windyC6

Well dog-gone-it. Theres just so many opinions out there one just doesn't know what to think. Think I saw a post that said that non run flats give better performance ?? I thought it was pretty cut & dry that a run flat would handle the twisties a little better due to its stiffer side wall construction.....more forum fungus I presume ??? Help us Mr. Wizard !!!!

GhostC6

There are both positives and negatives about ZP tires, I recently replaced my rear tires with regular tires not ZP tires. And like the OP, I had to replace the TPMS in the right rear due to the previous owner using Slime and when I had the tire removed it had a screw in it and I have been driving it over a year with it in. My left side tire never gave me any problems but when I changed these tires it also had a nail in it, it was rusty with rust on the tire so it has also been in it since I bought the car. So due to the ZP tires I have been able or been driving two damaged tires for over a year.

I am glad because I was able to drive it until I wanted to change the tires, but then again, since I had no clue these had objects in them, I was driving it like they were in great condition, that could have been dangerous if I had gone on a spirited run and got them hot and the pressures up.

Due to the good and the bad, I do not know if I like them or not. Both a positive and negative in my situation.

Here is the best looking tire I replaced, I trashed the other due to the slime and the punctures in it which I was not aware of. You can see the rust on the rubber from it being there a long time, and I did not know.

Joe B.

GS'vert, the OE GY RF's were so noisy, it took any fun out of highway driving.
Not so with Invos. I did catch a screw that caused a slow leak.
I'm far more concerned about "road gators" and distracted drivers.

blittle

Isn't THAT the truth!!!

bontrager

Please tell me why run flats have more adhesion in the corners than non run flats.

thank you

dryadsdad

You can take a 30 mph corner at 120 mph if the tires are warm?

On the plug issue, in bikes, we will plug and then ride no more than 50 mph until the tire is replaced. I know nobody including me who'll run a plugged bike tire at speed for longer than it takes to get a new tire.

Now these are high perf high speed cars but you'll run with plugged tires and taking 30 mph corners at 120 mph on them?

Please expand on your comments.

windyC6

Seems that logic would dictate here. Since run flats have stiffer sidewalls it only stands to reason that there may be less flex when taking a corner. Too much sidewall flex means that the tire is then distorted and won't hold as well in the corner. Makes sense to me but I'm sure there are other opinions.

Gearhead Jim

Here's my runflat story from two years ago.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...flat-tire.html

Snowwolfe

Some people tend to go overboard with "insurance".
How many of you guys who swear you need run flats own a motorcycle or two? No run flat tires on bikes that I am aware of.
I am 62 years old and have never been stranded by a flat tire on a car, bike, RV, ATV, trailer tire, etc in my life. My worse case scenario was having to change out a tire on my boat trailer once due to picking up a screw on a drive from Washington to Alaska. Even then, the tire had enough air but I noticed the screw as we stopped to take a break.

myfunz

Well I had a chance to see how the run flats work this weekend. Driving from NC to NY only 10 miles from my home I hit a pot hole and blow out my front right tire. I was able to get home with the RF. If was any other tire I would be waiting on the side of the road for a flatbed on a Sunday night. I run firehawks and will replace them with firehawk RF tires.

hig4s

Having a coupe and can run a higher mileage tire usually, I run Bridgestone run-flats and get over 30Kmi on my DD... actually got right at 30K on a set of Mich run-flats, but didn't get 20k on the original Goodyears. the cheapest tires I could find were $900 a set with no mileage warranty and not run flat, the Bridgestones have a 40k warranty (yes, I know because front and back are different sizes they cut that in half) and run flat that I found on sale for $1200, seemed worth it to me.

hig4s

I have had two full fledged blow outs, (one at speed on a motorcycle, lots of fun, but saved it) and one on the rear of a large sedan. Both were many years ago. Also had two flats within 10 minutes of each other on a trip from Michigan to New York, and of course only had one spare. And had a very fast leak on a Jeep in 2010, full pressure to 0 in a mile. And was on a bridge at speed in rush hour traffic, couldn't stop for two miles, lucky I didn't ruin the rim. I have also at times gone many years between tire issues, but still find the price of run-flats worth it, and expect as they become more popular the price will come down and they will become the standard for all cars.

hig4s

Actually there are foam tube tires, that cannot go flat, available for off road, dual sport, and adventure bikes.
And you are lucky. But you did have a spare on the trailer, right. Would you take a long trip pulling a trailer with no spare for the truck or trailer?

1bdvet

This the reason why installed Firehawks RFT on my corvette last Sept, and I also woke up one morning with low tire, drove to store, and since I have road hazard, they took care of me quickly.
I know every time I call AAA, it's a wait for them to arrive, last time with group we all waited little over two hours for the truck to arrive, and haul the car home with flat, cause he always bragged he didn't need RFT. I guess the joke was on him.

blittle

Well.....i think you would agree then, blowouts are seldom these days...the other issues you described are definitely possible and can happen to any of us....as for the "standard for all cars", not so sure unless they can make them perform and feel as good as non runflats.....that may happen, but it hasn't happened yet. In most cases of slow leaks do to damage by nail, screw, etc..... the slime, pump option will get you off the road and to a tire shop....much to the same degree as the runflat....the advantage of the runflat is you don't have to stop and do the fix......this coming month I will be changing out my tires and putting on Hankook non RF's.....cant wait to see if the ride feel, cornering, etc....change! I did buy a slime/inflator unit.... we shall see!

HOXXOH

I guess I get to be the exception, since I had a blowout (RF) hitting a sharp rock (missed the "watch for rocks" sign) with Invos on a mountain curve in the rain at 60 MPH and 25 miles from the closest anything. That rock ripped out the sidewall and there was an instant pressure loss. I learned that low profile tires are very stable without air, as I drove about 1/4 mile to find a place to pull over. Then there was the flatbed ride to the largest town within 200 miles and to the only tire dealer, who had anything you'd need for a truck or tractor, but nothing for a Vette. 30 miles away, another tire store had one of the right size (245/40 R18) in a different brand, so my total time lost was only 3 hours.

Now, neither of those tire stores had equipment to change a runflat, nor stocked anything in a larger tire. So if you happen to be out seeing the USA and you have a non-repairable tire problem, especially with a runflat, don't expect to be back on the road as quick as I was. Replacement of an OEM GY RF would have required 2 days for shipping the tire/wheel 200+ miles just to remove it and hope the right size was available.

BTW, an alternator failure can take 2 days also.

It's not like any of this is life threatening, so don't let fear stop you from enjoying life. Those bumps in the road create memories too.

windyC6

Yea...having a tooth pulled creates memories also....just not sure they are the type I really want to remember....LOL

Seadawg

The tire engineers that I have talked to say if a RF is plugged properly, it is still safe to use.

And, there's a difference in "true" 30 mph corners compared 30 mph posted speed corners. But most of the interstate exits near me post 20 mph speeds, and I can easily take them 60 - 80 mph when the roads are warm, there is NO traffic, and there is NO debris on the roads. You have to be smooth, just like they teach you at Spring Mountain and Bondurant driving schools.

I've run my Bridgestone RFs to 160 mph+ on HDPE track days here in Daytona (along with many other vettes), and yes, the last time it was with Bridgestones that one front and one rear had a plug in it.

In between sessions, I use an infrared gun to measure tire tread temps, and nothing out of the ordinary is noted. And, the tire pressure goes up about 6 psi, but that is expected too. Mine go up about 2 - 4 psi for street driving.

I also measure brake rotor temps, because I've been lucky, and have not cracked a rotor (yet).

Now the scare I really got was finding a cracked rim, on the inside edge, see this thread..... https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ront-tire.html

This would have been disastrous on a track if it failed......

TxLefty

Very specific image. I actually had that experience on a motorcycle, but it was a little cooler, maybe in the 90s. Short version is: It sucked. My Fix-a-Flat didn't fix it.

torquetube

There are many different models of run-flat tires offered by different manufacturers, and they aren't all the same.

Most conversations about tires on this forum are useless, because commenters won't stipulate exactly which tire they're talking about. Terms like "Bridgestones" or "Goodyears" or "run-flats" could mean any number of different tires.

To answer your question: in the old days, the best run-flat tires didn't perform as well as non-run-flat high performance tires. So, for example, the C5 came with run-flats but the C5 Z06 did not.

Fun-flats got a reputation for being categorically lousy, especially for the price. But things turned around in the middle of the C6 production run with tires like the Michelin PS2 ZP.

I doubt that any run-flat will outperform the best non-run-flat tire, but the good ones are certainly close enough for a street car.