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Yes, Tire Rack is a great research tool. And YES, Michelin and Continentals are a few hundred dollars more. But, read some of the reviews and their value will be revealed.
Which ever one you choose is going to be much nicer than what you have now. I have Michelin non run craps and carry a pump and repair kit. I am also retired so I get your point about cost considerations. A number of forum members have brought up the General G-Max as a good more affordable option. See pic below.
Good hunting and let us know what you end up with. Oh, and if you don’t post some pics then it never officially happened. 👍
For your driving, go with the all season run flats. I've had 2 nails in my tires in the last year. That's just around town driving.
If you had non+run flats you probably could have had the tire repaired. An air compressor would have gotten you safely to a tire shop. Plus, non run flats are cheaper and generally offer better performance.
To the OP, I'm very glad you're getting new tires. No 16 yo tire is safe. You may not see any rot, but there could be cracks on the inside of the tire that you'll never see. My car ended up in the shop because the car in the lane next to me on the highway blew a tire that sent shrapnel into my car. It's definitely not worth the risk to drive on old tires.
I think that you're also making a good choice to go with non run flats. They are cheaper, quieter, often get better traction, and can usually be repaired if they do get damaged. I've picked up several nails and screws over the years. I carry a 13v air compressor, and it's always gotten me to safely. Failing that, AAA can take care of things, but it's never come to that.
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
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I ran Hankook Ventus V12 EVOs on my last two C5s and they were excellent non-runflat tires. But don't discount modern all season runflats - they are definitely not the runflats of yesteryear.
Had a high school driving instruction teacher who told us to look at our open hand and said, “The only thing keeping you on the road are four pieces of rubber about the size of your open hand… do you really want to go cheap on that?” Stuck with me to this day.
I go about 7 years on tires, unless I wear them sooner. I’m a fan of Bridgestones. Currently running Bridgestone Sport tires, close out deal from tire rack. I would not be afraid to run Generals, Hankook, Continentals, Kuhmo, firestones, etc…. I’ve never run Michelins, to expensive for me. Good choice on getting some new ones.
I got burned by TireRack when their approved installer overcharged me. They offered me a refund credit but never gave it to me. Now I only use them for price comparison. My last set of C5 tires came from Costco with free road hazard coverage. Within 18 months I got two punctures and had two tires replace only paying a small fee for tread wear, not mounting.
Here is the deal on tires. The mail line tire companies are like an auto company. The most advanced and best products are the most expensive. For example Michelin makes a great tire in the Cup Pilots. But they also make a lot of older tires that are crap. They are made to a price point. I had a set of pilots on my SS that had no traction what so ever. The Michelins on my last two GMC failed to go more than 25K miles.
This is true for most tire makers Continental, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Toyo, Pirelli etc.
Then you have the value brands like Hankook, Firestone, Dunlop, Cooper, General, BFG. ETC. These are tires generally imports and or are owned by one of the main brands. They are not the best tires. they are not always bad but there are better but they are cheaper. Many are made in the same plants as the better tires but they are usually older tech, less miles and grip.
Then you have the really no name tires that most are imports and most are low quality and cheap.
The old adage you get what you pay for is in play here.
Note except for the EV tires and special tires like on off road trucks and sports models most of these OE tires are old and junk. Automakers do not want to pay anything for tires unless they really are a needed part of a car like cup tires on a C8 Or Wranglers on a off road truck.
I had Hankooks on a GMC that were ok that made the car oversteer in the rain even with FWD. No grip in wet less in snow.
You need to really read and learn. Most people surveys are not much good as most are posted days after they buy them and most people have no clue about tires.
I have been lucky as I have 3 gens in my family that have worked for tire companies and I also know a number of tire engineers that will tell you the truth,.
Many do not understand tires are still hand built. Speed rated tires are x rayed to see they are right and scaped if they are not. Some tires like the new Goodyear Assurance weather tires can have 3 different compounds on the tread face. Things can get pretty advanced on tires and that s where a lot of cost is due to labor and tech.