Should be getting my Vette this coming week. 2000 coupe 6 speed. As that time draws near the questions keep piling up.

If you don't have run flat tires what are you all doing in the event of a flat on the road?

Also, being in Florida, the rainy season is a big concern. Any opinions on what brand/model of tires are a good compromise between wet weather, tread wear and performance?

This will be a daily driver so it is a big concern for me.

Thanks,
Mike

 

My ZO6 came from the factory without run-flats, having max performance tires instead, and a small "kit" consisting of sealer and small pump or something, which supposedly, you could use to seal a puncture and get to the nearest tire store. Problem with these is that you cannot seal a puncture through the sidewall well, so I always had some doubt if this would work.

So I carry a mini-spare (meant for a Camaro Z28, bought it at a salvage yard, it fits) and a small jack with lifting puck in the trunk. It takes up some room, but I know I won't get stranded by a flat.

 

Here's your answer about the best tires:

According to a recent edition of Car & Driver. Although they used "only" a 325 BMW as a test mule, you are very likely to experience similar results with your C5. To minimize variables such as driving techniques, track surface temps, etc, C&D enlisted the help of the Tire Rack and their test mule vehicle. Although the track used was small, it's lined with sprinklers that can soak the asphalt. "It took three days to perform all the tests. We accerated to 50 mph and then braked to a standstill. There was a benefit to that lower speed: It ensured that we were measuring the braking performance of the tires and not just brake fade."

"In addition to factoring the wet and dry scores, we gave points based on a tires's price and tread-wear grade, which is a rough estimate of how long a tire will have usable tread." "Our test focused on measuring performance, so we decided that results in the dry-lateral grip, for example - would carry the most weight."

So, without further adeau, here're the results:

(Best to worst):

NUMBER 1: Goodyear GSD3: "As an all-around performance tire, you can't beat this Goodyear. It was the best performer in all three wet-track tests and was very competent in the dry. It generated .94g on the dry skidpad, only .01g off the first place (dry) BFGoodrich and tied with the Yokohama and Hankook.
The Goodyear gripped so well, that you might not have been certain that the road was wet. It held onto the wet track with .82g of stick, an impressive figure considering the worst tire in that test made only .67g.
...And like the Continental, the Goodyear had a high 280 trad-wear grade. At $145, ieach, it's $34 cheaper than the most expensive (guess which tires have THAT distinction!).

2nd place: Continental ContiSportContact 2: "It simply didn't feel as sporty as the others.....on dry surfaces, the Conti never rose above third from last among 11 tires. It felt soft and imprecise. But in the wet, the spread from best to worse was 15 percent, which made for a larger point spread (giving the Contis a boost). Plus the Continental had a 280tread-wear grade that was the highest (tied) for this test.

3rd place: Yokohama Advan Neova AD07: Excellent dry performance, but a bit on the slippery end in the wet stuff - expensive at $175 apiece.

4th place: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2: "At $179, the PS2 is the most expensive tire in the test." Competent, but expensive sums up this tire.

5th place: Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212: At $99 each, these are the least expensive tires - very good on dry pavement, but "greasy and slow to recover" on the wet stuff.

6th place: Dunlop SP Sport Max: "In the dry, the tire seemed to lose its confidence..."

7th place: Pirelli P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico:"In the dry-lateral-grip test, the Pirelli tied for second to last, and it finished seventh in the dry-braking test.

8th place: Toyo Proxes T1R: "...the Proxes never placed higher than eighth in any test"...nuff said!

9th place: Bridgestone Potenza RE050A: "it felt dull and disconnected and was somewhat soft and imprecise when driven hard."

10th place: BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD: Outstanding performance on dry surfaces, but very scary on wet surfaces - don't get caught in a rainstorm wearing these shoes...

11th place: Kumho Ecsta MX: "They didn't offer much grip and the time of 30.28 seconds in the dry autocross was .62 second slower than the fastest tire. That may not seem like much, but our course was only 0.3 mille long, and on a longer track, that gap would be commensurately greater." "And although the MX - at $136 per - was the third-least-expensive tire in our test, the high score in the price category wasn't enough to regain ground lost in the performance tests."

On a congratulatory note, the first place tire is made right here in the USA by an American tire company :flag: :cheers:

 

I agree about the BFG G-Forces, particularly since I have the drag radial version on the rear. We took the car out after a rain one day and it is undriveable above 20 mph on wet roads.

 

I understand that they now have KD2s that are much improved on wet roads. Still, you really can't go wrong with the GSD3s. I am amazed at how little wear they show, keeping in mind that they are the stickiest tires I've ever owned and that I've been driving on them for 10,000+ miles. The statement about not realizing that you are driving on wet pavement is absolutely correct. I drove in a downpour a couple of times and I could not tell that the road was any different from the typical dry San Diego roads - the adhesion was that phenominal!

 

Dave and Lee,

Thanks very much. That's a big help.

The car will be needing one tire (right rear) right away. No, I'm not going to replace just one tire. I'll replace the two rears right away, and the two fronts soon after. I just can't afford to do all 4 at once. And yes, I understand about mixing tires. But I plan on being a good boy for awhile, until I get to know the car a little better.

Thanks again. I know when I get the car the questions will get worse.

Mike