Michelin issues statement on cracking tire issue

[blue_bomber697]

My C7 stays in my heated garage under a cover all winter long. It goes away late September/early October depending on the weather, comes out mid-April after the snow is melted and streets have been cleaned.

Last fall I noticed grip is very limited when the tires are cold. Just turning corners normally I'd feel them slipping. I have zero intention of driving my car in snow and my garage is kept around +16 so the tire cracking issue really doesn't bother me.

 

[carbuff]

@carbuff: Its not just a car. Its a sports car and for it to be a real sports car it needs the right equipment (including tires).

Your comment reminded me of a comment from a McD top executive from the early 2000's.

"If you don't want pickles on your Big Mac then TAKE THEM OFF YOURSELF!"


Sounds like that's precisely what you opted to do. Another of my customers did just that (switched to all-seasons right away). and I am very happy for them that they are enjoying their C7 thoroughly all year round.

Its your car so you are welcome to do as you please with it.... just like everyone else. Im happy that you opted to enjoy it year round.

If all you wanted was a "cheap" $80K vehicle with all-season tires you could have picked one from many lots across BC. If it isn't special why wait months to get one?

You are very lucky to have one. I am sure there are many on this forum who would have been very grateful to grab that allocation if you had in fact purchased another $80K vehicle with all-season tires to suit your taste.

I never said it was a "cheap" vehicle.

You missed my point.
Which was that it just is not that special to be a garage queen for half the year.
For me, it is to be driven, enjoyed, and not just stared at in the garage. I understand that some may be OK with that, but not me.
I paid too much for it to be just sitting idle and depreciating.

After having 5 of them, they get a lot less "special". And all the others could be driven all year round. And none had the tire cracking BS ( which is a huge defect and yet some Corvette owners are OK with that. I have to shake my head.)
I would gladly switch to all season or winter tires, but nobody makes runflats for the Z51.
I prefer to run runflats, as that is what the car was designed for.

Are you recommending putting non-runflats on the car?

 

[smackYYZ]

I never said it was a "cheap" vehicle.

You missed my point.
Which was that it just is not that special to be a garage queen for half the year.
For me, it is to be driven, enjoyed, and not just stared at in the garage. I understand that some may be OK with that, but not me.
I paid too much for it to be just sitting idle and depreciating.

After having 5 of them, they get a lot less "special". And all the others could be driven all year round. And none had the tire cracking BS ( which is a huge defect and yet some Corvette owners are OK with that. I have to shake my head.)
I would gladly switch to all season or winter tires, but nobody makes runflats for the Z51.
I prefer to run runflats, as that is what the car was designed for.

Are you recommending putting non-runflats on the car?

No one is recommending you do anything.

There are run flat options out there for winters if you want them. Not in the 285/30R20 for the rears but in 255/40R20 ( Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 RFT - 255/40R20 ). These should be fine since a snow tire should always be a narrower tire then the summers for better snow penetration.

The tire cracking and cold temperature is not just a corvette issue, but is an issue with a lot of UHP tires. GM 2 years ago put out a similar bulletin for the Camaro ZL1 which had Goodyear F1 Supercar G2 on them.

I bought my C7 with the knowledge that the tires would loose traction under 7C and that was a trade off I was fine with since I wanted to be able to get the most out of the car and the Michelin's were designed to do just that.

Maybe GM should have give buyers an option to order non UHP tires for those wanting to drive the car in the cold and snow, and willing to accept lesser performance from the car. I think it would have been a smart move on their part.

Just my 2cents

 

[carbuff]

Thanks for the info
How would those look on the rim?
Will they even fit properly, being an inch narrower?
And relative to the front Tires in size?

Can you confirm if the rolling diameters are correct, as not to affect accuracy of the speedo?

And I concur on your last point.
I would gladly sacrifice winter performance for better traction!

 

[567Chevy]

I run mine in winter when roads are dry with winter tires. The Pirelli Sottozeros hang on real nice on cold pavement and the stock wheels make decent winter wheels.

I wouldn't drive on the stock summer tires below 7C which is their recommended performance limit. Somebody left turns you or a kid runs out in front of you, and you have crap grip - not a happy situation.

 

[carbuff]

I presume your Sottozeros are not runflat also? I could not find them in the right runflat size.
Tire rack does list them, and some other makes ( Bridgestone and Michelins) in all-season or winter in the same replacement size, but all of them are non-runflat in the Z51 size.
Can you please confirm the size and whether they are runflat? Is your car a Z51?

 

[567Chevy]

I presume your Sottozeros are not runflat also? I could not find them in the right runflat size.
Tire rack does list them, and some other makes ( Bridgestone and Michelins) in all-season or winter in the same replacement size, but all of them are non-runflat in the Z51 size.
Can you please confirm the size and whether they are runflat? Is your car a Z51?

My car is a Z51. The tires are OEM size but are not run flats.