Somewhat different run-flat question...
 

I have decided to go non-run-flat when I replace my tires -- definitely Michelins -- but have a question:

Because of poor camber from factory, I had to replace the front tires long before I replaced the rear. Since then I only replace two at a time.

Can I run non-RFs on the back while running RFs on the front?

Thanks

Frank

The go pedal and engine braking (if you have a manual tranny) accelerate rear tire wear. Many motorcycles experience the same phenomenon. For normal street driving, you shouldn't have any issues mixing run flats with non run flats. You'll like the non run-flat tires though. Pick up a small compressor and possibly a plug kit to carry in the trunk.

Thanks, 8VETTE7 and 3sACROWD :)

It wasn't the back tires that wore out first -- just the fronts from bad camber from factory. I just happen to be in the cycle where I've already replaced the fronts with run-flats and have now been thinking about non-RFs for the rear as I go forward. When the fronts get replaced I'll go with non-RFs for them also.

Thanks again...

My car had non run flats on the back when I got it. It was fine till i got a flat and switched to run flats

I insist on correcting this tidbit: If the vehicle is aligned to factory specs, its not poor camber - its performance camber. Coupled with the fact that you can not rotate OEM tires. That's why they tend to wear unevenly when alignment is within spec.

To add input to your question though, I cant see it being an issue as long as they are the same or very close speed/load rating.

The car is a 2004 automatic bought new in 2004. It's my wife's car -- she drove it back and forth to work and VERY conservatively before retiring 4 years ago. Since then we've put on maybe another 10K miles -- mostly local driving, never raced or driven aggressively. We're each pushing 70, way past aggressive driving stage. Total miles now is about 55K.

I don't remember whether the car was within factory specs when new but one front tire had worn so badly on the inside edge that at 17K miles the steel belts were not only visible but the metal strands had actually BROKEN and had sprung apart, sticking up like little steel pins. I bought two new tires at that time and had front camber set VERY CLOSE to zero. We've had no trouble with UNEVEN tire wear since then.

The front tires were replaced at 17K miles and again around 40 or 42K. The rears were replaced at just under 30K and now at 55K are nearing end of life. Hence my original query...

Definitely not! I think it's a horrible idea. The handling dynamics of the car will be seriously compromised. You may not notice anything significant during normal drives until something happens where you need to perform a drastic maneuvre such as; to avoid debris on the road, a pothole, or an accident up ahead. It's in these instances that you will discover the detrimental effect of mixing different types of tires.

IMHO, your wheels and tires are the most critical safety components of your car. They are all that connect you to the road surface and keep you, your passenger and people sharing the road with you safe. Compromising on any one of those items can turn out to be a mistake you may regret. Just my two cents.

Whatever you do, get a 4 wheel alignment when you get the tires replaced. The fronts wearing out before the rears is very unusual. You've got a problem in the front, find it and fix it.

Problem in front was fixed at 17K miles. see post #7 -- camber may have been near spec but was at (or maybe out of) limit. Speaking from memory -- this was probably 7 or 8 years ago...

Had camber reset as close to nominal (-.20*) as possible (both front wheels) -- as part of 4-wheel alignment. Car is NOT Z06 but I believe camber from factory was more appropriate for Z06 specs.

I never felt comfortable doing that but I can't sight any data that would tell you not to.

I may just bite the bullet and change all 4 tires now. I keep losing out on rebates dependent on "buying 4 tires at once" or "buy 3 get one free"...

Not that I ever expected tires to be cheap on this car, however.

But I keep hearing the ride improves dramatically once the RFs are gone.

Update
 

Update: I just found the alignment results from 2008:

Before:
Left front camber: -0.8
Right front camber: -0.8

After:
Left front camber: -0.2
Right front camber: -0.1

As stated previously, after alignment front wear issue went away.

Thanks to all for reading and responding to my query :)

Did you buy the car new?
Those settings might be set for autocrossing.

Yes, car was bought new - June 2004 (among the last on the lot as C6 was being introduced.)

Those specs would be near nominal for Z06 (-0.7) but not for this car.

FINAL update
 

After much soul-searching, I decided to replace all 4 tires. Rears were about 95% worn, fronts were 75%

Got Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 tires -- read good things about them in another thread on this forum.

Got standard sizes (NOT Z06 sizes) from local vendor in Beverly Hills, Florida for under $1040. Also will get $70 gift card from Michelin.

Thanks to all who read and responded.

Frank

Don't forget to get a tire inflator if you don't already have one.

In the last 400,000 miles I've driven (multiple vehicles), I've had 3 flats and none of them were blow outs. I was able to fill the tire and keep driving to a tire repair place. One tire had a pallet staple through the side wall. Since I knew it wasn't repairable and it was a Vette tire which isn't on the shelf, I drove 100 miles to my house. Had to make two stops along the way to pump up the tire but had no other issues. (I didn't let the pressure go below 20psi.)

Thanks for the reminder :)