Which tires to get?

The runflats may be the tire of choice in your case as a daily driver. Although I run both the runflats and conventional (used for rain tires in the mountains), if I were in Chicago traffic and on the well used roads I would have runflats. I have an unwritten law that I drive by on the expressways, NEVER stop. Even if I had to sacrifice an expensive rim I'd not stop until I was off an exit. If everyone stopped, that's a different story, but one car don't have a chance in your driving environment. I'd stick with the runflats and the Kumho ECSTA MX XRP are as good as any. Are they all season? Nope, but then neither were the tires you just put 30,000 miles on. Goodyear used to make M&S tires for the C5 but I don't see them anymore. Although I never liked how the Michelin tire gets hard and slick as it wears they would look like the only all season offered as run flats and they may have corrected that problem as it has been years since I've driven them.

Put a set of Pilot Sport A/Ss on my 2001 before I took a trip out west. Glad I did because I got caught in an August blizzard going over the Beartooth Highway in Montana. (Front air dam doesn't make a very good snowplow!) Without the A/S tread I doubt that I would have made it over the mountain. They closed the road after we passed and there were quite a few cars stranded on top. I highly recommend these tires to anyone replacing the GYs. They're also very quiet and look good, too.

Being in Chicago area and driving those freeways all the time, there is no way I would be without run flats on a Corvette. Wouldn't want to have to leave it on the side of the road because it probably wouldn't be totally there when you came back to get it. And, do you really want to be on the side of the road trying to plug and air up a tire?

Try Discount Tire. They had a free shipping deal last time I looked so that would help the price.

Dave WI

snipped-for-privacy@chicagorsvp.com wrote:

Been through that 3 times with EMTs, twice with the original EMTs and once with the Supercar EMTs. All were on my way home on a 650 mile trip that I make 2 or 3 times a year. The first time was 18 inches of accumulation although I don't think I every was in more than 12 inches. Not a problem while on the road as everyone was trying to just get through it safely. All but about 50 miles of it was on I40 and I75 and traffic was light the further I went. Speed varied between 30 and 50 most of the trip. I did run all season Continentals on one trip in snow and saw very little different. The worst thing I've ever encountered while running EMTs is water filled truck ruts. Having grown up in Michigan I learned to drive in snow. Even so I run conventional all season now when I make that trip, part of staying alive on the road is being prepared for predictable conditions.

By the way did you go through the Bighorn mountains, much more exciting drive in my opinion.

I replaced my run flats 1 1/2 years ago with Continental Extreme Contacts. They are far quieter, smoother riding, much better wet weather traction and cost much much less.

I got them at TireRack.com for a great price and had them installed and balanced by their recommended dealers. Installation and balancing was $14.95 per tire.

Jason

---snip---

Yup. Been through there many times both on the north and south ends. Spend a lot of time there in the winter snowmobiling. Shell Canyon is a very nice drive.

Dave WI

Dad wrote: