat-tire.html

 

I had a nail in a rear tire(No pressure loss), I used my drill to enlarge the hole and put a plug , I drove another 4 000km before I changed the tires, not because of the plug but the tires were old and worn.

 

I like the run flats because they give me peace of mind. I don’t need the anxiety of worrying about getting a flat.

 

Everyone has their own "risk" tolerance level.

Personally, I'm NOT worried at all about getting a flat w/my non-runflat Michelin Pilot Super Sports and, in fact, have never gotten a flat in the past 10 years in any car other than in 2 "low resistance" tires on one of my 2 Priuses; one of which I had to replace myself on the side of a VERY BUSY highway.

No problem for over 30k miles in my BMW on the Michelin non-runflats and I do not expect any problems w/them on my C7 either. But, if I know how to fix/change a tire and, if I am unable to do so, I know how to call and wait for AAA.

Actually, my main concern about getting a flat in my C7 is the risk of damaging the wheel. Had 2 tires blow out on my MB (long story) on non-runflats. I had to drive about 6 miles (a lot of the time on the rim) in the middle of the night when nothing was open to get home after they had fully deflated.

AAA was an option but to me it was a Hobson's choice: 1) call AAA and wait for them to tow me home or 2) just try to make it home on my own. I did the latter and then put the car up on stands, removed the wheels, took the wheels to the tire shop to remove the trashed tires to see if the rims could be salvaged; they could not be salvaged, ordered 2 new tires & wheels, took the new tires/wheels to the shop for installation/balancing and then reinstalled the tires/wheels on the car.

I don't do much work on cars myself anymore but tires/wheels I can/will do.

LOL!

 

Run flats vs non-run flats comes down to your personal risk tolerance level. I ran non-runflats on my C5 for 11 and years without a flat. We drove all over the place with that. From Ohio to Georgia and back a couple of times Never had a flat. During the same stretch of time, I had three blow-outs on my daily drivers. With the C5, I figured if I had a blow out I would be stuck somewhere waiting for the Tire Rack to send me a replacement due to the size, run flat or not.

Now with my C7, I am planning on going with the all season run flats because I really have no reason not to. I also believe the stiffer sidewall might protect my rim better in event of a blowout while driving. I do not plan to track this one. I did race the C5.

I think either way, if you replace your tires before they are bald the risk of flat is low.

Oh, I do have AAA!

 

I prefer driving my DD GS with no additional tire noise entering the cabin everyday I drive it. I can hear people speak now. I really enjoy knowing my non run-flats will last longer, save money over the vehicle's lifetime, and improve fuel economy. It has not been a problem carrying a small compressor and a tire repair kit...I learned tire slime does not interfere with the life of TPMS sensors so that's not a problem. Slime can be cleaned. I never drive out in the middle of nowhere so that's never an issue. Really pleased I made the switch.