DeBoorG

Just bought a 2019 and l’m wanting to replace the stock summer tires with all seasons. Looking at the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 and was quoted a price for run flats vs non run flats.
Any thoughts on the benefits of either? Trying to determine if the run flats are worth the additional cost.
thanks in advance.

MMD

Ken_4fun

Well IMO if you are only going to be tooling around locally I dont think it makes much difference. My wife and I take our Corvette out of town on road trips so if we get a flat I want to be able to drive it to the nearest town for repair. I dont think the C7 has a jack or spare tire so if you have a blow out you are SOL.

I am in Indy and will be buying new tires for my 2017 this spring. If you want to sell yours, I would be interested. I only want summer run flat tires.

Ken

Vetteman Jack

The tire manufacturers have made significant improvement in the runflats over the years. They handle and ride better plus have less road noise than earlier versions. I switched from summer tires to the Michelin A/S 3+ ZPs and really like the tires.

The runflats obviously give you extra peace of mind should something happen out on the road - so that is a big consideration on which tire to purchase.

dvilin

I prefer the run flats for the piece of mind should I get a flat tire.

JohnKyJones

As the others have said with run flats you can get somewhere of your preference off the road, home, repair facility, etc.
Non run flat your stuck, on the side of the highway, etc, waiting for a roll back, etc. It’s almost impossible to get a jack underneath as well.

CraigStu

One other thing to keep in mind is how available will a replacement be? These are not Camry or Chevy Tahoe sizes. If you can find the size will it be the same brand?

DeBoorG

Hi Ken
Thanks for the reply. We are planning on taking a trip in a few weeks and obviously could encounter some inclimate weather. At this point I’m planning on getting some A/S tires.
I also am in Indy/Greenwood. Would be interested in getting with you on the non flats. Mine have 9700 as of today.

rfh928

I only have 3K miles on my 19 so still have the factory summer only run flats. I really want to get all seasons given the climate here in Toronto, but figured I'd just use the summer's until they wear out and then replace them. For my C5, I wound up switching to a non run flat all season tire when the originals wore out...10 years ago the run flats were double the price and I didn't want to pay that. As others have noted, I figured worst case with a flat I'd get the CAA to tow me to a garage to get it fixed. Never had any issues in 9 years after that. Not sure if the price difference is still that much...but will have to assess it when the time comes.

roadbike56

You Don't need run flats on your C7 Corvette














Until you need them.

Maxie2U

I would never replace my run flats with non run flats. Reason, during many of my 4 week long 6000+ mile annual road trips I am on roads out in the middle of nowhere so a flat would leave me completely exposed.

owc6

A couple of points on this:

Even if you are using RFs, if you need to replace a tire on a road trip, you don't have to replace with RFs. You can replace with non RFs if that's what you need to get you back on the road.

At this point, most cars with our tire sizes use RFs. Very few Corvette owners replace with anything other than OE, so most likely there are more RFs available than non RFs in stock or shortly available.

_______

lisa

Candy7

This past Saturday I replaced my summer tires with A/S +3 ZP. Only because I had the nails in the 2 rear tires. (both tires 11 nails together) Look the run flats just gives you a peace of mind. Thats all. If you are traveling after-hours or night time nothing is open anyways but, you can make it safely to a hotel or something like that. You don't necessarily need run flat. Like most cars today they don't come with a spare and we travel all around the states. The slime kits are good if you are able to use one. People are concerned that it will mess up the tpm but those are inexpensive these days. I had non run flats on my old corvette because they didn't make AS run flat back then. Cant go wrong either way but having piece of mind is better for me.

johnfin

If you are worried about being out in the middle of no where, carry a plug kit and pump.

jimmie jam

Yep. I have a 911 (that costs twice as much as my C7 and there is no spare). In the fronk there is a built in compressor and a can of goo so Porsche says you're good to traverse the world with just that.

99vetteran

I run non run flats, I carry a can of fix a flat, little 12 volt air compressor and a plug kit. Unless you have a blow out you should be able to fix it on the side of the road pretty quickly. If you have a blow out it won't matter which one your running and you'll need a roll back anyway. Nons ride better, you save a **** load of money on tires and you'll be more likely to find a replacement in a non run flat then a run flat if the tires needs replacing. Your not suppose to repair a run flat per the manufacturer however I have done it when I worked in the industry because you always have to order a run flat and it may take several days to get the new tire and the customer may not have had any other choice but try and repair it till the new tire arrives. I'll take my chances with non run flats.

4thC4at60

I'm 79 years old and possessor of a heart attack 20 years ago and in pretty good shape for my age. Still.... no way in hell I'm getting out of my car to "fix-a-flat".... on 20 degree ground, or 100° ambient in the middle of BFE or alongside Interstate _____ or freeway.... I actually drive my cars... traded my '15 C7 with 97,000+ miles... the C6 had 128K on it... my '19 was bought 9 months ago and has 10K+ on it..... RF tires all the way.... I may be old but I'm not senile.

GOLD72

I prefer the peace of mind that I get with RFs on my corvettes.

99vetteran

Cool and its nice we do have options.

katlen86

I do not like the run flats, 12 volt compressor, plug kit, and a can of fix a flat I am good to go.