GS needs tires, alignment, TPMS sensors
 

My 2011 M6 GS coupe needs tires and probably an alignment and Tire Pressure Minitoring Sensors too.

I'm the second owner of the car (GM Certified, excellent condition) which had near new OEM spec Goodyear run flats when I got it with 12k miles. The Goodyears are almost done at an 10k additional miles. I didn't have any of the problems with the Goodyears that have troubled many forum members but they definitely wear very fast.

I'm going with runflats (I know, I know) for peace of mind. Street use only, this is my fun car, no commuting. At the moment my finalists are the Bridgestone RE050 Pole Position RFT or the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZP. I've only heard good stuff about both tires. My 370Z had the non runflat version of the Bridgestone's and they were excellent and looked like they would be good for a bit over 20k miles. The word of mouth on the Michelin's is outstanding and I'd love to to get them but the price is way off my scale. I'm open to other run flat options so before I pull the trigger on the Bridgstone's I'd love to hear any comments that might change my mind.

Alignment: My tires have worn evenly, no feathering or increased road noise but the outside two ribs on the left rear tire show a bit more wear than any of the other three tires. So I thought I'd have it checked. I'm in Orange County, California does anyone have the name of a Corvette knowledgeable alignment shop in my area?

Ride height: I don't know if the prior owner lowered the car or if this is normal for my car but the front height of 26-1/8" and the rear height of 26-3/4" are about 1"-1-1/4" below the ride height specs that I've seen. The car looks awesome and I love the way it drives but it does scrape on everything. The car has Magnetic Ride (MR shocks) and I've heard that low ride heights can cause premature failure of these expensive shocks. Does anyone know the facts on the matter? Is my car most likely lowered and does lowering the car put the MR shocks at risk for early failure.

The TPMS sensors are probably going to be replaced. One sensor shuts down on longer drives and I doubt that they will make it another 3 years for a total of 8+ years. What's the smart play here, genuine GM or generic sensors?

Your comments are appreciated.

Mine is a 2011 GS, 26 3/8" front and 27 3/4 rear but I did lower the back a tad, 3/8" so it appears from your measurements that the rear is lowered :yesnod:
NSF

Guard Dad,
 

After 18K miles on the OEM GYs, I put the Bridgestone RE050 PP RFTs on my 2013 GS about 1K miles ago. They are quiet, provide great street traction and are smooth as glass. Sounds like we drive similarly - spirited street and no track.

If you have a COSTCO in your area, check their price. I got a set of four for about $1750 (with a $70 rebate) including the road hazard warranty and balance. Got a nail in the RR sidewall at 400 miles and COSTCO replaced the $419 tire for no cost under the road hazard warranty.

GPG:flag:

Your sensors may just need to be rebuilt, and can be done when you get tires. The parts cost about $5.00 per sensor.

Interesting, so your front was 26-3/8" stock?

i have to say it looks really serious at its current height.

Yep, that's my use profile.

Actually I was planning on Costco.

I have seen a post about rebuilding the sensors I just haven't figuered out how to do it in the short time available while the tires are being changed.

Discount Tires will do it if you get tires from them.

Do not buy tpms from Amazon, all 4 they sent me had dead battery's!

The Brigestone RE050 is a good tire. I just replaced all 4 on my GS. They got a lot of positive feedback from guys on the forum. They aren't to noisy ,but I feel they ride a little ruff. I got my set for $1500, but wish I didn't cheap out and got the Michelins instead. I have had the Michelins on my other vettes before and I think its a much smoother and quieter ride. I was able to pull 25k out of my Michelins. Time will tell for the Bridgestones.

I am the original owner of a 13 GS convertible and the GY's were worn out at 15,000 miles. I went with the Bridgestone's last spring and could not be happier. I have put 13,000 miles on them and they show very little signs of wear. I am hoping for another 25,000. I do some spirited driving on the road course at Iowa Speedway and the NCM Motorsport Park once a year and noticed that they have pretty good grip.

There are a lot of people on the forum very critical of RFT technology. I don't fall into that camp, having run both RFT's and non RFT's on racetracks. I've had good traction even with the Good Years. These tires wear fast because they are high performance tires, engineered more for grip than mileage. I have found little difference in noise and ride comfort going from RFT's to non-RFT's, especially as the tires age. One might be able to tell the difference with back to back comparisons of new tires.

The Bridgestones might be a good option for you, especially if cost is a consideration. I know they make good motorcycle tires which is another application of high performance, low mileage sticky tires. Michelin on the other hand has a great reputation. I've run both the PSS's (current) and PS2's, they are good tires for sure, again, for me its hard to tell the difference in road noise (our roads have a lot of exposed aggregate from heavy use of studded tires in winter) after a few heat cycles (from track use).

If you haven't had your car on a race track, you are missing some of its best attributes and its the only place you can go to begin to safely explore its limits. If you are lucky enough to get an experienced driver showing you around the track, you'll be amazed at what these cars can do at 7/10's and realize you can't approach that level in a city environment and out in the country you are driving down roads of unknown hazards.

Good luck with your choice. When I can get re-settled, I plan to go back to RFT's for street use and stay with the Michelin PSS's for track so I'll have to pick up another set of wheels.

I just had the Bridgestone pole positions installed yesterday. I went with them because I wanted a run flat and the michelins where more then I wanted to spend. The pole positions have a great tread wear life. Just make sure you check them before they are installed they have another tire with the same numbers on the tire except they do not say pole position and only have a 140 tread life. Learned that yesterday whe discount tire installed them and I caught it last night. I just got back and they apologized for the mistake and are getting me the right tire. I was going to go with non run flats but last week I saw someone with a flat tire on the DanRyan expressway(Chicago) actually sitting on the shoulder unscrewing the lug nuts with cats zipping by at 75 to 80 mph. Seeing that changed my decision really quick!!

Yep :yesnod:
NSF

Didn't know that they would do that, I thought rebuilding them was more of a hack done by owners to avoid buying new sensors.

For the price difference between Amazon and a GM dealer, I'd buy them again and take my chances.
My AC Delco Amazon sensors were new and work fine. As with the vast majority of purchasers.

I have had 2 sets of the Bridgestones and they last about 30,000 miles and are good in weather. Also, they are $500 a set less than the Michelins.

More than one forum member has reported 30k miles on Bridgestones, very impressive.

"rebuilding" just means replacing the nut and the gasket. My '06 and my '07 sensors are fine so I can't imagine that 2012 sensors with 22,000 miles are going dead, but there is a tendency here on the forum to want to replace things early on these cars.:thumbs:

It's not the 22k it's the 5.5 years and the prospect of the new tires lasting 3+ additional years for a total of 8.5+ years total that's got me considering replacement.