BigVette427

My Dad has some reservations about driving home seven hours from dealer to my house on a 2003 Corvette Z06 with 4,200 original miles. Tires are OE Goodyears; local Chevy dealer is supposed to perform an inspection on whole car today to help give me a better run down on where everything is.

What do you all think, dealer says he has put about 1k miles on car over the last six weeks since his taking possession of it; not sure if he has ever got the tires warmed up to highway speeds or not. They have plenty of tread and still look new!

jcgunn

The short answer is no. You need new tires. Get them before you drive home.

Sledge Hammer

I probably would just drive it home and not go for any high speed runs. However, if you are concerned why not order some tires from Tire Rack and have them delivered to the dealer to install?

cqd24

I would recommend to get new tires, you already will have to anyways. You may as well be able to enjoy the car on the ride home without worrying

dadaroo

If it were me I would drive it but keep the speeds at or below 65. If you decide to get new tires then you need to consider new TPM's since they surely don't work or will stop shortly.

You also need to consider if you want runflats or a better tire in a non runflat for less money.

Bring a tire gauge to verify pressures.

MAC5

Recall reading on Tire Racks website that tire life varies, but usually lasts 6 to 10 years before they should be replaced. That 2003 Z is past the due date by a few years. I'd think about getting them replaced before a 7 hour trip if possible.

bjones7131

Drive it home and as others have stated, don't drive it like U stole it, may consider getting a roadside plan like AAA or allstate just in case U have an issue. I have been driving for 50 yrs on all kinds of tires and never had a blowout, not to say it want happen but I would drive it as is.

roadbike56

If they're OEM, they're run flats which gives you an edge. To me, the most important thing is an inspection of the tires. If they're cracked, showing signs of age, I wouldn't chance it. If the sidewalls look good, yeah, I'd drive it, conservatively. As others have said, at some point you have to make a change.

7LitreC5

I'd drive is home sanely and not worry about it.

jhopper408

Yeah I would just drive it. Then get the new tires. I just put new tires on mine, it had the old original second set of the Goodyears on it,and I drove it 3000 miles, no problem.

Loby 1

Why risk it, just get new tires and be done with it.

Chilliwack vettes

JR-01

Take it easy and you should be fine and it will give you a chance to figure out what tires you want for it.

3sACROWD

Guys - The OP states it is a 2003 Z06. The car is NOT equipped with TPMS and the tires are NOT runflat.

OP - It is entirely up to you. Me personally, I'd make the change if $ and time are on your side. The AAA route is a good idea if you cannot get the tires changed. Be aware that the tire sizes on a Z06 are not something everyone has on the shelf. it can take a couple of days to weeks to get the tires you want.

One other thought, you can buy TPMS and have them installed on a Z06. Someone with a Tech 2 programmer has to activate it on the car's computer. I did on mine and have used it several times due to debris on the road. I was able to pull over and reinflate the problem tire and drive to my destination. Total cost (3 years ago)for TPMS and programming was around $260. If you go this route, you will want to have the sensors installed at the same time you replace the tires. The programming can be done at a later date.

The dealership will tell you it "can't be done." The procedure can be found in this forum and is very straight forward. I took it to a private shop and he did it for about $20 vs dealership shop prices.

tentuna

When I sold my C2 it had 15 year old tires that looked like they were brand new, when I told the buyer don't trust them at highway speeds they are pretty hard he looked at me like I was crazy. Told him if I kekt it another year they were coming off, to each his own, but I wouldn't trust them call tire rack and save yourself the worry.

grantv

I'd drive it if it were a 1-2 hour trip and no high speeds. As it's 7 hours, pretty safe to assume a lot of that will be highway? Me, no thanks, not a chance. 12+ year old tires... would I drink milk one day over it's limit, maybe. A week over, nope. Now we're talking safety though.
What if he has a blow out; worth not buying then? Never mind that he'll be white knuckling the whole drive home instead of enjoying the ride in his new "wheels".

JR-01

There are a lot of low mileage C5s out there with original tires and I have never heard about or read about any tire failure. These are high performance tires made to go 180 mph and have very low miles on them. A few hours at 70 should not be a problem no matter how old they are. I would not be worried about it.

Torch Rot Z

Easy answer...old tires are not safe. Put some new tires on it, then make the drive. We're talking about a Z06 with less than 5k on it...sounds like a nice car, why take a chance? Be safe and enjoy the new ride!

Corvette#2

Even if the tread looks ok, that rubber is hard and old. You should get new tires before driving it home. Even if you're not worried about a flat, the handling will be compromised with 12 year old tires. Replacing them before driving it home makes the most sense if you plan to do it anyways You'd be crazy not to.

73Corvette

Just get new tires you can always do the TPMS later...

Now tires, this is a small list of tires that from this forum seem to be favorites... in no particular order.

NON run-flat Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season

NON run-flat Nitto

NON run-flat Hancook

RUN-flat Michelin Pilot Super Sport