Here come the questions...

UncleJung

UncleJung

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1st of a long line of questions : Flat tires.

After riding in, and driving a couple of cars with the GY runflats, I decided to go with Michelin NON runflat tires on my car .

Now I'm sure some members here have non runflats, no spare, and (heaven forbid) have experienced a flat tire out on the road ... So what do you do ? :confused:

My friend (fellow Vette owner) suggested "just get CAA and let them worry about it " But my experience with them has been that they are kind of finicky about what they will and won't do ...

Jim
 
Jim,

Any roadside service will just help change tires (which of course we don't have) or at best take you to a shop to either repair or replace your damaged tire.

I plan on non runflats due to excessive cost when it comes time to change and will carry an air pump and a roadside repair kit, along with a can of goop for noncatastrophic damage.
Worse damage will be tended by a tow vehicle supplied by CAA and tire replacement hopefully thru a guarantee.

I've narrowed down my choice to Nitto's which are rated very highly and cost is low. (approximately half the cost of the GoodYear OEM's)

Colin.
 
Carry a tire repair kit, pliers, small compressor, a can of tire inflation goo, and C5 Z06 jack. If you also have a CAA card, you should be set for anything!
 
Firestone/Bridgestone run flats $1100 or so at Tire rack or GY runflats $1532 plus tax.
Get a Kineck acconnt pay $5.00 per set and go to the Ivy Lea border to pick them up.
I saved $100 per tire doing this for Blizzacks for our new Cruze Ltz/Rs
 
The problem with most tires that fit C4-C6 they
are not readily available on the shelf of your local tire store .A flat can be a big problem if your unfortunate enough to have a catastrophic puncher .I stick with one brand which in my case is Michelin RF's but I keep my old tires in case I need a temporary replacement .

All the previous suggestions are viable for non run flats just be prepared
 
Elf said:
The problem with most tires that fit C4-C6 they
are not readily available on the shelf of your local tire store .A flat can be a big problem if your unfortunate enough to have a catastrophic puncher .I stick with one brand which in my case is Michelin RF's but I keep my old tires in case I need a temporary replacement .

All the previous suggestions are viable for non run flats just be prepared
Click to expand...

Good idea Elf -- a couple of older tires but still good on a couple of used rims for emergencies. Enough to get you by until you can arrange a new tire replacement.

C.
 
If you go online and google Kinek you will see that it is a series of places in the States where it acts as a US depot for you. You can get a free account online. Once you have a number then anytime you order anything in the States you can have it sent to one of their depots with your Kinek account number on it. My closest Kinek pick-up point is at Wellsley Island, New York. It is 80 miles east of Brighton, ON. Wellsley Island is between the two bridges linking Canada and the US.
For $5.00 per package or $27.00 for a skid, they will contact you when it arrives and you have 30 days in which to pick it up. They take Canadian money at par but do not accept interact. It is a small building supply company which does this on the side and it has become a sideline business for them to help keep the doors open.
I believe there are probably more Kineks near other border crossings but this is the one that is handy for me.
You take your bill of sale to Customs at the border and pay HST on your purchase. It is very simple and a pleasant drive down the 401.
So far I have picked up a set of tires and numerous motorcycle engines which we use in our TQ midgets.
This is all 100% above board and in no way shape or form do I try to beat the tax man at the border.
They get more than 150 people a day from canada there I am told.
Great great people to deal with.
 
I happen to live less than 100km's from a US border, and there are 3 or 4 places on the US side (1 run by a Canadian) that acts as a brokerage house to get items sent there to be stored until picked up. He charges $3.00 for a parcel, and a bit more for really large items like tires and such.
Needless to say, I buy pretty much all my tires, and OEM parts from the USA.
There is no reason why our prices are 1/3 to 1/2 more than the US for auto parts and tires.
I run non runflats on my car, and carry a tire pump, tire plugs and a can of goop. Never had a total flat yet..in fact none over the last 20 years. I've picked up nails and screws, but a slow leak is not too concerning. We do get a warning from the TMPS.
 
CCO said:
Good info tg -- thanks posting.
C.
Click to expand...

Yeah, thanks. I asked this very question a few weeks ago on here. Finally got my answer. :D

I've been dealing with a similar kind of business in Ogdensburg, NY. They're 30 minutes further away from me, but they'll actually push the packages across the border to their Prescott, ON warehouse (they handle all the border paperwork too) so I don't even have to cross the border. Saves me pulling all my guns and ammo out of storage for the trip. :rofl:
 
I think I'll sleep in the garage tonight ..

Cause that's where my Vette is !

How did that old song go ...?? "Take the long way home ?" That's what I did .. came home picked up the better half and we drove around for about an hour !

What can I say ?!?!? :eek::eek: DAMN WHAT AN AWESOME CAR !!!

I could go on forever , but you all know the story ... you've been there!

I drove around long enough to get a good feel for the 6 speed and the clutch, but being dark, I couldn't really see where (cops might be ) so I had to contain myself .... then we decided to head back home via the 401 ... I rounded the cloverleaf and out into the merge lane, and I couldn't control myself anymore ....I nailed it ! My wife screamed like a girl, and I'll swear , Mike Tyson couldn't knock the grin of my face ! :D:D

Only one down side to this whole thing . Now my black beauty who was sparkling clean when I picked 'er up, is all covered with road dust !

One last thing for now ... I'm SO glad I decided to go with the Michelin tires ..
More later :seeya:

Jim
 
Glad to here you finally got the beast home Jim! Only three more months til spring! :D

Even though ours has nowhere near the power of these new ones, my wife gets a big kick out of punching the throttle on our old '75. Sure beats driving her little puddle jumper she says.
 
Re....why tires cost more in Canada. Had a long chat with manager of Beverly Tire
some time ago. It is the tire manufacturers themselves that decide selling price.
Apparently all came to a standoff last winter when Detroit tire stores were selling
winter tires and rims, as a package, at a far lower cost than the stores were able to
even get the tires from the manufacturer ! So.....all of Windsor and area were border
hopping and saving big time. The response from the manuf. to the tire stores...
tough !!! I have confirmation that this is pretty wide spread, certainly down
here near Niagara Falls/Buffalo area.

Tony,
welland
 
Wooooooooooooooooo-hoooo! That is awesome UJ! Glad you have your car safe and sound with some good shoes on it! Only three more months to go!
 

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