Getting rid of run flats any ideas
- Thread starter Steve Megill
- Start date
When I needed new tires, I went with Firestone. A little quieter than the Goodyears. I had the front wheel alignment zero cambered. With factory specs. the front tires were wearing on the inside and wouldn't last more than 20K miles.
Michelin makes a very nice tire ... I think it is a PS 4 or something similar. I went on Tire Rack and they have numerous tires for your car. I would go with non--run flat for a quieter ride, lighter tire. They don't have a firm sidewall as a run flat so cornering could be compromised a bit but the ride is nicer. This will be my go to tire once the OEM tires are worn out.
Why not run flats? The only reason I can think of to ditch the run flats is if you track your car a little bit.
I don't track my cars and I don't smoke my tires and I found the Firestone, yes run flats to be an excellent tire. Softer and quieter than OEM.
I don't track my cars and I don't smoke my tires and I found the Firestone, yes run flats to be an excellent tire. Softer and quieter than OEM.
I have loved the idea of run flats up until recently. I learned that they cannot be fixed if there was a puncture. If that is true, sure, you can get to the tire shop on them, but then what. It seems extremely unlikely that they have your tire in stock, so you would have to leave your car and hope they can access a replacement tire in a reasonable amount of time. If they were non run flats and you have an issue, at least they might be able to be repaired, and if not, a replacement tire would likely be more accessible. The downside to that is I guess you would need a tow to get to help.
If this is not accurate, please inform, as I was contemplating getting non run flats when the time comes for replacement..
If this is not accurate, please inform, as I was contemplating getting non run flats when the time comes for replacement..
When was the last time you had a blowout on the highway with any modern vehicle? Do you have a tire plug kit with a mini compressor? Are you capable of using the plug kit? The answers to these questions will lead you to the right answer for you.
All of the Michelin Piot Super Sport ZP tires as supplied on all C7's, including the Cup 2's, can be successfully repaired with the following restrictions:
1 - The damage is only on the tread section of your tire (sidewall damage ruins a tire immediately) and/or
2 - The puncture is no greater than ¼".
In addition, the proper way to have a tire repaired is to patch the tire from the inside so as fill the puncture hole. Do not have your tire plugged. Ever. Plug repairs do not involve taking the tire off the wheel for a proper inspection. A plug is simply inserted into the punctured area, making it unreliable. Insist on a full inspection and have your dealer demount and internally as well as externally inspect the tire, patch and fill the repair on the inside of the tire.
This information comes directly from the Michelin website.
C7 owner's have been successfully repairing their run-flats since the C7 was born with no ill effects. Many owners are even tracking their cars having used the proper inside patch repair method. In my opinion, the MPSS ZP offers the best combination of performance, reliability and safety for our cars. I will continue to use Michelin ZP's in one form or another.
As for a good choice for replacing the run flats, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S seems to be the tire of choice. Just make sure that you have a temporary method of sealing a puncture and inflating the tire. Remember, chances are good that you will probably have to replace the conventional tire after a puncture if driven even a short distance.
Best regards
Ross
It is difficult to judge the sidewall integrity of a runflat tire which has been driven on with zero pressure as opposed to a non run flat which driving on the rims will chew the inside walls up in no time. If it's 2 km to a tire shop, I wouldn't hesitate to have it repaired. If it's 50 km away, I would likely have it replaced. I carry a plug kit and a pump in my car at all times so ideally, if I am so unlucky to get a flat, I intend to plug the tire immediately, fill it with air and then get to a tire shop to have it repaired properly with an internal patch. If it cannot be temporarily plugged, then the run flats still allow me to drive to a shop instead of being towed. With that being said, and referring to Cariboo's comment above, I can't remember the last time I had to plug a tire so will likely switch to non run flats when I need to change over. JMO
i know of two people driving on repaired run flats. I have not heard of a whole lotta blow-outs other than from impacting something on the road or a police spike belt. A slow leak can be most often managed as having a puncture is never a great day ... some question why others just prefer to have an AMA Membership ... it’s all a part of the drive and its sustaining costs ...
There are pages of these run flat conversations if you care to search the forums. Lots of different opinions.
Some good information here again. Runflat/non runflat is a personal decision and there is no right or wrong in that. I like the Michelin Sports line run flats and was not bothered by the extra noise from them. They wear well and actually provide a decent amount of safe traction on rainy asphalt if you are not being a superhero. A nice compromise between a snow tire and the Sport Cup 2s. That is all they used to use at Spring Mountain on all the cars. So good enough for me and my C6 and 2 C7s.
Good point above about the tire shop. I would head to a dealership if possible with a flat or tire that needed repairing. How...?? Depends on how far if it went onto a truck or not. At $500-600 per tire and possibly needing 2, the tow price is worth it. Most tire shops do not have the right machine to safely change these tires or tires in stock. Especially the small shops. Most of us carry a little 12V compressor and a plug kit just in case. Some generations before ethe C7 came with a little compressor from the factory.
That's how I viewed and planned for tire trauma.
Good point above about the tire shop. I would head to a dealership if possible with a flat or tire that needed repairing. How...?? Depends on how far if it went onto a truck or not. At $500-600 per tire and possibly needing 2, the tow price is worth it. Most tire shops do not have the right machine to safely change these tires or tires in stock. Especially the small shops. Most of us carry a little 12V compressor and a plug kit just in case. Some generations before ethe C7 came with a little compressor from the factory.
That's how I viewed and planned for tire trauma.
Someone wanted to sell you new tires. Just after we bought our 2005, I ran over a nail. I too had heard that they couldn't be plugged and patched. I took it to my local garage guy and he laughed. Sure they can be repaired, the same as any other tire. That was 7 1/2 years ago. I still have them sitting at home and still holding air.
The PS4S is an upgrade over the PSS tires, they do ride quieter and perform better in wet conditions, have better tread life and near similar performance on track. The only downside is that they are not run flats. I've had PSS, PS4S, PSC2, Firestone Wide Ovals and Bridgestone Potenzas on my vettes and my favorite is the PS4S out of all those tires.
Here is a horror story. Got my first nail in my run flats at 2,000 km. At 4500km I was changing the stock brake pads over to power stops and noticed the other 2 tires had nails in them. So just under 5000 km, 3 out of my 4 tires have been professionally patched. I have been told they will not patch a tire that has previously been patched.
I am dreading getting another nail.
This is insane, I may have to spend huge $$$ on tires with a car with low kilometers.
I am dreading getting another nail.
This is insane, I may have to spend huge $$$ on tires with a car with low kilometers.
Wow that is some unlucky. Wonder if you picked them all up at one time?
Yes you are in for an expensive day replacing them. But maybe you will wear them out now that you have picked up your 20 years worth of nails.
hope so
