C6 tyre advice

[GW65]

This is a lengthy one, but I'd really appreciate any advice.

It's time for another set of tyres for my C6 (usual thing - left-front down to the wear-bars thanks to all those roundabouts!). Given that I use it as a daily driver and know how useless the F1 Supercars are in cold weather, I'd ideally like to fit a set of all-season tyres (I'm willing to give up some summer performance in exchange for much improved cold weather performance). The one I'm thinking of is Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus ZP. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any European sources for them so it'd be a case of importing them from the US. Which leads to two related questions:

1. Anybody know if they're E-marked? (The pictures on Tirerack.com don't seem to show any E-marks)
2. I know it's illegal to sell non-E-marked tyres in Europe, but is it also illegal to fit them (and does it affect insurance)?


If I can't go down the all-season route, there seem to be 3 run-flat summer tyre options available in Europe in C6 sizes:

1. Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar EMT (I've just finished my second set of those)
2. Goodyear F1 GS-D3 EMT (which seem to have been around for donkey's years)
3. Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZP

Anybody got any experience of options 2 and 3 versus option 1? I need at least the same level of winter performance, so extra summer performance would be nice but not at the expense of winter performance.

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any advice!

[G4HKS]

Hi Gary

Dieter has just fitted non runflats to his C6 which he was raving about last Tuesday at the Surrey club. Drop him an email and he'll fill you in no doubt. See you Wednesday?

[GW65]

G4HKS said:

Hi Gary

Dieter has just fitted non runflats to his C6 which he was raving about last Tuesday at the Surrey club. Drop him an email and he'll fill you in no doubt. See you Wednesday?

Thanks Martin. Did he say which tyres he'd fitted? I did go non-runflat on the Z4 which were massively better than the OEM run-flats, but I always felt a bit twitchy given the lack of spare...so I'll most likely stick with run-flats this time around.

Hope to be there on Weds if I can get my packing done for Thurs/Fri in time! (Be warned though, the Vette's a bit dirty... )

[c6pete]

Just asked Ian Goss to see if they can get their hands on 4 Michelin Super Sport or Pilot Sport PS2 ZP for my C6....will let you know how it goes and how they drive....still not sure whether I'll go for run-flat or normal....

Anyone got any exprience of either tyre?

[c6pete]

Issue No. 1. Can't get Super Sport in the UK at the moment for standard C6 size....or I can't find any! Issue No. 2. PS2 ZP's have a 6-8 week waiting period. Non-run flats of the pilot sports are available now.

Does anyone know the difference in performance/durability etc between the ZPs and regular pilot sport PS2s?

Mitch, if you're reading - you say you've been running the new G:2s as well (and they now come standard) - do they stack up, and do you reckon there's more chance of stock for them?

Edited by c6pete on Thursday 20th October 16:58

[mitch_]

Goodyear F1 Supercar G:2's are only available for Z06 wheel sizes unfortunately. If you are looking for a European friendly C6 tyre I have used Yokohama's a few times and was very impressed. Deep tread allows for good water shifting ability and tractability was impressive too. Worth a look..........

Our next batch of Supercar G:2's is due the end of next week fyi.

[GW65]

So... I decided to go for the GS-D3s, only to discover that the rears are on backlog and not expected to be manufactured until next May! The good news is that this uncovered another option - Pirelli PZero runflats. For some reason, Pirelli have been hiding their light under a bushel and not letting anyone know that they are in fact available in the UK in C6 sizes, and in stock. The reviews look good (much better than PS2s) so I'm biting the bullet and getting a set fitted next week. Price-wise they're about the same as PS2s, bit more than Goodyears. Watch this space for first impressions!

[anonymous-user]

Good find! They must be worth a try.

Non-availability of standard Corvette consumables in UK does little to enhance the prospect of more Vettes on the road. I see fewer and fewer Vettes when out on my travels. Mind you, I'm increasingly tempted to think this applies to ALL proper sportscars these days. Most popular modern American by a distance in UK seems to be the Mustang.

[mitch_]

If people tell us what they want and are using we will always look to stock standard consumables. We always have tyres for Z06's in except in the occasional circumstance that we sell two sets in quick succession. We don't stock C6 tyres so often because we were so rarely approached for them.

[Oblackvette]

GW65 said:

So... I decided to go for the GS-D3s, only to discover that the rears are on backlog and not expected to be manufactured until next May! The good news is that this uncovered another option - Pirelli PZero runflats. For some reason, Pirelli have been hiding their light under a bushel and not letting anyone know that they are in fact available in the UK in C6 sizes, and in stock. The reviews look good (much better than PS2s) so I'm biting the bullet and getting a set fitted next week. Price-wise they're about the same as PS2s, bit more than Goodyears. Watch this space for first impressions!

I had a puncture on a front tyre and had to replace it with Pirelli PZero overall find them ok
Still running with Goodyear on the back though, the replacement tyre situation for C6's is bizarre, it would appear if you have a puncture you're off the road for several days if not weeks.
Like you I am a bit nervous about fitting non run flats for obvious reasons.
I have had a look for Pirelli PZero,s in rear wheel size but they do not seem to list them I would be grateful if you could let me know where you are sourcing yours, I think I will get a pair just in case.
Fronts seem to be readily available.

[GW65]

Oblackvette said:

I had a puncture on a front tyre and had to replace it with Pirelli PZero overall find them ok
Still running with Goodyear on the back though, the replacement tyre situation for C6's is bizarre, it would appear if you have a puncture you're off the road for several days if not weeks.
Like you I am a bit nervous about fitting non run flats for obvious reasons.
I have had a look for Pirelli PZero,s in rear wheel size but they do not seem to list them I would be grateful if you could let me know where you are sourcing yours, I think I will get a pair just in case.
Fronts seem to be readily available.

I'm getting them through www.tyre-shopper.co.uk. They only discovered the PZeros are available in C6 rear size when trying to find an alternative to the GS-D3s I ordered. The PZero rears aren't on their web-site yet, but should be on there from tomorrow. I've been very impressed with their service so far.

[Oblackvette]

GW65 said:

I'm getting them through www.tyre-shopper.co.uk. They only discovered the PZeros are available in C6 rear size when trying to find an alternative to the GS-D3s I ordered. The PZero rears aren't on their web-site yet, but should be on there from tomorrow. I've been very impressed with their service so far.

Thanks for that I will give them a try when the need arises, if they are going to be a stock item.

[c6pete]

GW65 said:

So... I decided to go for the GS-D3s, only to discover that the rears are on backlog and not expected to be manufactured until next May! The good news is that this uncovered another option - Pirelli PZero runflats. For some reason, Pirelli have been hiding their light under a bushel and not letting anyone know that they are in fact available in the UK in C6 sizes, and in stock. The reviews look good (much better than PS2s) so I'm biting the bullet and getting a set fitted next week. Price-wise they're about the same as PS2s, bit more than Goodyears. Watch this space for first impressions!

Have you had the tyres fitted and running on them yet? Any thoughts on how they perform (esp. in wet we've had over the last few days...)?

[GW65]

c6pete said:

Have you had the tyres fitted and running on them yet? Any thoughts on how they perform (esp. in wet we've had over the last few days...)?

I'm getting them fitted tomorrow morning, so should be able to get plenty of wet running in! I'll put some first impressions up next week when I've done a few decent runs over familiar routes. If the reviews are accurate they should be good in the wet...but you can't always trust reviews...

[GW65]

Had the PZeros fitted this morning. I'll have a better idea how they perform after a couple of decent trips I'll be making on Monday and Tuesday, but in the few miles I've driven so far (damp roads, about 55F) the ride quality seems less harsh than the Supercars and turn-in seems a little softer (probably related!). I haven't had a chance to assess grip or traction properly yet. The fronts have 8mm tread, rears 7mm (due to them having a raised bar around the entire circumferential grooves at the rear but not at the front) - that's probably the right balance as the fronts always go first for me.

BTW, if you look at the tyre-shopper web-site, ignore the incorrect photo and caption for the rear tyres - they're definitely PZeros (NOT PZero Neros).

[GW65]

Right, so here's an update on the Pirelli PZero runflats after a week or so of mixed driving. One caveat: I had the tracking done at the same time as replacing the tyres.

The most noticeable differences versus the GY Supercars are: the PZeros are MUCH quieter, especially on the motorway and on concrete sections (which allows me to enjoy the exhaust noise rather than tyre noise ); the ride quality is noticeably better (the PZeros seem to remove a lot of the harshness over bumps and ridges); and the turn-in is a little softer. The PZeros hook up really well off the line, with none of the unseemly loss of traction I was getting even in second gear launches with the Supercars. On my favourite spiralling slip-road, the PZeros grip really well in damp conditions and make the car feel a lot less nervous - I'm hoping for a mild, dry day so I can try to beat the 0.9g the Supercars were capable of. Apart from the softer turn-in, I haven't found any negatives yet...but of course I have no idea how they're going to wear and/or age.

In fact, the only negative has been that the right-front was losing pressure at a fair rate of knots (about 4-5 PSI per day), which turned out to be that perennial favourite: the split TPMS grommet. Naturally the tyre-fitters had none in stock and had no idea where to get them, so effected a temporary fix with liquid rubber (which seems to be holding OK). I've now ordered a set of grommets from BM so I'm prepared for the future!

[c6pete]

Thanks for the update - useful info. Think I'll look at these as well then...esp if you can get them slightly quicker than the Michelins.

Quick question - is it the standard PZeros, or the P Zero Rosso tyres you got? In the Pirelli website, it says that only the Rosso's fit a C6 'vette, with the asymmetric formats on both the front and back...

Great about the tyre noise on concrete roads (nightmare on the A417 - great road for letting the car run, but all you can here is a loud burring noise from the rubber...!).

Edited by c6pete on Friday 11th November 09:46

[GW65]

c6pete said:

Thanks for the update - useful info. Think I'll look at these as well then...esp if you can get them slightly quicker than the Michelins.

Quick question - is it the standard PZeros, or the P Zero Rosso tyres you got? In the Pirelli website, it says that only the Rosso's fit a C6 'vette, with the asymmetric formats on both the front and back...

Great about the tyre noise on concrete roads (nightmare on the A417 - great road for letting the car run, but all you can here is a loud burring noise from the rubber...!).

They're the new PZeros which are the only Pirelli runflats as far as I can tell - the tyre-shopper web-site has the wrong description for the rears (saying they're PZero Neros) but they really are PZeros. The UK Pirelli web-site doesn't list PZeros in C6 rear size, and has a very confusing description talking about the "PZero System" and implying they're directional and asymmetric, but they're actually just asymmetric!

[101jcb]

hi mitch, im new to the forum, and to corvette ownership! ive just bought an 08 zo6, and im looking for a pair of back tyres pretty desprately,,,, can you help? if so, please give me a call on 07789378685!! thanks

[mitch_]

I will check first thing. They will most likely be the new Goodyear F1 Supercar G:2's. Congratulations on the car, is it one I would know of or is the the red car that was for sale on here recently?

M